Pricing Dust Control in a Ghana BOQ — QS Guide 2026
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Dust suppression is usually written into preliminaries as an obligation with no quantity attached. That makes it the first thing squeezed at tender and the first thing abandoned on site. Measuring it as square metres of treated area with a stated rate makes it priceable, comparable between tenderers, and enforceable.
The problem with preliminaries
A typical Ghanaian bill says the contractor shall take all necessary measures to control dust. Nobody has defined necessary, nobody has measured anything, and three tenderers will price it at three wildly different figures — or at nothing.
You then cannot compare the bids on that line, and you have no basis to instruct anything on site beyond argument. The lowest tenderer wins partly because they allowed least for dust, and the client lives with dust.
Measuring it properly
Treat it as you would any other surface treatment: by area, with the product and method stated.
| Item | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Prepare and grade surfaces to receive stabiliser | m² | State compaction requirement |
| Supply and apply polymer surface stabiliser | m² | State coats and that it is applied undiluted |
| Re-treatment of trafficked areas | m² | Provisional, for use if instructed |
| Water suppression where stabilisation impractical | Week | Time-related, not lump sum |
Rates to allow
Materials at current Ghana pricing: a polymer stabiliser at GHS 1,600 per 20 litre drum covering 70-80 m² gives GHS 20-23 per m². Add preparation, labour, sprayer plant and a margin for surfaces in poor condition, which absorb more.
Note that this is a materials-driven rate, not a labour-driven one. Application is quick — a sprayer covers ground fast. Preparation is where the labour sits, which is why grading should be measured separately.
Worked example
A residential development in Spintex with a 250 m haul route at 5 m wide, a 100 m² gate apron and two 150 m² stockpile areas:
- Haul route: 250 × 5 = 1,250 m²
- Gate apron: 100 m²
- Stockpile surrounds: 300 m²
- Total: 1,650 m²
At 75 m² per drum, that is 22 drums — GHS 35,200 in materials, around GHS 21 per m². Add preparation and application, and allow a provisional sum for re-treatment of the haul route once during the contract.
Compare with water suppression: a bowser plus operator, twice daily, over a 14-month programme. That number is larger, and it is recurring with nothing to show at the end.
Specifying it so it gets done
Three clauses make the difference:
- Name the areas. Reference a drawing showing which surfaces are to be treated. "The site" is not a specification.
- State the application requirement. Applied undiluted, one to two coats, 20-24 hours cure before traffic. Without this a contractor will thin it to stretch a drum.
- Tie it to a programme milestone. Before bulk earthworks traffic begins, not when somebody complains.
Where this matters most
Public procurement, schools, hospitals and any project adjoining occupied buildings. On those jobs dust is not just a nuisance — it is a reputational and sometimes contractual risk. Pricing it honestly at tender is cheaper than arguing about it at month six.
Need current rates or quantities for a bill? Call 0555 548 001 or 0241 737 026, or request a written quotation.
Related Resources
- Waterproofing BOQ in Ghana — How to Write and Price It
- Waterproofing Cost Breakdown for Quantity Surveyors
- Dust Control on Construction Sites in Ghana
- Haul Road Maintenance on Ghanaian Sites
- How to Evaluate Tenders in Ghana
Fest Ghana Limited is the trading name of FGL Waterproofing Solution Limited Company, a company registered in Ghana — Registration No. CS218171026. Company information.