Perceived Benefits of Using Value Engineering on Road Projects in Ghana

The need for Optimum Value benefit realization on 
Road Projects in developing countries has become topical. While the 
traditional Cost Control project management process only aligns actual costs 
with budgeted costs, Value Engineering (VE) is a sustainable and systematic 
innovative methodology for establishing the best functional balance among 
desired features of a project. A Value Engineering (VE) study was conducted 
with the aim of examining the benefits associated with its use on Road Projects 
in Ghana. This study employed a two-stage research procedure: desk study and 
field research. The literature review identified the Optimum Value benefits 
associated with VE road project management technique as increased Confidence 
Level in Contract Compliance, reliable Implementation Level of Construction 
Delivery and enhanced Effectiveness Level of Project Sustainability. A 
quantitative survey research design based on a purposive sampling technique of 
selecting respondents was adopted. Employing closed-ended questions, 40 sets of 
questionnaires were issued to professionals in Road Infrastructure and Support 
Agencies (RISA) under the Ministry of Roads and Highways (MRH) in the Eastern Region of Ghana. At a response 
rate of 85%, descriptive statistical analysis (Means, Standard Deviations and 
Variances) and inferential statistical analysis of variance (ANOVA) test were 
used to process the data and determine whether there was any significant 
difference between VE benefit parameters and the groups of respondents. The 
results revealed that road professionals are familiar with the VE process but 
solely use Cost Control project management technique. Road professionals 
recognized the high Optimum Value benefits of professionally ethical Contract 
Compliance, efficient Construction Delivery and functionally viable Project 
Sustainability on VE road project management process.

The need for Optimum Value benefit realization on Road Projects in developing countries has become topical. While the traditional Cost Control project management process only aligns actual costs with budgeted costs, Value Engineering (VE) is a sustainable and systematic innovative methodology for establishing the best functional balance among desired features of a project. A Value Engineering (VE) study was conducted with the aim of examining the benefits associated with its use on Road Projects in Ghana. This study employed a two-stage research procedure: desk study and field research. The literature review identified the Optimum Value benefits associated with VE road project management technique as increased Confidence Level in Contract Compliance, reliable Implementation Level of Construction Delivery and enhanced Effectiveness Level of Project Sustainability. A quantitative survey research design based on a purposive sampling technique of selecting respondents was adopted. Employing closed-ended questions, 40 sets of questionnaires were issued to professionals in Road Infrastructure and Support Agencies (RISA) under the Ministry of Roads and Highways (MRH) in the Eastern Region of Ghana. At a response rate of 85%, descriptive statistical analysis (Means, Standard Deviations and Variances) and inferential statistical analysis of variance (ANOVA) test were used to process the data and determine whether there was any significant difference between VE benefit parameters and the groups of respondents. The results revealed that road professionals are familiar with the VE process but solely use Cost Control project management technique. Road professionals recognized the high Optimum Value benefits of professionally ethical Contract Compliance, efficient Construction Delivery and functionally viable Project Sustainability on VE road project management process.

Introduction
Road Projects are capital intensive therefore require optimum service quality for cost-effectiveness. Rapid innovations in technology necessitate a critical look at existing project management processes in order to enhance quality delivery and sustainability [1] [2]. Road Projects in Ghana have, hitherto, employed the Cost Control project management process of achieving Value. According to Chileshe et al. [3], Value Engineering (VE) is not a popular project management process in the road construction sector; a major reason for the incessant excessive project cost overruns, poor quality, excessive time overruns and poor functional features on road projects. Dzah's [4] study of the Ghanaian construction industry recognized that Consultants critically differentiated between mere Cost Control and VE project management processes. VE maintains a sustainable balance among project management process parameters. When the potential of VE practice is not harnessed, optimum value benefits cannot be achieved. Kissi et al. [5] also asserted that although VE presents a solution to the existing myriad of project management challenges, the concept is yet to find a niche in the construction industry of Ghana. It is therefore abstruse to state with any conviction that VE process components are employed on road projects [6] [7]. VE is a comprehensive strategy for the management of costs, time, quality and safety standards with the ultimate goal of guiding the work to achieve optimum value [8] [9]. Cost Control project management techniques do not guarantee quality or value. However, optimum value benefits can be realized through the VE process. This is attained by instituting VE multidisciplinary teams as a supplement to the existing interdisciplinary project teams. Besides, Value Clauses are introduced in the contract documents and a method enhancement incentive program is encouraged to enable contractors to gain rewards for optimizing construction techniques on projects; ultimately promoting a cost-saving VE incentive program on projects [10] [11] [12]. Developing asset management responsibility action plans for teams also boosts VE on projects.
The study is based on the research gap that no Optimum Value benefits have been realized on Road Projects execution so far in Ghana with the existing Cost Control project management process. The aim of the research is to assess the benefits associated with the use of VE technique on Road Project management in Ghana, from the Road Professionals' perspective. In order to achieve this, the study will seek to address the research question on the benefits associated with Value Engineering. This question will be answered by drawing on comparative studies between two main project management processes of Value Engineering (VE) and the Cost Control respectively. It is very important to note that the gap World Journal of Engineering and Technology between these two processes is the functional element of Value [13]. Whereas the Cost Control process seeks to regulate cost within project budget [7] [14], the VE process maintains a sustainable balance among all project budget requirements to improve Value [15].

