ABSTRACT
The study examined the performance of traditional system and direct labour procurement methods often employed by the Nigerian Army. Traditional system involves the use of professionals from outside the Army to realize a project while direct labour involves the use of professionals within the NA to execute a project. The aim was to find out if one has any advantage over the other. Project success determinants like cost, time and quality formed the basis for evaluation and comparison of the performance of the two methods. Comparison was done based on similarity of projects specifically, the magnitude of work, the type and specifications of work. Fifteen projects made up of ten renovation works and five new projects were considered for analysis for each of the two procurement methods compared. Results indicate that there is no significant difference in the quality of projects procured using either traditional system or the direct labour procurement methods. Further results also indicate that in terms of cost overrun, there is significant difference between the two methods. It was however discovered those overall costs of project were higher for those procured using the traditional system having similar floor area. It was also discovered that significant difference exist between times overrun in the two methods. Projects procured using the direct labour method took more time. The study concludes that there is the need for continuous training and exposure of the in- house professionals to improve their proficiency and efficiency to further enhance the quality of their products.