Quantity Surveyor Profession

A Quantity Surveyor is a professional person working in the construction industry and Quantity Surveyors are called as Cost Engineer. Cost Engineer name is come under the role of Quantity Surveyor is as in general terms, to manage and control costs within construction projects and may involve the use of a range of management procedures and technical tools to achieve this goal.

Job Description

A Quantity Surveyor manages all costs relating to building projects, from the initial calculations to the final figures. Surveyors seek to minimise the costs of a project and enhance value for money, while still achieving the required standards and quality. Many of these are specified by statutory building regulations, which the surveyor needs to understand and adhere to.

A Quantity Surveyor may work for 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.

Typical Work Activities

Typical tasks may include:

• Managing costs on a wide variety of new building projects and structures, such as residential developments, sports stadiums, roads and bridges, schools, hospitals, offices and factories;
• Undertaking costs analysis for repair and maintenance project work;
• Assisting in establishing a client’s requirements and undertaking feasibility studies;
• Performing risk and value management and cost control;
• Advising on procurement strategy;
• Preparing tender and contract documents, including bills of quantities;
• Identifying, analysing and developing responses to commercial risks;
• Preparing and analysing costings for tenders;
• Allocating work to subcontractors;
• Providing advice on contractual claims;
• Analyzing outcomes and writing detailed progress reports;
• Valuing completed work and arranging payments;
• Maintaining awareness of the different building contracts in current use;
• Understanding the implications of health and safety regulations.

Areas requiring more specialized knowledge include:

• Offering advice on property taxation;
• Providing post-occupancy advice, facilities management services and life cycle costing advice;
• Assisting clients in locating and accessing additional and alternative sources of funds;
• Enabling clients to initiate construction projects;
• Advising on the maintenance costs of specific buildings.

Work Conditions

• Range of typical starting salaries: £17,000 - £25,000 (salary data collected May 08). Obtaining chartered status increases both your job and salary options.
• Range of typical salaries at senior level may be £25,000 - £50,000+ (salary data collected May 08). Principal partners in private practice may earn substantially more.
• Contractors pay at a slightly higher rate and £20,000 is not an uncommon starting salary. Shift and site allowances are often paid on top of the basic salary. Company packages may include a car, pension and healthcare.
• Salary increases reflect the gaining of qualifications and responsibilities undertaken.
• Local government salaries are comparable and may include final salary pension schemes. A company car is not usually offered but car mileage for site visits may be available.
• Working hours vary. A contractor on site may work 7.30am - 6:00pm, while in private practice (PQS) or in a local government department, hours are usually 8.30am - 5.30pm. Occasional weekend work may be required.
• The work is generally office-based, although offices are often on construction sites, If not, day-long site visits may involve early starts and late finishes or an overnight stay. Secondment to sites for longer periods of time is also possible.
• Quantity Surveying is a male-dominated profession, but the number of female recruits is significant and growing in both private practice and the public sector.
• Self-employment/freelance work is frequently possible. Companies are increasingly making use of freelance or agency workers to compete for contracts and offer faster turn-around times for completion.
• Opportunities for overseas posts and for occasional overseas work or travel are available. This varies according to the type of employer and the location of the site and the client.

Training

In order to progress, it is important to have professional qualifications. Membership of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is normally gained with an approved degree in quantity surveying and the completion of the competence-based training programme, the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC), which includes a minimum of two years' practical experience within a related field.

The APC requires the completion of a record of progress, diary and log books recording your relevant training and experiences. A final, written, critical analysis of around 3,000 words on a project you have been involved in, along with the log books and diaries, is submitted to the RICS. This forms the basis of an oral presentation to an assessment panel prior to a final interview. Successful completion provides certification of overall competence to practise.

There are part-time and full-time courses for graduates with degrees in other subjects. Students also need three year's practical experience before taking the final APC. Satisfactory completion of an approved industrial year or part-time training may count towards the APC training. Some fast-track conversion courses, lasting up to three years, are available.

Continuing professional development (CPD) is becoming an important aspect of maintaining professional competencies and practice standards. RICS have established a lifelong learning programme for recording any professional development. The process may include open learning, private study (academic papers/industry publications), attending conferences and events, running workshops and further study or in-house training. Developing and maintaining professional competencies throughout your career are keys to progression.

Career Development

Advances in technology have allowed quantity surveyors access to techniques for managing a wider variety of projects. As a result, they are able to market their expertise more effectively and their management skills more widely. Quantity Surveyors, in acting as negotiators on behalf of clients in their dealings with architects and contractors, have always performed as commercial managers. This function is likely to become an area of growth.

Experienced Quantity Surveyors may undertake project management, effectively controlling the whole of a project on behalf of the client from initial design stage through to completion. This development is largely due to the growth of expertise in cost predictions and control. It has led surveyors to use their skills in wider spheres of activity, e.g. cost engineering in the petro-chemical and engineering industries. With experience, some take on more strategic roles in value engineering and risk assessment, while others may specialise in contractual disputes.

The Chartered Institute of Building has many members who work as Quantity Surveyors. Students seeking work in the civil engineering, petro-chemical and general engineering construction industries may consider joining the Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors, approximately half of whose members are qualified quantity surveyors. Similarly, it may be worth joining the Association of Cost Engineers.

There are opportunities for working abroad. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors advertises vacancies with international employers through the jobs section of their website, RICS Recruit.

Typical Employers

The three major employers of Quantity Surveyors are the offices of private Practice Quantity Surveyors (PQS), the surveying sections of building and civil engineering contractors, and local authorities and government agencies.

Many of these employers operate as multidisciplinary teams or departments, so Quantity Surveyors are likely to be working alongside other surveying professionals, such as civil engineers and architects. Quantity Surveyors who work for contractors are often likely to be based on site, working with site agents or contract managers.

Other types of organisations likely to employ Quantity Surveyors include large engineering consultancies and housing associations. Specialist house builders seek the expertise of Quantity Surveyors, as do some commercial companies, or indeed any public body with a large property portfolio.

Large international mechanical contractors and petroleum engineering companies often Recruit Quantity Surveyors under the alternative title of cost engineer.