In order to place the function of the measure surveyor in the current industry in the UK, we will reexamine the measure surveyor ‘s engagement and responsibilities during each of the different phases of the building rhythm.
We will besides reexamine how and when a client appoints a measure surveyor, in order to understand his early engagement in the procedure.
To reason, we will explicate how the measure surveyor claims his/her fees and how the client pays for the QS services.
But foremost, allow ‘s look to history in order to better understand where the profession of measure surveyor originates from and when it foremost appeared in the UK.
3.0 History
We can follow the roots of the measure surveyor profession back to the rebuilding of London following the ill-famed Great Fire in 1666. Prior to this, edifices for the most portion were built on a design physique agreement whereby the client would rede the builder on what was wanted and the maestro builder would work out the program, contract all the specialist shopkeepers and frontward measures to the client at regular intervals. The job with this agreement was that the client would non cognize how much the edifice was traveling to be before building work had finished or was close to completion and if the client wanted several estimations or citations so each builder would necessitate to make the computations therefore adding to attempt and cost.
Due to the sheer graduated table of Reconstruction after the Great Fire, a more efficient manner of ciphering edifice costs and supplying estimations was needed and this is where the measure surveyor comes in. Originally, the function of the measure surveyor was to develop a measure of measures based on the designer ‘s drawings and specifications so that any house desiring to tender for a undertaking could cipher it on the same footing therefore cut downing duplicate of attempt. The service that the QS provided was originally paid for by the contractors tendering for the work but the function shortly became one of the client ‘s duties as it ensures that all tenderers were provided with indistinguishable stamp paperss.
Until the beginning of the twentieth century, the big bulk of major constructing work was procured by the authorities or by private persons where cost was non the chief standard. However, following issues in the railroad building industry with traveling over budget and the non-payment of contractors, another alteration to the profession was to come.
What is now the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors ( RICS ) was founded in 1868 and it developed agencies of commanding building costs by accurately mensurating the work required and using specialist cognition of costs/prices of work, labor, stuffs and works. Quantity surveyors would subsequently utilize this cognition to measure the deductions of design determinations at an early phase therefore guaranting complete value for money.
As we can see, the function of the measure surveyor has adapted throughout its being to accommodate current economic clime and to happen better ways of run intoing the demands of the building industry. This continues today.
4.0 THE ROLE OF A QUANTITY SURVEYOR IN THE PRESENT
Measure surveyors are basically the comptrollers of the edifice profession. They are in charge of planning and managing costs for building undertakings from the start of a undertaking to its completion. Quantity surveyors, otherwise known as QSs, either work for private patterns moving on behalf of clients or for a catching house which carries out building work. Those working for the latter, frequently known as a contractor ‘s measure surveyor, be given to be responsible for legal and commercial affairs within the administration.
Interestingly, the British measure surveyor has developed otherwise to its European opposite numbers in that pre and station contract functions are by and large split. Therefore, the measure appraising profession as we know it is a really British establishment because of its history.
Thankss to their adaptability and their premise of several different functions and duties, the modern measure surveyor has many names. For illustration, private patterns refer to themselves as ‘cost advisers ‘ and ‘project directors ‘ because of the type of work they now deal with. Besides, the contractor ‘s measure surveyor is now frequently termed ‘commercial directors ‘ .
Due to the recession, QSs have had to accommodate to last and private patterns have had to be prepared to on a broader remit of work and a larger scope of undertakings. Although measure surveying, like any profession in the building industry, is recession-sensitive, the manner it has adapted has helped it to last the downswing.
Measure surveyors now have a more strategic function and no longer merely step and monetary value work. Today, the QS is involved at every stage of a undertaking from fixing stamps and planning costs to fixing concluding measures of measures ; fundamentally, they guarantee that undertakings are planned and completed to be and quality demands on clip.
UK building professionals are besides respected abroad and, partially in response to the down market in Great Britain, many UK houses have developed an international subdivision. Traditionally a male-dominated profession, more and more adult females are now employed as measure surveyors.
5.0 WHEN TO APPOINT A QUANTITY SURVEYOR
In order for the client to acquire the most out of a measure surveyor, the client should name the QS every bit shortly as possible in the procedure of a undertaking, sooner at the origin of a strategy. This manner, the QS ‘s advice can be provided on such issues as:
The costs involved in the undertaking ( in footings of run intoing the client ‘s budget ) .
The best procurance path to take harmonizing to the client ‘s demands.
The choice of others advisers and contractors.
It is advisable for the client and the measure surveyor to run into and discourse the assignment before any understanding is reached, unless the services supplied by the QS are to be restricted during the procedure.
6.0 HOW TO SELECT AND APPOINT A QUANTITY SURVEYOR
There are three methods available when it comes to choosing a measure surveyor ;
Choice based on bing cognition
A client may take and name a QS utilizing bing cognition of the latter ‘s past public presentation and repute. This may be a consequence of old successful undertakings, a good relationship between client and surveyor or recommendations from others.
Choice from a panel maintained by a client
A client may keep a panel of measure surveyors. The client will possess records of their professional experience which will enable him to do any choice or assignment.
Choice from an ad hoc list produced by a client
If a client is unable to do a determination utilizing either of the two methods listed above, it may be more appropriate for the client to bring forth an ad hoc list.
