SHEFFIELD HALLAM UNIVERSITY, UK

INTERNATIONAL COLLAGE OF BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONOURS) IN QUANTITY SURVEYING AND
CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT
SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE

The research is being undertaken by Sanjayan Sachithanandan, undergraduate student in Quantity

Surveying and Construction Management on PROMOTING THE EFFECTIVE USE OF ICT IN
BUILDING CONSTRUCTION SECTOR IN SRILANKA : SPECIAL REFERENCE TO
COLOMBO DISTRICT
It is aimed at identifying the factors affecting ICT usage by building contractors in Srilanka and make
recommendations to promote effective use of ICT to improve their project delivery.
Specific Objectives are:

To assess the ICT organization platforms for building contractors in Srilanka.

To explore the level of ICT usage among building contractors.
To identify and evaluate the factors affecting the use of ICT by building
contractors in Srilanka.

As part of the process, this questionnaire has been designed for survey. Your organization is invited to
participate and contribute in this study. Your input, opinions and views would be very much
appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Page 1|8

SECTION I: General
1.1.

About your firm

1.1.1. Please indicate ICTAD Class of your company.

C1

C4

1.1.2. What is your companys year of experience in the Srilankan construction industry
(Please Tick)?
< 5 Years

1.2.

5-10 Years

10-15 Years

15-20 Years

Over 20 Years

About Respondent

1.2.1. Please indicate your current position in this company (Please Tick).
Managing
Director

Project
Manager

IT
Manage
r

Engineer

Quantity
Surveyor

Architect

Other

1.2.2. How long have you been practicing in the Srilankan construction industry (Please
Tick).
< 5 Years

5-10 Years

1.2.3. Are your computer literate?

10-15 Years

Yes

15-20 Years

Over 20 Years

11-15 Years

Over 15 Years

No

1.2.4. Please indicate your years of computer literacy

< 1 Years

1-5 Years

6-10 Years

1.2.5. Please indicate your mode of acquisition of computer literacy (Tick the appropriate
box/boxes).
Learnt at
School
1.3.

In service by
Employer

Private
Lessons

Self-Taught

Training by
Professional Body

ICT General

1.3.1. Does your firm own and use computer for its operations?
Please go to section V)

Yes

No (If No,

1.3.2. If yes, Please indicate where computers can be accessed in your organization? (Please
tick box/boxes)
Company Office/s Only

Project Site/s Only

Both Company Office/s and Project Site/s

Page 2|8

1.3.3. In your view, to what extent is ICT currently being applied in your company?
High

Medium

Low

SECTION II: ICT infrastructure firms status

2.1.

Hardware Platforms

2.1.1.
Please indicate usage of the following ICT hardware items in your
organization (Please Tick Box/Boxes)
Desktop Computers
Laptops
Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs)
Tablet PCs
Mobile phones
Digital Cameras
Multimedia projectors
Others (Please Specify........

2.2.

Operating systems in use

2.2.1.
Please indicate the operating system currently being used in your
organization? (Please Tick)
Windows XP

Windows Vista

Windows 7

Windows 8

Other

2.2.2.
Please state why the choice of Operating System indicated above? (Please
Tick)
Availability

2.3.

Cost

Familiarity

Other (Please Specify) ..

Communications and Network Platforms

2.3.1.

Are computers in your organization Networked? (Please Tick appropriate box)

Yes

No

--If No, Please go to (2.3.3)

2.3.2.
If yes, please indicate the Computer network infrastructure being used in your
organization? (Please Tick)
Local Area Network (LAN).

Wide Area Network (WAN).

Other Please Specify

Page 3|8

(Network within office, site

2.3.3.

Does your organization have e-mail accounts for official communication?

Yes

2.3.4.

(Network among offices and sites)

No

Is your organization connected to the internet? (Please tick appropriate box)

Yes

No

--If No, Please go to (2.4.1)

2.3.5.
Please indicate where internet can be accessed in your organization? (Please
tick box/boxes)
Company Office/s Only

Project Site/s Only

Both Company Office/s and

Project Site/s

2.3.6.
Does your company have a page on the World Wide Web (WWW)? (Please
tick appropriate box)
Yes
2.4.

No

ICT Workforce

2.4.1. Do you have a Separate IT Division or someone responsible for IT within your
organization?
Yes

No

--If NO, Please go to (2.4.3)

2.4.2. If yes, Please indicate which of the following services is/are provided by your inhouse IT Division? (Please tick relevant box/boxes)
Desk side support
Internet & E-mail support
Database Maintenance
Networking
Hardware Maintenance
Software Support Services
Software Maintenance
Others (Please Specify........

