Unit 54 Advanced Quantity Surveying Practice Assignment Brief
| Qualification | Pearson BTEC Higher Nationals Construction |
| Unit Number | 54 |
| Unit Title | Advanced Quantity Surveying Practice |
| Unit code | J/618/8131 |
| Unit level | 5 |
| Credit value | 15 |
Introduction
The function of a quantity surveyor on a large project will take several forms. The professional quantity surveyor (PQS) will support the client in terms of the project’s budget and obtaining tenders that are within this budget. Contract selection will be a function to enable legally binding agreements between the client and the main contractor. The PQS will advise a client as to which is the best contract to use for their project. The main contractor’s quantity surveyor’s function on a large project will be to assemble a quantity surveying team that can control the costs of the works in accordance with the tender sum submitted. They will also maximise the revenue potential against any variations, buying or construction processes to maximise the project’s return.
The quantity surveyor interacts with many different roles in project teams. They may work alongside the architect or designer, costing project elements and specifying, to arrive at a budget for the client. The main contractor’s quantity surveyor interacts with the estimating and construction teams. They work to establish what the estimator has included in terms of prices from suppliers and subcontractors so that orders can be placed in advance of the work commencing. Once the project has begun, they are involved in ensuring that the costs of the project are controlled to ensure they remain within the agreed contract sum.
In this unit, students will expand their knowledge and understanding of quantity surveying practice, with the emphasis on more complex projects and contract requirements.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this unit, students will be able to:
LO1 Analyse the functions of a quantity surveyor on large complex projects
LO2 Explain the quantity surveyor’s interactions with project teams
LO3 Prepare a contract for a complex project
LO4 Develop preliminary items and specification sections for a building or infrastructure project.
Assignment Task
LO1 Analyse the functions of a quantity surveyor on large complex projects
- Pre-contract: professional quantity surveyor
- Costing of client’s project into a budget
- Advising client on potential procurement routes
- Advising client on contract types
- Preparation of any nominated or named contractors
- Obtaining quotations for nominated works
- Preparation of bills of quantity (BoQ)
- Preparation of tender documentation
- Specifications
- Select tender list compiled
- Sending out project enquiries
- Receiving tenders
- Adjudicating tenders
- Awarding project
- Pre-contract: main contractor’s quantity surveyor
- Advising on procurement process and contract
- Read and digest tender documentation
- Analysis of project into packages
- Obtaining quotations for packages of work
- Materials and plant enquiries
- Assembly of tender documentation
- Specifications
- Costing of preliminary items
- Tender adjudication meeting
- Tender submission
- Negotiation with specialist subcontractors
- Construction phase: professional quantity surveyor
- Issue and sign contracts
- Pre-start meeting
- Check valuations
- Negotiations with main contractor
- Issue certificates
- Costing and agreement on variations
- Running final account summary
- Agree final account
- Release retention
- Construction phase: main contractor’s quantity surveyor
- Legal and regulatory requirements for quantity surveyors
- Contract law
- Health and safety Regulations
- Professional body codes of conduct and codes of practice
- Financial regulations and financial regulators
LO2 Explain the quantity surveyor’s interactions with project teams
- Main contractor’s quantity surveyor
- Interaction with PQS and client regarding signing contract documentation
- Pre-start meeting
- Liaising with the estimator regarding quotations used in tender
- Discussions with contracts manager and site manager regarding programme
- Interaction with other quantity surveyors (QS) in the project team
- Interaction with buying department for materials and plant requisitions
- Interim valuations interactions with site manager and PQS
- Interactions with site manager regarding variations
- Attendance at site progress meetings
- Interactions and negotiations with nominated and domestic subcontractors
- Interactions with contracts manager regarding delays and extensions
- Handover meetings
- Professional quantity surveyor
- Tender adjudication and interviews with main contractor’s estimating team
- Award of contract with client
- Award of contract to main contractor
- Cost value engineering with main contractor
- Issue and obtain contract signatures between client and main contractor
- Control client’s budget with main contractors QS
- Liaise regarding additional works and final account summary
- Attend site progress and budget meetings
- Interaction and negotiation with main contractor
- Advise client on spending against budget
- Attend handover meetings
- Interact on final account and retention release
- Dealing with disputes between parties
- Avoiding and managing conflicts
