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Society has shaped us to place great value on an individual’s profession. It has become the norm to ask a newly acquainted friend what they do for a living. Over the years I have rarely encountered people that understand my profession. It’s a profession that so few know of, but so many could use the expertise and guidance that we as Quantity Surveyors (QS) can offer.
I have set out a list of questions we frequently get asked with answers to shed some light on the role we play in the construction industry. Whether you are a developer, contractor, an average Joe that stumbled across this post, I’m sure you will find some useful information in this Q&A.
Question 1: Aah, I know what you do, you count bricks for a living?
I generally also give a giggle to the idea that our profession is labelled as brick counters.
It took me a while to come to terms with this simple classification as it is an integral part of what we do on a project. Not only do we count bricks we also quantify the concrete, sand, plaster, paint, doors including every element that is detailed on the Architect’s design to give our clients a precise budget for their development.
This is the actual building costs associated with a project, there’s a whole back bone of costs associated to a project that’s not always properly explained. To get the project at a stage where we can measure the design that has been approved by the client a whole professional team is involved on the engineering, functionality, spacial requirements and profitability of the proposed layouts. Municipal connection fees, bulk contributions, plan approval fees, professional fees etc form part of the overall budget for any given project.
For an in depth estimate and advice on your project feel free to give us a call and we will gladly explain the process.
Question 2: Do you stand next to the road with that measuring tool?
No. This is a very common misconception between a Quantity Surveyor and a Land Surveyor. A Land Surveyor uses a dumpy level (and various other equipment) to plot the contours and levels of a given site. This information is then used to produce a topographical survey issued to the client. This survey provides information to the Architect and Engineer on the level differences on the site, benchmarks to design from and any other constraints to take into account on the design.
The Architect uses this information to design the dream project where after the QS determines the overall costs as explained in Question 1.
Question 3: Are you an accountant for the construction industry?
This is somewhat true as our role goes into budgeting for construction projects, cost control, valuing work done on the project during construction, preparing financial reports for the project and reconciling the project cost against the budget upon completion. Essentially, we are the financial manager of a building project. We also advise on contractual at hand mainly because these usually have financial repercussions which we would need to consider as the project progresses.
Where a development is to be undertaken, we contribute to the process by advising on the financial feasibility of a development preferably before designs are prepared and the land is acquired. This is so that the design team works within the cost and space parameters that will ensure the desired return on investment of the developer is met.
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