Road Projects in Ghana
Roads contribute significantly to the economic infrastructural development of a country. Road transportation is overwhelming the most widely employed means of traversing Ghana. Agriculture, Mining, Manufacturing, Construction and other socio-economic activities thrive on the sustainable management of the road.
Roads link all major cities, towns, villages, agricultural production areas and other economic activities with local, regional and national markets. These are essential for enhancing socio-economic activities in the country [16] and stimulating growth and development [17]. Road Projects in Ghana require huge capital investment [18]. Without corresponding optimum values being realized, the high investment becomes acceptable, unjustifiable and a colossal economic ab- gional, inter-regional and inter-national corridor roads), feeder roads (rural roads) and urban roads (metropolitan and municipal roads); being managed by GHA, DFR and DUR, respectively. The vision of the MRH is to provide and retain a combined, economical, harmless and supportable road transport network receptive to the needs of users, supporting development and poverty alleviation.
The mission of the ministry is to transport the mandatory guidelines, monitor and assess packages and projects to safeguard the delivery of inexpensive, combined, innocuous, receptive and supportable road transport network that will meet the financial, communal and ecological needs as well as national and international principles. All Road Projects in Ghana are developed and managed as follows [19]: There is a need for systematized approach to this process with the objective to achieve the best balance among these factors for optimum cost, reliability and overall project performance. This important link between design through construction to maintenance, which is the focus of VE, is not well established in the Ghanaian road sector. No VE component is incorporated into the development and management strategies of the process. There is a fixation on Cost Control structure [19] thereby restricting all aspects of the work to budget considerations [6]. This narrow view invariably pays little attention to the greater Value Optimization deliberation.

Optimum or Best Value
SAVE International [20] views Value as a fair return on properties, facilities or cash for scheme or project. Realizing true worth becomes an objective, and it is met by analyzing the functions of systems and resources available for use to fulfill the functions. SAVE International [20] recommends that the function should be measured by performance requirements while resources to be measured in terms of materials, labor, prices or cost and time. Kasi [21] indicated that Value is accomplished when the project has a high performance by reaching the desired acceptance at a reasonable cost. The Value of any road construction project is the performance of its owner functional requirements (budget or cost value, time value, quality value, scope value, among others) at the lowest life-cycle costs [22]. The ultimate approach to optimizing Value is maintaining a balance among all owner functional project features by increasing Value rather than reducing Costs [23]. Based on this, there is a need to analyze Value for optimized results [24] [25]. Value is the ratio of Function (Quality or Performance or Worth) to Cost (Price you pay or Resources). Thus "Optimum or Best Value" is determined by the ratio of Functional Requirements (Desired Customer Performance or Quality or Worth) to Lowest Life Cycle Cost [26]. There is, therefore, the need for high Functional Requirement at the least Life Cycle Cost for Optimum or Best Value to be accomplished [27] [28].

Cost Control Project Management Process and Optimum Value Deficiencies
Cost Control project management process is the ultimate process of project cost management [29] [30], which seeks to analyze and manage cost with basic processes of resource planning, cost estimation and cost budgeting [29] so that the project budget is not exceeded [31]. Limitations in Value exist in this project management process; thus, a contemporary project management process should be directed towards achieving an Optimum Value [32].

