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What is a Quantity Surveyor?

A Quantity Surveyor is a professional person who advises, manages and controls all the financial aspects of a construction project.

The duties of a quantity surveyor can vary depending on the client’s requirements and can include ;

Feasibility studies
Due Diligence
Cost planning / preparation of budgets
Preparing Bills of Quantities
Estimating building costs
Controlling construction cost on site

Do I need a Quantity Surveyor?

With the cost of construction work today, the initial cost can spiral out of control easily without the client / end user’s knowledge.

This can be caused by some or all of the following factors ;

The Scope of works not being clearly defined at the outset
Weak tender documents being prepared not clearly identifying the work
The Client changing their mind
The Contractor taking advantage on a project
The project being badly managed by the client / project manager

The answer is, do you think a qualified quantity surveyor will save you money.

What is the minimum value of project that a Quantity Surveyor is required on?

There is no minimum value. The smallest of projects ranging from a domestic attic conversion to a multi million euro project all need cost control.

What does a Quantity Surveyor Cost?

The costs will vary on the size of the project and the exact scope of services and depending on the other members of the design team ( ie the standard of drawings and specifications ).

A Quantity Surveyor should add value to a project and will usually save the client financially through their knowledge and expertise. Most Quantity Surveyors will provide a quote for their services free of charge.

What is a Cost Plan?

A Cost Plan is an estimation of the project cost which is prepared by the Quantity Surveyor. The level of detail contained in the Cost Plan depends on the level of design prepared by the Architect and Engineers prepared. It can be detailed with the building elements quantified or prepared on the basis of floor areas.

The Cost Plan is usually updated and revised in parallel with the detailed design to give a more accurate cost.

What is a Bill of Quantities?

A Bill of Quantities is a document or "Bill" which includes a list of all the items of work required for the project, quantified in a standard format, hence the name "Bill of Quantities". It is a shopping list for the project. It can extend to hundreds or thousands of individual items depending on the size of the project.

Who prepares the Bill of Quantities?

The Quantity Surveyor is usually the only professional experienced to prepare it.

What use is a Bill of Quantities?

A Bill of Quantities is a shopping list of the elements in your project. By having a comprehensive list of elements with the relevant quantity and cost of each item you can ;

Enables all contractors to price the exact same tender document
Relatively easy for the Quantity Surveyor to compare contractors priced tenders
Increase / decrease the quantities of each element and control the cost of this change
Omit elements completely and control the cost of this change
Change the specification of an element and control the cost of this change
Variations can be easily priced based on the rates contained in the Bill of Quantities

In essence it allows a client to have a complete understanding of the implications of changing the scope of the project.

Allows the contractor to accurately price a project and to monitor their costs. Enables a an accurate valuation of work completed to be carried out.

What is best suited to Project Manage my project?

Experienced Project Managers will obviously be the first choice. A Project Manager with a Quantity Surveying or Cost Management background will be in a better position to make decisions that are cost effective than a professional without such a background.