Why hire a quantity surveyor?

IT SEEMS only logical that someone wanting to carry out construction work would want to know the likely cost of the proposed work before the first nail is driven. After all, money is not a limitless resource. The need for good cost advice is necessary so that persons can:

Decide whether or not to proceed with the project.

Adjust their design requirements, if necessary, to suit their finances.

Make arrangements to have the necessary funds in place.

Be assured that they will not spend more than they reasonably should on the project.

However, the many unfinished buildings that dot the Jamaican landscape seems to be a testament that this is not so for some individuals and/or developers. They therefore start construction work with no clue of what they are getting into in terms of costs and construction-specific legal issues.

There are those who have not been able to complete their undertakings for years, and there are also those who have completed their projects but have paid far more than they should have. There are four aspects of construction that must be given keen consideration by all potential building owners:

1. A desire to construct and an obligation to pay for it.

2. To design and specify an aesthetically pleasing and structurally sound building.

3. Planning, organising and directing in an agreeable manner, the cost of the building.

4. Finalising the process to the satisfaction of all parties.

Not all persons are aware that there exists a construction professional group whose area of expertise is in procurement, cost management and construction contracts, but there is.

This professional group is known as quantity surveyors – QS for short. The QS is typically someone who is highly educated and trained in the practices of construction generally and construction cost management in particular. There are numerous universities offering graduate and post-graduate degrees in this field.

Upon obtaining certification, a graduate will be required to complete an appropriate period of monitored internship and successfully sit a Test of Professional Competence. The QS will then be admitted as a member of a professional quantity surveying body(s), which may be local or international.

Locally, this body is the Jamaican Institute of Quantity Surveyors (JIQS). The international body is the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, to which the JIQS is affiliated. These are entities that help to ensure that this professional group brings value to the quality of your construction venture and experience.

The quantity surveyor supports the activities of other persons on the construction team because, while the architect or the engineer will propose an estimate of what your project is expected to cost, the more prudent of these professionals will consult with a QS for advice and will definitely seek their services for details and specifics in providing a more accurate and complete budgetary cost.

While the scope of services offered by a QS is extensive, with some QSs specialising in particular areas (e.g., dispute resolution, construction claims and project management), the typical services most often required, from a QS, by the average client are:

The preparation of estimates. These are usually required for submission to financial institutions from which the client wishes to secure a loan, but may also be required for insurance purposes, to check affordability or to crosscheck a contractor’s quotation.

Cash flow projections. This is usually a requirement of financial institutions when considering the funding of large projects.

Advice on areas of possible savings.

Advice on suitable contractual arrangements and contract forms.

Preparation and pricing of bills of quantities (BQs). A BQ is a very detailed document which require much time to prepare, but which provides the best basis for obtaining and comparing bids, as it ensures that all bidders price the same information and quantity of work.

Managing the tender/bidding process, analysing the bids and recommending the contractor to be awarded the contract.

Monitoring costs during the construction phase, including assessing the cost of variations/change orders and fluctuations in the cost of materials, labour and equipment, and recommending interim payments to be made to the contractor.

Preparing and agreeing the final accounts, with the contractor, on completion of the project.

It should be noted here that

while we respect our colleagues in other branches of surveying, a quantity surveyor is neither a land nor a valuation surveyor.

The fees charged by quantity surveyors will vary depending on: the nature of the construction work, whether it is new or renovation work, the specific services required, and the size and location of the project. Where the nature of the assignment is such that the time requirements cannot be estimated with any level of certainty, a rate per hour will be charged. The JIQS has over the years, issued fee guides covering a wide range of services, but generally each QS will have his own in-house system of determining his charge. Prospective clients are therefore encouraged to shop around, but to make sure they are comparing apples with apples. As the saying goes, ‘If you pay peanuts, you will get monkeys’.

Since almost everybody is numerate, many persons take it that they can effectively and efficiently costmanage a construction project. This is true even of other professionals in the construction industry. This affects people’s decision to acquire and afford the services of quantity surveyors.

What many persons boast about as a deal, sometimes leaves quantity surveyors shaking their heads in sorrow. So, too, are the many instances when QSs are called on, after the fact, to arbitrate in disputes, or to act as expert witnesses in legal cases. Clearly, it is more cost-effective to hire a QS in the initial stages of the project than to wait until there is a dispute, at which point you will not only have to pay a QS, but also legal fees, as well as dealing with all the attendant dispute-related stress.

Because there is currently no governmental requirement for QSs to be registered – a situation the JIQS has fought long and hard over the years to rectify – there are many persons offering QS services, though they may not be fully qualified or technically competent to do so. It therefore behoves everyone wishing to hire a QS to make enquires about the person(s) they are considering. One step in this direction is to ensure that the prospective QS is a professional member of a recognised quantity surveying organisation. For those of us who are operating within the ambits set by a professional body, we say there is no better option for construction cost management and for ensuring a reasonable cost outcome than by engaging the services of a qualified quantity surveyor.