What is Quantity Surveying?
Quantity Surveying is a critical profession in the built environment.
Quantity Surveying professionals primarily determine, analyse, and manage construction costs and contracts from feasibility, through construction, to occupancy/use and end-of-life. Their skills and experience add substantial value across all construction projects from day one.
Quantity Surveying professionals work for quantity surveying firms, contractors/builders, engineering firms, multi-disciplinary consultancies, property developers, and government agencies.
All sectors of the built environment, including buildings, infrastructure, utilities, and resources, benefit from the early engagement of a Certified Quantity Surveyor.
Quantity Surveying Job Titles
There are many job titles and roles that exist within the quantity surveying profession, the most well-known being Quantity Surveyor. Find out more about each job title below.
Building
A Commercial Manager is responsible for overseeing and managing the finances of a project as it progresses. They are typically the head of a commercial team, overseeing the work of quantity surveyors, estimators, and planners.
A Contract Administrator develops, negotiates, and evaluates company contracts. They are charged with ensuring that both parties are complicit with the terms of the contract, as well as ensuring that all payments are in accordance with the contract abide by any relevant laws.
A Contracts Manager assists in the tendering process for projects; executes deliverables of client contracts; and monitors, manages, and reports on commercial and contractual governance across projects.
A Cost Consultant provides estimates and advice regarding the cost of construction works and provides estimated costs on the future (life cycle) costs the asset will incur.
A Cost Manager is an integral part of a construction team. The Cost Manager is concerned with projecting and managing the expenditures of a construction business, monitoring finances, and identifying potential cost risks to prevent spend over budget.
A Cost Planner investigates financial feasibility in the early stages of a proposed project and throughout the design stages. This assists clients and contractors in determining whether a project is feasible within their time and budget constraints.
An Estimator quantifies the materials, labour, and equipment needed to complete a construction project. This includes the process of forecasting the financial and other resources needed to complete a project within a defined scope. They account for each element or cost breakdown required for the project—from materials to labour—and calculate a total amount that determines a project’s budget. Note that Cost Estimators also work with Product Suppliers.
A Loss Adjuster/Assessor estimates quantities and costs of materials related to insurance claims.
A MEP Quantity Surveyor specialises in feasibility, cost estimation and planning, measurement, preparation of BOQs, and contractual obligations specifically for the mechanical, engineering, and plumbing (MEP) requirements for construction projects.
A Procurement Manager purchases all the necessary materials for the contractor’s projects, searching for the most cost-effective and appropriate materials for each job.
A Production Estimator is responsible for preparing BOQ’s and take offs, preparation of purchase orders, and calculation of client variations.
A Project Manager oversees the planning and delivery of construction projects. They ensure that work is completed on time and within budget. They organise logistics, delegate work and keep track of costs.
A Quantity Surveyor estimates and monitors the costs of construction through the lifetime of a building, from feasibility through design and construction to demolition or repurposing.
A Quantum Expert quantifies values, costs, and damages. They carry out data analysis by reviewing project information including raw accounting data, drawings, letters, financial data, and change orders.
A Senior Estimator provides cost estimation services as well as determines contractual, financial, technical, and operational risks and to find opportunities to minimise risk and maximise gross profits.
A Senior Building Estimator leads tender bids utilising subcontract and consultant data and cost bases to produce tender proposals. They analyse and predict labour, material, and time requirements for projects and analyse differences between estimated cost and actual cost and adjust bids accordingly.
A Tax Practitioner at the completion of a construction project produces tax depreciation schedules.
Utilities
An Electrical Estimator provides accurate cost estimates for materials, subcontractors, and labour pricing; ensures pricing and product availability are up to date and accurate; consults with operational departments to determine the accuracy of tenders; ensure compliance is adhered to for all record-keeping associated with the tender; recommend and updates procedures and programs to improve the estimating function, and providescost advice on projects.
A Project Estimator analyses project requirements and develops cost estimates to determine the financial feasibility and scope of a project.
A Civil Estimator undertakes detailed first principle estimates to provide quality estimates, coordinates with stakeholders, undertakes quantity take offs from drawins or 3D models, and considers risk factors in achieving target costs.
