A Theoretical Framework for Integrating Indigenous Knowledge Systems into Quantity Surveying Practice in Nigeria

Mainstream quantity surveying practice in Nigeria is grounded predominantly in British colonial professional traditions, largely ignoring the rich indigenous knowledge systems related to resource estimation, cost negotiation, and construction management that have existed across Nigerian communities for centuries. This study develops a theoretical framework for integrating indigenous knowledge systems into contemporary quantity surveying practice in Nigeria. Using a constructivist philosophical paradigm, in-depth ethnographic interviews with 65 elders, master builders, and traditional construction practitioners across the six geopolitical zones, combined with critical discourse analysis of existing professional frameworks, provided the research data. Grounded theory methodology was applied to build the conceptual framework from first principles. Findings reveal rich indigenous cost governance traditions including communal labour mobilisation systems, oral contract forms, and material resource allocation customs that embody principles of value engineering and social value procurement. The study demonstrates that integrating these traditions into professional practice frameworks could improve community acceptance of projects, reduce rural construction costs, and enhance the cultural legitimacy of the quantity surveying profession in Nigeria. The resulting Integrated Indigenous Cost Governance (IICG) framework provides a theoretically grounded and empirically developed model for professional integration of indigenous knowledge. This study makes an original theoretical contribution to decolonisation discourse in the African construction professions, offering an alternative to uncritical transfer of Western models. Keywords: indigenous knowledge, quantity surveying, theoretical framework, Nigeria, decolonisation