SL's construction sector 'bleeding billions' due to weak cost-control mechanisms

Sri Lanka's construction sector one of the country's largest economic drivers, continues to bleed billions due to weak cost-control mechanisms, ad-hoc estimating practices and the absence of internationally recognised methodologies, warns veteran Chartered Quantity Surveyor Mafahir Shuhood, a global authority in building economics whose work has shaped industry standards across continents.

- BY IFHAM NIZAM

Author Mafahir Shuhood sharing his insights with Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.

A member of IQS (Sri Lanka), AIQS (Australia), ASAC (USA) and CIRB (UK), Shuhood is widely considered a pioneer of modern cost management. His first book, How to Estimate for Building Works, written in 1978, became one of the region's earliest structured guides on controlling construction expenditure.

His subsequent publications-Cost Control Methodology and Costing Guide, authored in Qatar-today form part of the reference material used by universities, engineers and international contractors from Doha to London and Sydney.