Quantity Surveyor Detailed Job Roles

A quantity surveyor (QS) is a professional working within the construction industry concerned with construction costs and contracts.

The services provided by the quantity surveyor include:

• Cost planning and commercial management during the entire life cycle of the project from inception to completion
• Value engineering
• Risk Management
• Procurement advice and assistance during the tendering procedures
• Commercial Management and Contract Administration
• Assistance in dispute resolution
• Asset Capitalisation
• Interim payment assessment
• Cost Management process
• Claim the extra cost of the design variation

Traditional quantity surveying services

1. Cost Planning
2. Estimating
3. Contracts negotiation
4. Procurement advice
5. Preparing Bill of Quantities (BOQ)
6. Monitoring Budget
7. preparation of Payment Invoice and Certification.
8. Assessment of variations
9. Dispute resolution
10. preparing feasibility studies

Future services expected

1. Investment appraisal
2. Advice on cost limits and budgets
3. Whole life cycle costing
4. Value management
5. Risk analysis
6. Insolvency services.
7. Subcontract administration
8. Environmental services measurement and costing.
9. Technical auditing
10. Planning and supervision
11. Valuation for insurance purposes
12. Project management
13. Administering maintenance programmes
14. Advice on contractual disputes.

Professional Duties

Pre-Contract

1. Provide procurement and contractual advice
2. Provide 'Order of Magnitude' costs for construction projects
3. Refine, monitor and control costs during design development
4. Prepare contract documentation
5. Prepare pre-tender estimates

Tender Review

1. Identify cost-risks in tender returns
2. Prepare tender reports
3. Recommend preferred tenderer

Post-Contract

1. Prepare Construction Financial Reports
2. Assess construction cost variations
3. Assess and prepare progress payment recommendations

Quantity Surveying Roles and Responsibilities, QS Roles and Responsibilities

Contractor's quantity surveyor

A contractor's QS is responsible for the performance of operations that mirror those of the owner's QS; i.e., the measurement and pricing of construction work, but specifically that actually performed by the contractor (and the contractor's subcontractors) as opposed to the construction work described and measured in the construction contract between the owner and the contractor. Such a difference in quantity of work may arise from changes required by an owner, or by an architect or engineer on an owner's behalf. Typically, the settlement of a change (often referred to in a contract as a 'variation'). (See the following reference sources: "Fundamentals of Construction Estimating and Cost Accounting," by Keith Collier (2nd ed.) (Prentice-Hall, 1987); "Construction Contracts," by Keith Collier (3rd ed.) (Prentice-Hall, 2001) These two texts each contain a comprehensive glossary.)

The role of a contractor's QS will extend further than the day to day running of building projects and will cover such other areas as sub-contract formation, forecasting of costs and values of the project, cash flow forecasts and the collation of the operation and maintenance manuals of the project (O&M manuals). This increase in the capacity of the surveying profession has led to an increased demand for qualified personnel and goes some way to explaining the popularity of related degrees at university.

Some contractors and others may attempt to rely on a general accountant to deal with construction costs, but usually this is not effective, primarily because an accountant does not have the technical knowledge to accurately allocate costs to specific items of work performed, especially at times prior to the particular work's completion as required to make accurate assessment of the amounts to be paid to the contractor during the course of the work.

Keywords:  Contractor's Quantity Surveyor, Client's Quantity Surveyor, Consultant's Quantity Surveyor, Estimation of Quantities