Page 4|8

2.4.3. Please indicate which of the following services is/are outsourced (Please tick relevant
box/boxes)
Desk side support
Internet & E-mail support
Database Maintenance
Networking
Hardware Maintenance
Software Support Services
Software Maintenance
Others (Please Specify........

2.4.4. What is the current average staff to computer ratio in your organization? (Please tick
relevant box) (NOTE: Ratio=No of Staff No of Computers)
1:1

2:1

3:1

4:1

Other

2.4.5. What minimum Academic Qualifications do current users of computer in your

organization have?
Academic Qualification
Masters
Degree
Diploma
Certificate
Other (Please
Specify.)

IT Qualification

Non IT Qualification

Page 5|8

SECTION III: Level of usage of Information and Communication

Technology (ICT) In Organization
3.1 Please indicate level of Computerization or Usage of computer software for the
following activities in your Organization. (Note: 1=Never, 2=Not always,
3=Average, 4=Quiet always, 5=Always)
Activity

Book-keeping
Project drawings
Purchases and invoicing
Technical Calculations
Costing and budgeting
Estimating
Resource Management (Labor, Material and Equipment)
Scheduling and works planning
Accounting/Payroll
Take-off
Progress reports
Financial management
Site management and security
Project cost control
Subcontractors and suppliers information
Communication (with project sites and external parties)
Distribution of project documents
3.2 Please indicate the extent of usage or application of the following ICT tools in your
company. (Note: 1=Never, 2=Not always, 3=Average, 4=Quiet always, 5=Always)
ICT Application
E-mail and Short Message Service (SMS)
Mobile internet
Video Conferencing
Electronic purchasing (E-purchasing)
Tele Conferencing
Global Positioning Systems (GPS)
Geographic information Services (GIS)
Radio Frequency Identification (RIFD) and Barcodes
Project specific websites (Extranets)
Site Surveillance Technologies (e.g. CCTV etc.)
Electronic Tendering (E-Tendering)
Modeling and visualization (e.g. 3D-CAD, 4D-CAD etc.)
Electronic Document Management Systems (EDMS)
Integrated Software (e.g. Enterprise Resource Planning;
ERP)

Page 6|8

3.3 General and Technical Software Usage

3.3.1
Please indicate usage of the following commercially available software in your
organization. (Please tick relevant box/boxes)
General Administration/Business Systems

Never Used

Daily Use

Word Processors (e.g. MS Word)

Spreadsheets (e.g. MS Excel)
Presentations (e.g. MS Power Point)
Databases (e.g. MS Access)
Other (Please specify.)
Project Planning and Scheduling
Microsoft Project
Primavera
Power Project
PM Systems
Other (Please specify)
QS, Estimating and Cost Calculations
Win QS
Plan swift
Build soft
Bluebeam Revu
Autodesk Quantity Takeoff
Other (Please specify)
Computer Aided Design (CAD)
AutoCAD
ArchiCAD
Other (Please specify.)
3.3.2
Does your firm have some registered or in-house software designed for your
own office use?
Yes

No

3.3.3
Would your organization be interested to support a Srilankan IT company that
want to offer such registered software services?
Yes

No

Page 7|8

SECTION IV: Reasons Affecting use of ICT in your Organization

4.1 Which of the following statements in your opinion, best describe reasons affecting the
use of ICT in your Organization. (Please tick) (Note: 1=Very Weak, 2=Weak,
3=Average, 4=Strong, 5=Very Strong)
Reasons

Financial Reasons
Budget constrain for ICT investment
Cost of training professionals in ICT
Limited benefits/Low return on investment in ICT
High cost of employing ICT professionals
Human Reasons
Inadequate ICT content of construction education
Lack of commitment by firms management towards ICT
Inadequate knowledge about return on ICT investment
Lack of staff with appropriate skill and knowledge in ICT
Fear of job losses/ making professionals fired
Satisfaction with existing method of working
Technical Reasons
Rapid changes in ICT technologies
Problem of ICT integration/compatibility in the organization
Software and hardware reliability problems
Security concerns/privacy fears
High rate of uselessness ICT products in the Srilankan Market
Access to relatively cheap work force
Environmental Reasons
Majority of client not interested in firms ICT base
Lack of adequate jobs in the market
Legal Reasons
Risks for liability
Lack of legal support for use of ICT
Security effects of ICT transactions

Thank you
Your final comments (if any)

Page 8|8