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. 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.

There are around 75,000 professional QSs working in the UK.

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 who was involved in work on the Houses of Parliament. 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).

The professional institution with which most English-speaking quantity surveyors are affiliated is the UK-based 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, life-cycle 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.

QS 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 Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) membership instead.

QS 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 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.

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

Shane McCarron - Gaelic Footballer Trillick St.MacCartans

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: #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). #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

Australia - Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (AIQS)

Canada - Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (CIQS)

China - China Engineering Cost Association (CECA)

Hong Kong - Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors (HKIS)

India -The Institution of Surveyors (INDIA) (ISI)

Ireland - Society of Chartered Surveyors (SCS)

Jamaica - The Jamaican Institute of Quantity Surveyors (JIQS)

Kenya - Institute of Quantity Surveyors of Kenya (IQSK)

Malaysia - The Institution of Surveyors, Malaysia (ISM)

New Zealand - New Zealand Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NZIQS)

Nigeria - The Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors{NIQS}

Pacific & Asia – Pacific Association of Quantity Surveyors (PAQS)

Singapore - Singapore Institute of Surveyors and Valuers (SISV)

South Africa - Association of South African Quantity Surveyors (ASAQS)

South Africa - South African Council for the Quantity Surveying Profession (SACQSP)

Africa - Africa Association of Quantity Surveyors (AAQS)

Sri Lanka - Institute of Quantity Surveyors Sri Lanka (IQSSL)

Trinidad and Tobago - Institute of Surveyors of Trinidad and Tobago [ISTT]

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

Surveyor, Quantity Category:Cost engineering

fr:Métreur ml:ക്വാണ്ടിറ്റി സർവേയർ nl:Quantity surveyor pl:QS ru:Сметчик zh:工料測量