A TOC Development Manager oversees and manages TOC submissions, bid management, pricing tenders, solicites bids from vendors and subcontractors, prepares high-level cost plans, reviews prices and scheduling, and provides economical design/construction advice, and values risk and opportunities.
A Contract Administrator in the Utilities sector prepares payment claims in accordance with security of payment legislation, supports the timely approval of payment claims, manages and monitors contract securities, insurances, claims and variations under construction contracts. They lead the administration of subcontracts and other relevant contracts to support projects achieve its cost, time, and quality targets.
Cost Control Engineers are responsible for managing and controlling project costs and their adherence to the budget. They produce cost reports, manage project risks, extract and analyse cost information, and report on financial aspects of a project.
Infrastructure
A Capital Allowance Consultant calculates a tax deduction claimable for the decline in value (depreciation) of capital assets. This is a deduction that can be claimed as an expense, for the ageing, wear, and tear of an investment asset.
A Chief Estimator helps construction projects by providing cost estimates. Other duties include procuring competitive projects, collaborating with subcontractors, training estimating staff, soliciting information from subcontractors, and taking part in periodic reviews.
A Construction Claims Consultant provides advice as to how contracts can be set up and managed to avoid claims. They tailor individual solutions and offer experienced, professional advice on a wide range of issues, including claims avoidance.
A Commercial Manager is responsible for overseeing and managing the finances of a project as it progresses. They are typically the head of a commercial team, overseeing the work of quantity surveyors, estimators, and planners.
A Construction Manager is responsible for the management of the physical construction processes and the coordination, administration, and management of resources on a construction site where construction work is being performed.
A Contract Administrator develops, negotiates, and evaluates company contracts on behalf of an organisation. They are charged with ensuring that both parties are complicit with the terms of the contract, as well as ensuring that all payments are in accordance with the contract abide by any relevant laws.
A Contract Advisor advises on but not limited to Contract Management. They draft, negotiate, and advise their client on Contracts, Agreements and Deeds, Consulting Agreements and Confidentiality Agreements etc.
A Contract Manager oversees projects performed between one organisation and another. They are responsible for coordinating every aspect of the project from reviewing and approving contract terms to coordinating deadlines, approving budgets and more.
A Contracts Specialist is responsible for a wide variety of procurement and contracting duties including drafting contracts, work orders, work requests and interagency agreements; preparing tender documents and conducting tender processes; ensuring all legal, insurance and any bond requirements are met prior to award.
A Cost Auditor undertakes a detailed review of the construction contract documents and audit of the costs invoiced to the client. They monitor and evaluate the progress of a project.
A Cost Consultant provides estimates and advice regarding the cost of construction works and provides estimated costs on the future (life cycle) costs the asset will incur.
A Cost Controller manages the project costs. Tasks include developing, controlling, planning, and forecasting the project’s budget. They make sure that costs are under control by managing labour, material, and overhead costs to ensure that the project finishes within the approved budget.
A Cost Engineer manages the costs involved in a construction project. This includes activities such as cost control, budgeting, forecasting, estimating, investment appraisal and risk analysis.
A Cost Estimator quantifies the materials, labour, and equipment needed to complete a construction project. This includes the process of forecasting the financial and other resources needed to complete a project within a defined scope. They account for each element or cost breakdown required for the project (from materials to labour) and calculate a total amount that determines a project’s budget.
A Cost Manager is an integral part of a construction team. The Cost Manager is concerned with projecting and managing the expenditures of a construction business, monitoring finances, and identifying potential cost risks to prevent spend over budget.
A Cost Planner investigates financial feasibility in the early stages of a proposed project and throughout the design stages. This assists clients and contractors in determining whether a project is feasible within their time and budget constraints.
An Estimating Manager manages and directs the organisation’s estimating functions. They are the primary member of the estimating team who have overall responsibility for the creation of budgets and estimates. They are responsible for the oversight of the estimating process for all projects bid and awarded, and establish standardised procedures, methods, and processes for estimating and training estimating resources.
An Estimating Specialist is responsible for compiling estimates of specialist elements i.e., tunnelling, signaling, etc.
