Quantity Surveyor is a professional who work within the construction industry involving building costs. This profession provides a qualification gained following formal education, specific training and experience that provide a general set of skills that are then applied to a diverse variety of problems. These relate to costs and contracts on construction projects. Other areas in which Quantity Surveyor find employment include property surveys for hidden defects on behalf of potential purchasers, running estates, valuating the mineral deposits of mining companies, selling property and even Leasehold Reform Act work. Quantity Surveyor also involves all stages of the project and is usually appointed by the architect or engineer who designs the construction. They act as the financial overseer of a particular project, translating the plans into details costs.
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The major tasks of Quantity Surveyor include preparation of Bills and Schedules of Quantities of materials, labour and services required in the construction and equipment of building or engineering work. Traditionally, much of the work was included in Bills of Quantities as prime costs sums. Bills of Quantities, for example, consist of large quantities of estimate few items. Because much of the work involved is at or below ground level, the quantities are normally fairly correct, with a full remeasurement of the work that is actually carried out. Also as there is not the same direct relationship between quantity and costs, contractual claims and potentially is more likely event. In addition, quantity surveyor should also has frequent dealings with the different working rule agreements, day work rates and other documents such as Civil Engineering Procedure, which is published by the Institution of Civil Engineers.
Another major task of Quantity Surveyor is giving advice on cost management or value management from time to time. The basis of the construction project in the context of forecasting, analyzing, planning, controlling and accounting. For example, Quantity Surveyors are the cost and value experts of the construction industry. Their responsibilities include advising clients on the cost and value implication of design decisions and the controlling of construction costs. Great importance is now attached to the control of costs on the majority of the projects. Clients and designers are disposed to making changes after the contract has been signed, and to order additional works that were not visualized.
Quantity Surveyor also needs to give an opinion on alternative proposals and evaluate the costs. Once the decision is made to build the project by the client, Quantity Surveyor will recommend the client on proper to contract arrangement as well as the legal contract and conditions under which the building will be constructed. Quantity Surveyor also action on behalf of the client advises the architect and engineer on the cost implications. This includes the different construction methods, alternative choice of materials, size and quality of the project. This is also to ensure that each element is settling with the cost plan allowance and the overall project cost remains within the budget. Besides, Quantity Surveyor is a strong position to take a leading managerial role throughout the development of a project. For example, they are able to assess the implications of changes in design, site conditions and working arrangements and give the client accurate budget and time estimates.
Besides that, preparing tender and contract documents are also one of the major tasks of Quantity Surveyor.
Quantity Surveyor needs to prepare these tender documents at the end of the process. When the project is near to the tender stage, the different firms that may be interested in constructing the project should be ready the designs for construction projects. However, it is also recognized that the process is too long and frequently still unsuitable as compared to other countries of Western Europe and in different parts of the world. During the latter decades of the twentieth century, much effort was made to reduce overall design and construction time periods as well as attempting to reduce the time spent on site by the contractor. After that, Quantity Surveyor will recommend the contractor that suitable for the projects to the client so that client can select a suitable contractor to complete the project.
As a conclude, Quantity Surveyor plays an important roles in construction industry. Quantity Surveyor needs to prepare the Bills of Quantities, tender documents, and procurement. Besides, Quantity Surveyor also has to advice the client on appropriate contract arrangement, cost management or value management. Quantity Surveyor is now retained to help clients develop their strategy for managing all of their construction projects.
The skills required by Quantity Surveyors in preparing and ensuring good quality of documents for construction projects.
Quantity Surveyor manages all costs that are related to building projects, from the initial calculation to the final figures. Quantity Surveyor also seeks to minimize the costs of a project and enhance value for money, while achieving the required standards and quantity. A Quantity Surveyor may work with either the client or the contractor, working in an office or on site. The title of the job may also be referred to as a construction cost consultant or commercial manager. Below is range of skills that the profession would need to continue to develop if it wished to maintain its role within the construction industry. For example, knowledge base that includes construction technology, measurement rule and conventions, construction economics, financial management, business administration, construction law and a skill base that includes management, documentation, analysis, appraisal, quantification, synthesis and communication.
There are two types of skills, one of them is soft skills and the other one is hard skills.
Some example of soft skills is responsible. As a Quantity Surveyor we should practice responsibility for our reputation depends on it and most important we calculate sums, prepare tender document and the contract. Besides, the other example of soft skills is able to work with people. Quantity Surveyor has to work with architect, civil and structure engineering, mechanical and electrical engineering and the most important is to work with client or developer. Quantity Surveyor should have good communications with all of them especially when preparing the tender document and procurement.
Besides that, calculation is one of the examples of hard skills that a Quantity Surveyor should practice example, a Quantity Surveyor must have strong basic in calculation and understanding of the principles involved in discounting the value of future receipts and payments. Another example of hard skills is computer literacy. Computer literacy requires an understanding of the following two related areas of computer knowledge:-
Knowing computer capabilities and limitations
General understanding of the organization, capabilities and limitations of the various machines, example the hardware.
Knowing how to use computer
Familiarity with the common uses or applications of computers. Comfortable working with pre-written software.
The other of the hard skills is accounting skills. It is a fundamental and important business skill and as such is important to the quantity surveyor in general. The primary purpose of keeping accounts is to provide a record of all the financial transactions of the business, and to establish whether or not the business is making a profit. The accounts will also be used:-
In determining the partners’ or company’s tax liabilities.
To support an application to a bank for funding.
To determine the value of business in the event of a sale.
In addition, Quantity surveying require a range of technical skills. Qualified surveyors must be able to read architectural drawings and understand construction processes. They find that an admiration of mechanical and electrical installations is valuable, together with an understanding of their interface with other parts of the construction. As quantity surveyors are concerned with financial matters, strong numerical skills are essential. In building surveying, it’s important to have a thorough understanding of regulations and laws so made to ensure that they are followed. Besides that, the work is volatile and so Quantity Surveyor needs to be flexible and able to think on feet. Creativity might help Quantity Surveyor to solve unexpected problems.
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As a conclude, Quantity Surveyor needs to have good attitude, have good communications skills as you could be required to express your opinions both verbally and on paper, able to work with others and can work well in a team, have a sound knowledge of building construction, skilful in calculation, accounting and computer literacy, and technique skills that able to read architectural drawings and understand construction processes. All of this is important to a Quantity Surveyor to ensure good quantity, accurate costing, and good quantity in preparing the tender documents and procurement.
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