Duties, roles and responsibilities of a quantity surveyor, in a nutshell, the Quantity Surveyor is a valuable resource for any construction project that ensures timely delivery of the project with minimal effect on expenses.

In these modern times, the effectiveness of a project lies in the proper use of its resources with minimum possible expenses. To achieve this goal construction project owners are hiring experienced and effective quantity surveyors more than ever before. Wearing so many hats throughout the life cycle of the project, Quantity Surveyors maximize operational efficiency. This is done by negotiating the best possible value for the owner’s money and keeping the expenses as low as possible.

Using their negotiation and mediation skills these surveyors are able to keep the project on track even when there are unexpected incidents that could have caused delays otherwise. The feasibility and expense report that they generally to keep the owner or their employer abreast of the progress and helps in deriving maximum efficiency during the project lifetime.

Role of a quantity surveyor in construction:

responsibilities of a quantity surveyor in construction

During the lifetime of a project, the quantity surveyor wears many hats – and his roles include cost estimator, negotiator, project coordinator and the most important role of expense manager.

An efficient and effective surveyor may have a ton of experience. Working on different projects in different industries builds a strong portfolio of experience for the surveyor. This helps the project manager complete the project within stipulated budget without compromising on the quality and quantity of material being used.

During the project timeline, a quantity surveyor prepares important reports such as Feasibility Reports, Expense Reports, Valuation Reports and other various reports along the way.

Preparing Operational Contracts:

The role of the quantity surveyor starts from the very beginning of the construction project. During this phase, he plays a major role in preparing cost estimates. When the project owner is preparing the budget, the quantity surveyor helps in defining the optimal quantity and price of the materials being used in construction.

He achieves this by working together with clients, contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, and consultants in identifying their specialities and scopes for the project. The quantity surveyor coordinates with different parties in order to finalize the optimum prices for each element of the project.

The Quantity Surveyor can work with other stakeholders such as engineers, workers, and contractors to derive efficiencies in other areas of expense such as labour costs, construction costs, and construction methods.

Managing Finances:

One of the major roles of a Quantity Surveyor is managing the project finances. An efficient quantity surveyor shall make sure that the project’s costs remain within the stipulated budget. The budget is calculated before the start of a project based on the designs prepared.

The quantity surveyor achieves this by working closely with all parties to procure optimum value products with the best quality. An effective tool to use in this scenario would be to prepare frequent reports tracking the project costs. The quantity surveyor can then compare these reports with the original budgets in order to track financial progress.

Pre And Post Contract Quantity Surveying Duties

Keeping the project on time:

roles of a quantity surveyor in construction

Although the project plans are initially designed before the start of a project, these documents help in preparing the actual budge. However, there are always surprises in any construction project. Some scenarios could include weather delays, unforeseen delays, materials shortages, labour shortages, bad ground delays and many more.

Another glitch in the project could arise due to a dispute between two parties such as contractors and subcontractors. In such situations, the negotiation and mediation skills of the Quantity Surveyor come in to play to try to resolve the issues fairly and reasonably.

Keeping the expenses within the budget is key to the successful completion of the project. As far as the dispute between the project team members is concerned, a quantity surveyor should use his experience to play the role of a mediator in order to avoid delays in the project. The Quantity Surveyors work with both parties and arrive at a solution that is win-win for both and keeps the project on track.

Timely Payments to Stakeholders:

One of the major roadblocks in any project is the delays in payments. A quantity surveyor plays a key role in avoiding this roadblock. Since the beginning of the project, the expert has a keen eye on the budget and associated costs.

Having years of experience under his belt, the surveyor is able to negotiate the best prices for every task. This homework helps the owner make timely payments to project stakeholders such as Contractors, Engineers, and Workers, etc. To keep the project on track, Quantity Surveyor keeps track of all payments.

After every chunk of payment, a surveyor checks the expense report with the allotted budget. Keeping a close eye on everyday expenses helps the management keep the project costs within the stipulated budget.

Duties Of A Quantity Surveyor

Site visits and future projections of tasks ahead:

An ideal quantity surveyor has a strong eye for detail and always keeps a foot on the ground. They make regular visits to the construction site. These visits serve many purposes such as getting an actual feel for the progress of the project, face to face interaction with the construction team, and analyzing the task requirements ahead of time.

An experienced and effective quantity surveyor can gauge the performance of the entire team with these occasional visits to the property. He is better able to track progress and compare it to the actual plan.

Having a face to face interaction with the construction team gives him/her a strong idea of the concerns and issues of the people on the ground. Taking all his notes, the surveyor is able to go back to the drawing board and make any amendments if need in the tasks ahead.

Conclusion

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