A Forensic Cost Estimator is responsible for preparing an analysis and presentation suitable for a judge, jury, arbitrator, mediator, or any other party charged with making a decision or recommendation in a case. They rely on the opinions of the other technical experts and on relevant dispute resolution language within the applicable contracts. They will frequently have to prepare a written report or narrative. This report elaborates upon and explains the rationale and reasoning underlying each element of cost included in the Forensic Estimate and goes along with any arithmetical computation of the reasonable cost of the line items involved in the various claims and allegations.
An Independent Advisor is usually an experienced professional practitioner working with the client’s team, independent of the supply team, monitoring and helping the client to manage the design process from its earliest stages and throughout construction.
An Independent Certifier provides specialist advice, monitors compliance with design, specifications and statutory standards and ensures all project requirements are met.
An Independent Estimator (IE) is a defined role in an Alliance project to confirm that the TOC (Total Outturn Cost) is a fair and reasonable estimate of the outturn cost, consistent with agreed commercial principles, the target schedule, the risks/opportunities being assumed by the alliance and other relevant factors. The IE’s review must also confirm the probabilities assigned to individual risk and opportunities through Monte Carlo simulation to validate that the allowances for risk and opportunity are reasonable and represent value for money.
A Planner is involved in making careful choices on ways to complete tasks so that projects can be finished on time and within budget. The role of the Planner is to develop a plan to complete a construction project based on budget, work schedule and available resources. A Planner determines what and how much needs to be done while Programming defines who and when the operations will be performed. Although Planning and Programming are different processes, they come together within project programming.
A Procurement Advisor handles the needs of company projects. They oversee members of the procurement team assigned to the project. They create policies and protocols related to the procurement of subcontractors, consultants, labour, materials, and plant needed for a project.
A Procurement Manager, also known as a Purchasing Manager, is a supply chain and logistics professional. The Procurement Manager purchases all the necessary materials for the construction company’s projects, searching for the most cost-effective and appropriate materials for each job.
A Procurement Officer provides procurement expertise and assists the project team to plan, develop, source, and manage procurement arrangements to effectively meet organisational and project objectives.
A Procurement Specialist, also known as Procurement or Purchasing Manager. They manage vendor relationships and oversee order placement, including of materials.
A Program Manager manages a collection of projects. A project represents a single, focused endeavour. A program is a collection of projects – together all the projects form a connected package of work. The different projects complement each other to assist the program in achieving its overall objectives.
A Programmer manages both time and resources to ensure work is completed on time. They create timetables for the entire project, which includes determining the timing of tasks and when specific materials will be needed.
A Project Controls Coordinator manages, integrates, coordinates, and reviews the work of the Project Management group to develop, implement, feed, reconcile, and maintain valuable project control databases and reports.
A Project Controls Engineer develops, implements, and maintains cost controls on a project, and provides centralised planning and scheduling on many projects.
A Project Controls Manager manages and oversees the project controls for engineering, construction, and other projects. They establish controls and operating policies that identify, monitor, and mitigate risk factors that could impact the success of a project.
A Project Manager oversees the planning and delivery of construction projects. They ensure that work is completed on time and within budget. They organise logistics, delegate work and keep track of costs.
A Risk Estimator defines the project risk factors in costs of previous projects, identifying unknowns at estimation stage and undertakes analysis of construction risks applying the Monte Carlo method, including determination of contingency.
A Risk Manager monitors and controls those measures needed to prevent exposure to risk. They identify the hazard, assessing the extent of the risk, providing measures to control the risk, and managing any residual risks.
A Tax Practitioner at the completion of a construction project produces tax depreciation schedules.
A Transaction Manager coordinates and manages major commercial transactions, high value and high-risk infrastructure procurements, and/or complex collaborative agreements between the government and private sector, and can be summarised as procurement activity that doesn’t fit within a traditional procurement framework for reasons such as value, complexity or the nature of the supply market i.e. creation of a new market or innovation to an existing one. ‘Transactions’ are usually high value, complex and one-off construction projects (even though they may have a long operational period after construction).
A Value Engineer improves the value of the project by examining the function of each item or element and its associated cost. Refer to Value Engineering Manager.
A Value Engineering Manager reviews new or existing materials and methods during the design phase to reduce costs and increase functionality to increase the value of the product. The value of an item is defined as the most cost-effective way of producing an item without taking away from its purpose.