Weighing up the pros and cons of hiring a quantity surveyor to support your construction project?
If you’re unsure whether to use a quantity surveyor, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) regulated and highly experienced team of quantity surveyors at Kingsmead Consultants can help.
Regardless of whether you’re planning a private or commercial project, we’ve seen first-hand how a professional quantity surveyor can play an essential role in everything from project management and cost reduction to budgeting and contract negotiation.
To help you determine whether it’s worth getting in touch with an expert consultant like Kingsmead to oversee your project, our expert team have put together this comprehensive guide.
It explains why quantity surveying is important, the various benefits of using a quantity surveyor, and how much a quantity surveyor tends to cost in the UK. For clear answers to any more related questions you might have, please don’t hesitate to contact our friendly team today.
How important is quantity surveying?
Quantity surveying is a crucial process for ensuring all the potential costs and risks associated with bringing a construction project to life have been properly considered.
This is because construction projects, by their very nature, come with high risks. From potential delays and contractor disputes to unforeseen increased material costs, any number of issues can derail a construction project.
This is where quantity surveyors can help. Their extensive range of services are designed to help you avoid such costly, stressful, and time-consuming issues by providing accurate cost assessments, identifying cost-saving opportunities, and negotiating more favourable contracts.
Quantity surveyors are also experts when it comes to identifying and reducing risks. They can monitor expenses, ensure contracts are properly administered, and even develop contingency plans. For example, there may be a risk that a supplier can’t meet the material requirements for your project on time.
To avoid potential delays due to a lack of necessary materials, a quantity surveyor could develop a strategy to help reduce this risk. This might be through sourcing a substitute material, making a deal with another supplier, or adjusting the contract terms with the existing supplier.
Ultimately, a quantity surveyor isn’t just a helpful addition to construction projects. In many cases, they can be the glue that holds the project together by providing expert advice, contingency plans, and cost-saving services that can make a big difference to keeping your project within budget.
Why use a quantity surveyor?
Keen to find out how a quantity surveyor can add real value to your construction project? While the cost of hiring a quantity surveyor is worth bearing in mind, there’s a long list of significant benefits that simply can’t be overlooked.
Cost-effective
Despite the initial cost of using a quantity surveyor, their budgeting, cost negotiation, and cost reduction expertise can make their services a more than worthwhile investment. Quantity surveyors can help to save you money by negotiating better contracts with suppliers and contractors, identifying cost-saving opportunities, and preventing wasted resources.
Value engineering, for example, is just one method that quantity surveyors can use to improve the cost efficiency of your project. This process involves identifying various opportunities where costs can be reduced without compromising on performance or quality.
Industry experience
Unfortunately, no construction project is exactly the same as another. Each one can vary significantly with regards to the project’s scope, complexity, and objectives. As a result, even if you have substantial experience managing projects and budgets for the building or residential properties, this experience may not be as applicable to the construction of industrial facilities, for example.
With an experienced quantity surveyor on your side, your construction project will directly benefit from their years of invaluable experience in this industry. At Kingsmead Consultants, we can support you with both private and commercial projects across a wide range of different industries.
RICS regulated
While there’s no legal requirement for quantity surveyors to be RICS regulated in the UK, many will still follow RICS standards and regulations, despite not having a chartered status. For greater peace of mind, Kingsmead Consultants is fully RICS regulated.
This means you can be confident that you’ll receive a professional and high-quality quantity surveying service from a team that has access to global networks, specialist knowledge and training, and plenty of relevant resources.
Architect liaison
A professional quantity surveyor can liaise closely with your chosen architect, allowing them to prepare more accurate cost estimates, conduct feasibility studies, and learn more about the overall design intent.
A close architect and quantity surveyor relationship can therefore help to deliver better results for your construction project – especially if there are complexities or challenges. At Kingsmead Consultants, our quantity surveyors take the time to really understand your project from the architect’s perspective.
Hassle-free
Quantity surveyors can handle everything from critical contract negotiations and material cost estimations to ensuring your project meets important deadlines. By taking on this wide range of responsibilities, enlisting help from a professional quantity surveyor can reduce both your workload and worries.
