Quantity surveying is all about price management of construction. Quantity Surveyor (QS) primarily assesses the capital expenditure of a building or a facility after evaluating the feasibility, design and construction costs.
The scope of work of a quantity surveyor is vast since the construction business is global in nature.
* In real estate, quantity surveying entails residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural and retail facilities.
* In infrastructure, quantity surveying covers airports, waterways, roads, seaports, power generation and utilities.
What Are The Jobs Involved In Quantity Surveying?
A qualified surveyor could work as a consultant in a firm or for a developer in a major organization engaged in retail, manufacture or an infrastructure project such as an airport or a power utility. A significant national or international contractor can also engage a surveyor. The work consists of, but is not limited to the following:
* Preparation of feasibility reports during the conception stage. A QS provides independent, accurate and reliable initial investment costs and running expenditure to allow the client to fund a project.
* Evaluating capital and revenue expenditure of the project throughout its entire life period.
* Advising clients on procurement of significant items after Bill of Quantity (BOQ) preparation.
* Negotiating with interested parties.
* Finalizing the tendering process.
* Managing the contractual documents with suppliers of different items.
* Price management throughout construction.
* Offering site support in matters like billing schedule, interim payments, and reconciling final accounts as well as settling construction claims.
Presently, there are approximately 80000 QSs working in the UK. Compensation packages are decent. Salary increases depend on responsibilities undertaken and value added to qualifications. The work is largely office-based with occasional web site visits. Nonetheless, if the want arises, the quantity surveyor may have to work on extended shifts with even overnight stays at construction internet sites. As regards the general trend, this job is mainly male-dominated, despite the fact that female entry is on the rise both in the private and public sector. Plenty of opportunities exist for overseas posting. It is very frequent today for a quantity surveyor to undertake freelance work. In fact, numerous firms prefer freelancers as they offer dedicated service to enable quicker turnaround time for project execution.
Skill Sets Want By A QS
Very good QS need to have multi-disciplinary skills, which includes outstanding understanding of construction methodologies and practices. In addition, the surveyor should have the ability to manage finances, should have high degree of IT competency, good attention to detail, an organized approach to work, and superb negotiating abilities. A quantity surveyor’s job involves relating to men and women from various and varying strata, so excellent interpersonal abilities support a lot. Finally, commitment to the job, capability to work under pressure of deadlines nears and staying calm even under adverse situations is the hallmark of a competent QS.
The practices undertaken by construction businesses undergo constant change. The High quality surveyor need to consequently be up to date on all matters to support corporate feedback. Use of Data Technologies is important for high quality improvement purposes and so is cost control. In this highly competitive environment, staying afloat in business is in itself a massive challenge. Quantity surveying thus plays a key role in sustaining viability of construction company.