For all of the above methods of choice, it is of import for the choice standards to include the undermentioned:
The fiscal place of the QS concerned
The experience, ability and repute of each campaigner for equal chances.
Their capacity to supply the services required by the client.
7.0 Servicess OFFERED BY A QUANTITY SURVEYOR
The above diagram shows the assorted ph the stages in the building rhythm. The measure surveyor is involved in each one of these stages. The followers is a description of the responsibilities and duties of the QS during the building rhythm.
Measure appraising in building stages
Origin and feasibleness
During the origin and feasibleness phase, the measure surveyor has the responsibility of:
Interceding with the client and other advisers to set up the client ‘s demands and from at that place develop the full brief.
Reding on the pick of other advisers.
Reding on the deductions of the proposed undertaking and interceding with other experts to supply such advice.
Reding the client on the most appropriate procurance path.
Establishing the client ‘s order of precedences in footings of quality, clip graduated table and cost.
Fixing an initial budget estimation based on feasibleness proposals.
Fixing planetary cost computations for the undertaking and hard currency flow projections.
Design phase
During the design phase the QS will:
Prepare and develop a preliminary cost program.
Advise on the cost of the design squad ‘s proposals.
Monitor cost deductions during elaborate design phase.
Retain and develop cost program and fix periodic studies and updated hard currency flow prognosiss.
Tender paperss
During this phase, the measure surveyor will:
Advise on tendering and contractual agreements taking the client ‘s precedences and any information available from the interior decorators into history.
Advise on insurance duties and liaise with the client ‘s insurance advisors.
Advise on guarantees.
Advise on bonds for public presentation and other affairs.
Prepare stamp and contract paperss with the client and members of the design squad.
Provide transcripts of certification as agreed
Advise on usage and/or amendments of the standard signifier of contract or assist the client ‘s legal advisor with the drafting of peculiar demands.
Organise the signifier of contact, obtain contract drawings from members of the design squad and prepare and direct contract transcripts of all certification to both parties.
Tender choice and assessment
At this phase of the stamp actions phase the QS must:
Advise on short naming prospective tenderers.
Look into tenderers and rede the client on their fiscal standing and experience.
Attend pre-contract interviews with tenderers.
Arrange for the bringing of paperss to the selected tenderers.
Check stamp entries for truth and pricing.
Advise on mistakes and makings and, if necessary, negociate on offers.
Advise on entry of work programme and method statement.
Prepare suited certification, if necessary, to set the stamp received to an acceptable contract amount.
Review fiscal budget in visible radiation of stamps received and fix revised hard currency flow.
Prepare stamp studies with recommendations where appropriate.
Construction
During the building phase the measure surveyor will:
Prepare recommendations for probationary payments to contractors, subcontractors and providers in conformity with the contract demands.
Post contract
During the concluding phase of the building rhythm the QS will:
Assess interior decorator ‘s bill of exchange for changing the undertaking before issue.
Prepare periodic cost studies in the in agreement format at specified intervals saying any cost distribution and/or transcripts as requested by 3rd parties.
Fix the concluding history.
Attend meetings as agreed.
Provide transcripts of certification as agreed.
8.0 Payment
The client shall pay the QS for the proviso of the services required. All fees and charges are collectible in episodes harmonizing to the fee offer clause and, under the understanding, are sole of VAT which, if due, is to at the same clip. The due day of the month for payment shall be 7 yearss following the day of the month of invoice entry. The measure surveyor must corroborate the footing on which the declared sum is calculated on each bill.
The concluding day of the month for payment is 21 yearss after the due day of the month for payment. This is the absolute concluding day of the month for payment and payment can non be made after this clip.
Any amount owed to the measure surveyor under the understanding which remains unpaid by after the concluding day of the month is capable to involvement at the rate fixed in the fee offer clause.
9.0 Decision
A measure surveyor needs to use a broad scope of accomplishments in order to stand out in the profession. Measure surveyors need to negociate with all types of people, from constructing site workers to managers, which means that they need to possess good people accomplishments and be able to show themselves good both when speech production and in authorship.
Knowledge in a wealth of countries such as edifice jurisprudence and ordinances, wellness and safety, revenue enhancement and insurance, contract jurisprudence and the building procedure are indispensable to the profession as the measure surveyor needs to understand any legal deductions involved in the building procedure. Excellent numerical and computing machine accomplishments are indispensable every bit good as the ability to read architectural drawings.
A measure surveyor needs to be flexible in footings of working hours and holding to travel on site to decide a job or take measurings. When there ‘s a deadline to run into, it is the measure surveyor ‘s duty to guarantee that it is met and so weekend/evening work is on the cards.
As we can see, the measure surveyor has to hold a broad scope of accomplishments, abilities and cognition in order to stand out in the profession. The QS is so much more than an comptroller for the edifice trade and with greater chances abroad and the growing of the commercial direction side, the function of the QS is bound to go on to accommodate and turn to run into the demands of the current clime and its demands.
Bibliography
Client usher to the Appointing a Quantity Surveyor, first edition ( February 1992 ; RICS books
Cost Planning of Buildings, Eighth Edition ; Ferry and Brandon
Lecture notes 2010 ; Discipline Project 2
RIBA Outline Plan of Work 2007 amended Nov 2008
