Construction Permits and Flow of Projects Within the Sunyani Municipality, Ghana

E. Zoya Kpamma1 & Theophilus Adjei-Kumi2

1Lecturer, Building Technology Department, Sunyani Polytechnic, P.O. Box 206, Sunyani, Ghana, Phone + (233) 244787599, [email protected]
2Lecturer, Building Technology Department, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana, Phone + (233) 244536995, [email protected]

Abstract

One of the quality control measures in the construction industry in Ghana is the statutory requirement for the acquisition of permits before the commencement of construction work. The acquisition of these permits, among others, ensures quality of building construction products and less impact on the environment. The process of obtaining these permits has however been observed to be associated with steps that affect the flow of pre-construction activities leading to delays, and possibly cost overruns and decreased value of building construction products. The paper examines the processes involved in obtaining building construction permits and how that impacts flow of activities at the pre-construction stage. The study focused on the Sunyani Municipality, an emerging urban area in Ghana. Permit issuing authorities like the Municipal Assembly, the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Fire Service were contacted for data on permit acquisition processes and requirements. Developers and consultants who have been involved in obtaining permits from these authorities were also interviewed. The study points to the acquisition of permits as one of the obstacles in ensuring continuous workflow in the building construction project delivery process, mainly due to lack of integration of process steps as well as delays in processing and issuing the permits

Keywords

Construction permit, flow, lean construction, value, integration, waste, Ghana

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Reference

Kpamma, E. Z. & Adjei-Kumi, T. 2013. Construction Permits and Flow of Projects Within the Sunyani Municipality, Ghana , 21th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction , 257-266. doi.org/

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