Value Engineering (VE) Project Management Process and Optimum Value Benefits
Value Engineering (VE) project management process is a sustainable, systematic and innovative methodology for establishing the best functional balance among the desired features or requirements of a project [36] [37]. VE, also known as On the other hand, VE can be applied during the construction phase when there is a contractor-incentive sharing clause where a contractor may be allowed to share in the savings resulting from his/her recommendations for cost-reduction [23]. A multidisciplinary team has proved to be the most effective structure for a VE study [40] [41]. The VE process is applied by this team to improve the value of a project through the analysis of functions [42]. It is a two-stage process: the VE Job Plan and VE Methodology [23] [43].
The VE Job Plan consists of the following sequential phases or study processes   1) The Charette Methodology-administered by the design team at the end of the compilation of the project brief but prior to the design phase; 2) The 40-Hour Workshop Methodology-a weeklong VE study undertaken by a second and independent design team to review preliminary designs; 3) The Value Engineering Change Proposal (VECP) Methodology-Contractors deliver alternative but economically feasible designs, elements, specifications or method statements.
In the management of Road Projects, detailed components of the road to be constructed such as bridges, drains, culverts, subgrade, subbase, base, wearing course, road markings, kerbs, medians, among others, can be subjected to a VE analysis in order to optimize the overall Value of the Road Project. In his study World Journal of Engineering and Technology   [41]. Construction Delivery is assessed in terms of its Implementation level (IL).

3) Project Sustainability Optimum Value benefit World Journal of Engineering and Technology
Project Sustainability (PS) deals with procedures geared towards meeting the needs of the present generation but which will not affect the ability of the future generation to also address their economic, social and environmental impacts of the project. In terms of project sustainability, the use of VE will be functionally viable during the operation and maintenance stage for Optimum Value benefits.
VE targets achieving the essential functions of the project components at the lowest life cycle costs and striving for a sustainable balance among all the project management parameters [30]. This will ultimately give rise to functionally viable projects [28]. The effectiveness level (EL) is a measure of Project Sustainability.

Research Method
This study adopted the literature review and survey approach based on a purpo- from the Koforidua Training Centre (KTC). These can be found in Table 1.
Over 86% of the respondents were professionally affiliated ( Figure 4).

Results
Results were obtained from a questionnaire survey of professionals from the  Figure 6. Thirty-one professionals indicated cost as the major factor impacting road projects success and viability.
Seventeen and 21 considered time and quality as a major influencing factor towards road project success respectively. While 28 regarded any two combinations (COMB2) as critical; only 9 considered all three factors (ALL3).
The study was mainly aimed at examining the benefits associated with the use of VE on road construction projects. In this regard, the Optimum Value benefits World Journal of Engineering and Technology    Table 2 through to Table 4. The mean for each of the four groups, together with the "grand means" and "standard error" (the measure of the accuracy with which the sample distribution represents a population) at 95% confidence level are presented in Table 2. The grand means are 3.9348, 3.9031 and 4.3268 for CC, CD and PS respectively. The corresponding standard errors are 0.05371, 0.04301 and 0.03951. This crucial ratio of "the between-groups" to "the within-groups" population variance estimate or the "F ratio" (Table 3) for CC and CD are 1.974 and 1.761 (both greater than 1) while that of PS is 0.498 (lower than 1). Turkey's honest significant difference (Turkey HSD) test was used to compare the significant differences in responses of the DFR, GHA, DUR and KTC. For the CC benefit, F (3,30) equals to 1.974, CD for F (3, 30) equals 1.761 and PS for F (3,30) equals 0.498. In Table 4, responses from each of the four groups were compared with every other, giving the mean difference between each pair, standard error and the probability values at 95% confidence level. It can be seen from the post-hoc test (Turkey HSD) that the differences between DFR and GHA, and DFR and DUR (with effective sizes of 0.6940 and 0.2391) were unlikely to have arisen by sampling error. Consequently, there were no significant differences between the DFR and GHA, and DFR and DUR regarding their perceptions on the Confidence Level (CL) expressed on Contract Compliance (CC) as Optimum Value Benefit.

