A Preliminary Survey of Factors Influencing Project Cost Estimating Practice in the Klang Valley of Malaysia

The objective of the survey which was conducted in the Klang Valley of Malaysia was to prioritise factors that are considered by building contractors in estimating the construction cost of buildings. Respondents selected by simple random sampling have been asked to assign a one-to-five rating for each of the total of 79 cost factors identified from the literature review. The result of the preliminary survey of factors influencing project cost estimating practice of building contractors has indicated that only 35 cost factors have been regarded by the respondents from small, medium and large building construction companies as highly relevant for building construction projects. ‘Client requirements on quality’ was found to be the most significant cost factor influencing the construction cost of buildings.