UTILITIES
SO JUST WHAT
EXACTLY IS A
QUANTITY
SURVEYOR?
So, a quick view on Quantity Surveying…QS’s
are basically the accountants and lawyers for
construction and engineering projects.
It’s their job to work alongside the Project Manager
to ensure that a project is delivered successfully
on time, and on budget - simple as that!
Well not really... in fact, far easier said than done…
UTILITIES
WHAT DO WE DO?
Construction and Engineering projects
can be highly complex, with multiple
unknowns and many risks. They require
constant guardianship to try to forecast
and resolve issues before they arise,
and to work to find solutions when
unforeseen complications crop up.
Keeping the project on track financially and
ensuring that contract duties are discharged
fully requires resilience, imagination and
optimism! As the QS, you need to try to get
the project team to work together to do all of
this stuff, whilst maintaining the time and cost
schedules that were set at the start of the
project…because clients do not like to start
out with a figure of how much their project
will cost, only to find out that cost doubles
and they don’t get the keys to their shiny
new facility when they thought they would!
The Quantity Surveyor’s role is challenging,
we need to operate the contract
mechanisms appropriately to keep the
parties on track, and should be clear on
who should be doing what and by when.
Crucially, we also need to know our budgets,
and who should be paying for what and why.
Construction and engineering projects
are unique, no two sites are exactly
the same. You will always find different
problems, and as Quantity Surveyor your
resourcefulness and rigour is essential in
keeping the team on track to achieve
successful project completion.
There is no sugar coating it, it’s a tough
job, and takes dedication and passion
- but it’s also a highly rewarding and
exciting career when you get onboard!
OUR PROFESSIONAL JOURNEY
In the mid nineties as technology was
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