Discussions
The Cost Control system is traditionally employed in the management of road project in Ghana. Cost Control project management process seeks to analyze and manage cost with basic processes of resource planning, cost estimation and budgeting [29]. Adjei     poor quality and safety measures as some of the characteristic weaknesses inherent in this method. The over-reliance on this system was demonstrated in Figure 6, where 91% of the respondents depended on it for the management of road projects.
In fact, only about a quarter of the respondents acknowledged integrating value, which comprises cost, time and quality, into the road management process. Value Engineering project management process, which incorporates cost, time and quality, is an innovative and sustainable technique for establishing the best functional balance among the desired parameters. Although the respondents had some level of knowledge on VE, their practical application of the system was limited. The Optimum Value benefits of project management process can be expressed as Confidence Level in Contract Compliance, Implementation Level of Construction Delivery and Effectiveness Level of Project Sustainability. Figure 7 shows that all the four categories of Road Professionals (DFR, GHA, DUR and KTC) perceived VE to be beneficiary to road project management. On a 5-point scale, the professionals rated CL, IL and EL high with respective mean scores of 3.91, 3.87 and 4.10. The Confident Level (CL) measures the Contract Compliance in relation to conformity with agreed rules, specifications, contract conditions and any implied needs of the client. The GHA rated CL utmost with a mean score of 4.09 while the KTC scored it least at 3.69. DFR and DUR scored it 3.95 and 3.89 respectively. Construction Delivery is expressed as Implementation Level (IL) and considers prospects to achieve effective service organization towards project execution. The importance of CD for optimum VE was recognized by the RP and expressed in the high mean scores of IL 3.99 (DFR), 3.94 (GHA), 3.89 (DUR) and 3.72 (KTC). Project Sustainability is measured as Effectiveness Level (IL). It comprises pronounced procedures for addressing the needs of the present generation without compromising future economic, social and environmental impacts of the project. DFR, GHA and KTC scored IL as 4.32, 4.33 and 4.42 respectively. Only DUR gave a relatively low mean score of 3.31. The mean scores of the four groups of Road Professionals (DFR, GHA, DUR and KTC) in respect of IL produced the least variation with DFR scoring it the highest of 3.99 and KTC had the least of 3.72. The highest score for CL was 4.09 (GHA) with the lowest being 3.69 (KTC). Apart from DUR (3.31), the other three groups of the professionals rated EL very high (exceeding 4). The overall high mean score ratings for all three VE benefit parameters (CL, IL and EL) can be interpreted as an endorsement of the VE project management process as a superior substitute to Cost in realizing Optimum Value benefits on Road Projects in Ghana.
The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to analyze any variations in the scores from DFR, GHA, DUR and KTC sources by comparing the significant levels of the means of the groups. By this method, the effects of the independent variables (DFR, GHA, DUR and KTC) on the dependent variables (CL, IL and EL) were analyzed. In Table 2, descriptive statistics on the means, standard deviations and standard errors at 95% confidence levels for the dependent variables (CC, CD and PS) were provided for the separate independent groups (DFR, GHA, DUR and KTC). Also included in Table 2 were their totals. The mean totals for CC, CD and PS were 3.9348, 3.9031 and 4.3268 respectively. Their corresponding group standard errors were found to 0.05371, 0.04301 and 0.03951. Table 3 which shows the output of the ANOVA analysis indicated the statistically significant difference between the group means. There were no statistically significant differences in the means between CC and the group of independent World Journal of Engineering and Technology variables (F (3, 30) =1.974, p = 0.139), and CD and the independent variables (F (3, 30) = 1.761, p = 0.176). The third dependent variable (PS) too had no statistically significant difference between the four independent groups of respondents (DFR, GHA, DUR and KTC) as F (3,30) = 0.498 and p = 0.686 (p > 0.05). Table 4, which comprised the multiple comparisons of specific individual groups, confirmed that there were no significant differences between the responses of the DFR, GHA, DUR and KTC. There were consistency, certainty and reliability in the responses. The ANOVA tests, therefore, showed that there was no variability in the responses of Road Professionals regarding CC, CD and PS benefits of VE.

Conclusion
The fixation on traditional Cost Control techniques for road project management restricts all aspects of the work to only budget consideration with little attention to the greater optimization deliberation. This does not only affect the quality or value but has the tendency to render projects functionally unsustaina- Projects in Ghana is therefore recommended. The study will not only deepen and expand the innovative frontiers of VE but its application will help to identify and eliminate unnecessary cost and improve upon the functional viability of road projects.