- Recording issues and complaints
- Legal processes (e.g., adjudication, arbitration)
- Financial disputes (e.g., cost overruns, valuation disputes)
LO3 Prepare a contract for a complex project
- Contract selection criteria
- Type of construction work
- Duration of project
- Number of projects
- Value of work
- Flexibility required
- Private or public sector
- Size of project
- Funding strategy
- Construction contracts
- Joint Contracts Tribunal (JCT) (e.g., standard building contract, intermediate form of building contract, major project construction contract, design and build contract, management building contract, construction management contract, constructing excellence contract, measured term contract, prime cost building contract)
- FIDIC (Fédération Internationale des Ingénieurs-Conseils)
- NEC (The New Engineering Contract): Engineering and construction contract
- CIOB (The Chartered Institute of Building) (e.g., CPC 2013 – CIOB Contract for use with Complex Projects)
- Local international contract agreements
- Classification of contracts (e.g., lump sum contracts, unit price contracts, cost-plus contracts, target cost contract)
LO4 Develop preliminary items and specification sections for a building or infrastructure project
- Project information
- Client’s complex brief with working drawings
- Specification of elements making up project
- Cost estimate for the project
- Client’s initial budget
- Specifications
- Types of specification (e.g., performance specifications, prescriptive specifications)
- Standard forms (e.g., construction, civil engineering, building services)
- Specification sections and classifications
- Preliminary items
- Specific ‘prelims’ sector requirements (e.g., construction, civil engineering, building services, relation to contract)
Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria
| Pass | Merit | Distinction |
| LO1 Analyse the functions of a quantity surveyor on large complex projects | D1 Critically analyse the contractor’s quantity surveyor’s interactions in maintaining the profitability of a contract. | |
| P1 Analyse the pre-construction and construction functions of a professional quantity surveyor and a contractor’s quantity surveyor.
P2 Discuss the legal and regulatory responsibilities of a quantity surveyor during different phases of a project. |
M1 Compare the functions of a professional quantity surveyor and a contractor’s quantity surveyor during the execution of construction contract for a complex project. | |
| LO2 Explain the quantity surveyor’s interactions with project teams | ||
| P3 Discuss the interaction of a professional quantity surveyor and a contractor’s quantity surveyor with different teams during the pre-construction phase of a project.
P4 Describe the process of valuation and release of payments by the quantity surveyor during the construction phase. |
M2 Analyse the financial interactions between the professional quantity surveyor and the contractor’s quantity surveyor during the construction phase. | |
| Pass | Merit | Distinction |
| LO3 Prepare a contract for a complex project | D2 Justify the selection of a contract, prelims and specification sections in meeting the needs of client and contractor for a large complex project. | |
| P5 Analyse the criteria used for the selection of a contract for a large complex project.
P6 Prepare a contract, based on an appropriate standard, for a large complex project. |
M3 Assess the selection of a contract in meeting the requirements for a given project. | |
| LO4 Develop preliminary items and specification sections for a building or infrastructure project | ||
| P7 Prepare preliminary items for a building or infrastructure project specification, based on an appropriate standard.
P8 Develop specification sections to define works for building or infrastructure project, based on an appropriate standard. |
M4 Evaluate the relationship between preliminary items and specification sections in clearly defining works. | |
Recommended Resources
Print resources
ASHWORTH, A., HOGG, K., HIGGS, C. (2013), Willis’s Practice and Procedure for the Quantity Surveyor, John Wiley & Sons
CARTLIDGE, D. (2019), Estimator’s Pocket Book Second Edition, Routledge
CARTLIDGE, D. (2017), New Aspects of Quantity Surveying Practice, Routledge
COOPER, R. (2017), Target Costing and Value Engineering, Routledge
TOWEY, D. (2017), Construction Quantity Surveying, John Wiley & Sons
Links
This unit links to the following related units:
- Unit 2: Construction Technology
- Unit 4: The Construction Environment
- Unit 6: Digital Applications for Construction Information
- Unit 10: Measurement & Estimating
- Unit 12: Tender & Procurement
- Unit 13: Building Information Modelling
- Unit 23: Construction Economics & Sustainability
- Unit 25: Quantity Surveying Practice
- Unit 26: Digital Applications for Building Information Modelling
- Unit 29: Contracts & Management
- Unit 30: Project Management
- Unit 33: Construction Technology for Complex Buildings Projects
- Unit 36: Value Engineering & Cost Control
- Unit 38: Advanced Quantities for Complex Building Projects
- Unit 40: Surveying for Conservation, Renovation & Refurbishment
- Unit 44: Maintenance & Operations
- Unit 47: Advanced Building Information Modelling
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