Quantity surveyor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia
A quantity surveyor (QS) is a professional working within the construction industry concerned with
building costs.
The profession is one that provides a qualification gained following formal education, specific training and
experience that provides a general set of skills that are then applied to a diverse variety of
problems.[1] Predominantly these relate to costs and contracts on construction projects. Other areas in
which QS find employment include property surveys for hidden defects on behalf of potential purchasers,
running estates, valuing the mineral deposits for mining companies, selling property and even Leasehold
Reform Act work.[1]
There are around 75,000 professional QSs working in the UK & 4 000 in South Africa
Contents
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
1 History

2 The functions of a consultant quantity surveyor

3 Contractor's quantity surveyor
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4 Career and Remuneration

5 Noted quantity surveyors
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6 Pop culture
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7 External links
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8 References
History
The profession developed during the 19th century from the earlier "measurer", a
specialist tradesman (often a guild member), who prepared standardised schedules for a building project in
which all of the construction materials, labour activities and the like were quantified, and against which
competing builders could submit priced tenders. Because all tenders were based on the same schedule of
information, they could be easily compared so as to identify the best one. As a profession quantity
surveying emerged around the 1820s with one of the earliest QSs being Sir Henry Arthur Hunt[2] who was
involved in work on the Houses of Parliament.[3] After the fire in 1834 that destroyed the old Palace of
Westminister Henry Hunt came up with an estimate cost of £724,984 (changes by Parliament put it up to
£1.5m). [4]
The professional institution with which most English-speaking quantity surveyors are affiliated is the UKbased Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). In Australia, the Australian Institute of Quantity
Surveyors (AIQS) has over 4300 members, both domestically and overseas and the New Zealand Institute
of Quantity Surveyors (NZIQS) a further 1300. Others are the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) and
Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (ICES). Those who are qualified members of the RICS are
entitled to use the term "Chartered Quantity Surveyor" or simply "Chartered Surveyor".
The QS usually reports to Project Manager or Project Director and provides advice in the decision-making
process throughout the management of a project from initial inception to final completion. The QS handles
estimating and cost control, the tendering process and, after contract award, the commercial interface. QSs
should be able to carry out estimating and measurement of construction works prior to tender, producing
the bill of quantities; produce tender documentation and manage the tender process; clarify and evaluate
tenders; and manage the resultant contract through monthly valuations, variations control, contract
administration and assessment of claims.
Some QSs are trained in techniques of cost control. Those QSs who emphasise the cost discipline often
use the term "Construction Cost Consultant". They ensure that projects are designed and constructed in
such a manner as to secure value for money, cost certainty and programme dates.
Others emphasise contracts management. Trained to draft, interpret and administer complex contracts,
those QSs who operate in the broader field of project management often adopt other titles such as
"Contracts manager" or "Construction surveyor". A number of QSs work in procurement in the oil & gas
industry, process and power industries, and civil engineering. Their preferred title, in countries where the
QS profession is less known, is "Contracts engineer".
Some QSs specialise in project management and running multi-disciplinary projects, the QS background
being a good foundation for understanding the complexities of modern large-scale projects.
As well as in professional quantity surveying practices, the QS finds employment in all parts of industry and
government including primary and secondary industry, national and local government bodies and agencies,
contractors and subcontractors, developers, and financial and legal companies.
Although all QSs will have followed a similar course of education and training (for those entering the
