Chapter One — 1.1 Background to the Study

In recent years, Procurement Method Selection has emerged as a critical factor shaping project cost performance across organizations operating in and around Borno State. As institutions grapple with the pressures of globalization, regulatory reform, and shifting stakeholder expectations, understanding how procurement method selection relates to project cost performance has become an important area of both scholarly and practical concern.

Borno State presents a useful setting for examining this relationship precisely because the conditions there — structural, regulatory, and behavioural — differ from those typically assumed in the broader literature, most of which draws on evidence from more developed economies.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

While procurement method selection is widely discussed in policy and industry circles, empirical evidence on its actual effect on project cost performance within Borno State remains sparse and, in places, contradictory. This lack of localized, rigorous evidence makes it difficult for decision-makers to know with confidence whether current approaches to procurement method selection are helping or hindering project cost performance — a gap this study sets out to close.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

1. To examine the effect of Procurement Method Selection on project cost performance in Borno State.
2. To assess the extent to which procurement method selection influences project cost performance within the study area.
3. To identify the challenges associated with procurement method selection in relation to project cost performance.
4. To recommend strategies for optimizing procurement method selection in order to improve project cost performance.

1.4 Research Questions

1. What is the effect of procurement method selection on project cost performance in Borno State?
2. To what extent does procurement method selection influence project cost performance within the study area?
3. What challenges are associated with procurement method selection in relation to project cost performance?
4. What strategies can be adopted to optimize procurement method selection in order to improve project cost performance?

1.5 Significance of the Study

Beyond its academic contribution to the field of quantity surveying, this study has practical value for management teams within Borno State seeking to understand how procurement method selection translates into measurable outcomes around project cost performance. It is equally useful to students and future researchers looking for a localized empirical reference on this relationship.

1.6 Scope of the Study

In terms of scope, this study confines itself to Borno State, focusing specifically on how procurement method selection relates to project cost performance within that setting. Findings are interpreted within these boundaries rather than as universal claims applicable to every organization or market.