Quantity Surveyor

Roles and responsibilities

A Quantity Surveyor (QS) is a construction professional responsible for managing the costs, budgets, and financial aspects of a construction project. They ensure that the project is completed within its budget, while also maintaining the required quality and scope. Quantity Surveyors are involved in every stage of a construction project, from initial feasibility studies and cost estimates to the final account settlement after project completion. They work closely with contractors, clients, engineers, and architects to manage costs and keep the project financially viable.

Key Skills and Responsibilities of a Quantity Surveyor:

1. Cost Estimation and Budgeting

• Pre-Contract Estimating: Preparing detailed cost estimates and budgets during the early stages of a project based on architectural plans and specifications. This involves calculating quantities of materials, labor, and other resources required for the project.
• Bill of Quantities (BoQ): Preparing a Bill of Quantities, which is a detailed document listing all the materials, labor, and work required for a project, along with their costs. The BoQ is used by contractors to submit tenders and quotations.
• Cost Planning: Developing cost plans and financial models to forecast the costs of the entire project, considering factors like project scope, materials, labor, and time constraints.
• Cost Control: Managing and monitoring project budgets during construction to ensure that costs do not exceed the agreed budget. This includes regular cost reporting and analyzing cost variances.

2. Tendering and Procurement

• Tender Preparation and Evaluation: Helping the client select contractors by preparing tender documents and evaluating bids submitted by contractors. This process ensures that the project is awarded to the most qualified and cost-effective bidder.
• Contract Negotiation: Assisting in negotiating terms and conditions of contracts, including payment terms, scope, and delivery schedules, to ensure the project stays on budget and meets the client’s expectations.
• Procurement Advice: Advising clients on the best procurement methods, such as traditional contracts, design and build, or management contracting, depending on the project needs.

3. Contract Management

• Contract Administration: Administering contracts to ensure that contractors are meeting their obligations and delivering work within budget, on time, and in compliance with contractual terms.
• Variation Orders: Managing and evaluating changes in the project scope, known as variations, and their impact on costs. A QS ensures that the cost of any changes is accurately calculated and agreed upon before work proceeds.
• Payment Certification: Certifying progress payments to contractors, ensuring that the work completed is paid for, and that payments are made according to the terms of the contract.
• Final Accounts: Preparing final account statements for the project, which document the agreed-upon costs for completed work. This includes adjusting the final cost based on variations, delays, or scope changes.

4. Risk Management

• Identifying and Mitigating Risks: Assessing financial and contractual risks throughout the project and proposing ways to mitigate these risks. This may include addressing potential delays, scope creep, or unforeseen costs.
• Contingency Planning: Developing contingency budgets for unforeseen issues that may arise during construction, such as changes in material prices, labor costs, or delays due to weather conditions.

Desired candidate profile

• Normally receives little instruction on routine work, general instructions on new assignments.
• Conducts surveys to ascertain the locations of natural features and human-made structures on the earth's surface, underground, and underwater, using electronic distance-measuring equipment and other surveying instruments.
• Operates and manages land-information computer systems, performs tasks such as storing data, making inquiries, and producing plots and reports.
• Reviews information from survey teams regarding measurement of distances, directions, angles between points and elevation of points, lines, and contours on, above, and below the earth’s surface.
• Researches legal records, looks for evidence of previous boundaries, and analyzes the data to determine the location of boundary lines.
• Records the results of surveys, verifies the accuracy of data, and prepares plots, maps, and reports.
• An experienced professional with full understanding of area of specialization.
• Works on problems of diverse scope.
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  Qualifications
  
  Qualifications
  
  Minimum Qualification
  
  Technical Institute Diploma / Bachelor Degree in relevant Engineering field (i.e. Civil, Structural etc.)
  
  Experience
  
  The ideal candidate to be Civil Engineering graduate with minimum 10 years’ experience in similar projects.