profession today, this is usually to degree level), there are many areas of specialisation in which a QS may
concentrate. The main distinction amongst QSs is between those who carry out work on behalf of a client
organisation, often known as a "professional quantity surveyor", and those who work for construction
companies, often known as a "main contractor's quantity surveyor".
The functions of a consultant quantity surveyor
Traditionally referred to as a Contractors Quantity Surveyor (QS), Professional Quantity Surveyor (PQS) or
Private Practice Quantity Surveyor (PQS) they are broadly concerned with contracts, measurement and
costs on construction projects. The methods employed, however, cover a range of activities which may
include cost planning, value engineering, value management, feasibility studies, cost benefit analysis, lifecycle costing, tendering, valuation, change control, dispute resolution, claims management, project
management and cost estimation.
The QS's traditional independent role on the team comprising client, architect, engineer, PQS and
contractor has given him a reputation and appreciation for fairness. This, combined with his expertise in
drafting and interpretation of contract documents, enables him to settle issues, value the works fairly and
regularly, project final costs, avoid disputes and ensure the effective progress of a project.
Quantity surveyors control construction costs by accurate measurement of the work required on a regular
basis, the application of expert knowledge of costs and prices of work, labour, materials and plant required,
an understanding of the implications of design decisions at an early stage to ensure that good value is
obtained for the money to be expended.
The technique of measuring quantities from drawings, sketches and specifications prepared by designers,
principally architects and engineers, in order to prepare tender/contract documents, is known in the industry
as taking off. The quantities of work taken off typically are used to prepare bills of quantities (BoQ), which
usually are prepared in accordance with a published standard method of measurement (SMM) as agreed to
by the QS profession and representatives of the construction industry. This activity is usually completed
before the commencement of work on site on a traditional (BoQ) project, the Contractor will then price this
document in competitive tender and be paid according to a measure undertaken on site and applied to
each specific work item.
In Australia, the Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (AIQS) is the peak body for the Quantity
Surveying profession. All Members of the AIQS are assessed for membership against strict criteria, and
must adhere to a Code of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct to ensure the highest standards of
professional excellence. The AIQS website (www.aiqs.com.au) contains details of all members and is a
useful source of information relating to the profession.
The benchmark for quality for a Private Practice Surveyor is the RICS's Chartered Membership MRICS &
FRICS. The RICS also has the entry level non Chartered Membership AssocRICS. AssocRICS acts as a
qualification in its own right however also offers a progressive route to Chartered RICS membership for
able and willing candidates.
A number of surveyors who work with Contractors will not hold formal qualifications or RICS membership
as in the past project based training was more widely undertaken and considered sufficient, this is slowly
changing. Many of these surveyors will hold CIOB (Chartered Institute of Building) membership instead.
Quantity Surveying is prevalent in many industries (not just construction) as they are procurement and
contract specialists with the ability to adapt techniques to suit the form of contract or work being undertaken.
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.
Career and Remuneration
The typical salary of a quantity surveyor depends largely on the level of experience of the individual and the
sector or region they are working in. A 2010 survey of the construction and built environment
industry[5] showed that the average annual salary for a quantity surveyor in the UK is £38,121. The average
salary varies depending on experience, those with between 3 and 6 years’ experience earn on average
£25,791, whereas those with 20 or more years, £43,514.00[6].
Noted quantity surveyors
Because of the nature of their work, quantity surveyors do not become famous as a result of their
profession. However, several noted individuals have trained, apprenticed, worked or qualified as quantity
surveyors.

Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai – Nigerian politician

Jon Bass – footballer

Graham Beecroft – radio personality

Stuart Boardley – footballer

Paddy Bradley – Gaelic footballer

Eric Broadley – automobile designer

Jodie Broughton – rugby league player, Salford City Reds

David Byng – footballer

Alexander Cordell – writer

David Scott Cowper – yachtsman

Hugh Coveney – Fine Gael politician

Colin Eglin – South African politician

Asha Gill – media

Bukar Ibrahim – Nigerian politician

Roger Landes – Military Cross recipient

John Lymington – writer

John Eric Paul Mitchell - past All Black Rugby Coach

Nick McCabe – musician

Fulton Mackay – actor

Aliu Mahama – former Vice President of Ghana

George Martin – musician

Edward Morrow – Anglican priest

Adamu Mu'azu – Nigerian politician

Charles Tilleard Natusch – New Zealand architect and quantity surveyor

Bill Paterson – actor

Phil Redmond – screenwriter

Jean Roy – Canadian politician

Iain Russell – footballer

Philip Welsford Richmond Russell – Bishop of Natal

Edward Skoyles – researcher into tendering and building waste

Oliver Stonor – writer

Neil Turner – Labour MP

Blair Anderson Wark – Victoria Cross recipient

Sir Peter George Snell - New Zealand athlete
Pop culture
This fairly obscure profession is familiar to some who would otherwise not have heard of it because it is
referenced twice in sketches by Monty Python:
1. In "Bookshop Sketch" the sketch ends when a bookshop owner, infuriated by a troublesome
customer's requests for ridiculous books, is able to satisfy the customer's request for "Ethel
the Aardvark Goes Quantity Surveying" (this sketch was originally from "At Last the 1948
Show" but was performed by Monty Python on stage).
2. In "Bicycle Repairman", in which everyone is a Superman but no one can repair a bicycle, the
Python team parody the famous "Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it's Superman!", line with "Oh look is it a Stockbroker? Is it a Quantity Surveyor? Is it a Church Warden? No! It's Bicycle Repairman!"
In series 2 of "A Bit of Fry and Laurie", the "Dancersize" sketch features Stephen Fry pretending to be a
Quantity Surveyor, using the line "Good morning, do you have any quantities for me to survey?"
In the British crime TV series Blackpool (TV serial) David Tennant's character, a police inspector
investigating a murder, pretends to be a Quantity Surveyor to make advances on the wife of a suspect.
In Not the Nine O'Clock News, there is a sketch lampooning Ask The Family, in which the Brainie and
Smaughtarse families (played by exactly the same actors in different costumes) are all Quantity Surveyors.
In Series 2, Episode 10 of Keeping Up Appearances, Richard attempts to discuss their son's progress with
Hyacinth:
Richard: Well, we put him into higher education because you wanted him to be a quantity surveyor.
Hyacinth: Mm-hm?
Richard: So why has he drop maths in favour of needlework?
Hyacinth: Because he started to make all his own clothes, that's why!
External links
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Australia - Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (AIQS)
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Canada - Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (CIQS)
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China - China Engineering Cost Association (CECA)
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Hong Kong - Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors (HKIS)
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India -The Institution of Surveyors (INDIA) (ISI)
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Ireland - Society of Chartered Surveyors (SCS)
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Jamaica - The Jamaican Institute of Quantity Surveyors (JIQS)
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Kenya - Institute of Quantity Surveyors of Kenya (IQSK)
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Malaysia - The Institution of Surveyors, Malaysia (ISM)

New Zealand - New Zealand Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NZIQS)
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Nigeria - The Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors{NIQS}

Pacific & Asia – Pacific Association of Quantity Surveyors (PAQS)
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Singapore - Singapore Institute of Surveyors and Valuers (SISV)
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South Africa - Association of South African Quantity Surveyors (ASAQS)
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Sri Lanka - Institute of Quantity Surveyors Sri Lanka (IQSSL)
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Trinidad and Tobago - Institute of Surveyors of Trinidad and Tobago [ISTT]
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UK & Worldwide - The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB)

UK & Worldwide - Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)

UK & Worldwide - Institute of Civil Engineering Surveyors (ICES)

USA & Worldwide - International Cost Engineering Council (ICEC)

What are cost engineering, quantity surveying, and project management? - an ICEC white paper

Association of Quantity Surveyors of University of Moratuwa (QSUM) - Sri Lanka

USA - American Society of Professional Estimators (ASPE)
References
1.
^ a b Benedictus L. (2009). The chartered surveyor: Made to measure. Saturday 26 September
Guardian.
2.
^ M. H. Port, Hunt, Sir Henry Arthur (1810–1889), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford
University Press, 2004
3.
^ Powell C. G. (1996). The British building industry since 1800: An economic history. Routledge ISBN
978-0419207306
4.
^ Ashworth, A, Hogg, K (2007). Willis's Practice and Procedure for the Quantity Surveyor. WileyBlackwell ISBN 978-1405145787
5.
^ "UK website launches salary comparison tool". Retrieved 2011-04-04.
6.
^ "Salary Benchmarker". Retrieved 2011-05-04.