As a result, the management of your entire construction project becomes smoother and less stressful, and you’ll have more time to focus on other aspects of the project.
Legal and contractual compliance
If legal jargon isn’t your strong suit, then you may want to consider using a quantity surveyor for your projects. Alongside their primary responsibility of accurately costing construction projects, the handing of contractual and legal matters is another area they excel in.
If there are any legislative issues with your initial design, a quantity surveyor can work with you and your architect to overcome them without compromising on quality or cost. With a quantity surveyor managing your project, you can therefore rest assured that your project will meet all the necessary legal and quality requirements.
When should I get a quantity surveyor?
You should consider reaching out to a quantity surveyor as early as possible during the pre-construction phase. Unfortunately, some projects only bring in quantity surveyors when something’s gone wrong, but this is often too late.
Instead, you should seek support from a quantity surveyor as soon as you’ve appointed an architect and have a good understanding of both your budget and design requirements. A quantity surveyor can then help you to avoid any potential pitfalls in your plan and offer their expert advice.
How much does a quantity surveyor cost?
Concerned about the cost of consulting with a quantity surveyor? Fortunately, the majority of quantity surveyors ensure their fee is relative to the overall construction cost by charging their services as a small percentage of the total contract.
This percentage is often between 0.5-2%, but this figure can vary significantly based on a number of factors. This includes the experience of the quantity surveyor, project complexity, type of services required, and the overall size of the construction project.
Quantity surveyor fees can also be affected by the practice (it’s size, workload, and reputation), the contract type, and even the economy. Ultimately, the cost of a quantity surveyor will be specific to your construction project, so it’s important to be transparent about your project needs and timeline.
You can receive a much more accurate idea of how much a quantity surveyor is likely to cost by contacting reputable and experienced quantity surveying companies, like Kingsmead Consultants, for a quote.
To discuss your requirements with our knowledgeable team and gain a better understanding of our fees and rates, please feel free to get in touch.
Is a quantity surveyor worth it?
So, is a quantity surveyor worth it? When it comes to deciding whether your project requires a quantity surveyor, cost is perhaps the most important factor to take into account.
However, there are other factors to consider including quality, project scope and complexity, as well as your own time limitations and personal preference. We explore each one in more detail below.
Cost
While quantity surveyors will come with a fee (typically between 0.5-2% of the contract), it’s worth bearing in mind that the cost-saving measures and risk management services they provide can easily add up to being worth far more than their fees.
Every project task they’re involved in will offer cost-saving opportunities that a quantity surveyor can help you to identify and take advantage of. At the same time, they’ll carry out the necessary research to ensure these cost-saving measures don’t result in a sacrifice in performance or quality.
Quality
Eager to ensure the quality of your construction project is maintained from the initial design through to completion? Thanks to their extensive experience, industry expertise, and legal compliancy, you can rest assured that your project will be delivered to a high standard if you seek support from a reputable and reliable quantity surveyor.
Without a quantity surveyor ensuring your project abides by all the necessary standards and legalities, you’re at greater risk of delivering a private or commercial building that falls short of your expectations and runs afoul of local building regulations.
Scope and complexity
At Kingsmead Consultants, we understand that no two construction projects are exactly the same. However, developments on a large scale with greater complexities and challenges are often best left to the professionals to handle.
This is because inaccurate budget allocations on large-scale projects can result in significant overruns – something stakeholders will want to avoid at all costs! By enlisting help from a quantity surveyor, you’ll benefit from greater reassurance that your figures are being kept under control.
Time limitations
Unfortunately, there’s only so many hours in a day: if you’re juggling multiple project developments or have other professional commitments, dedicating enough time to the many roles and responsibilities of a quantity surveyor can be a challenge.
With a dedicated, professional quantity surveyor on your side, you can feel confident that they’ll devote enough time to meticulously handle every aspect of your project.
Supported by the relevant knowledge, skills, and experience, they can often quickly resolve issues that might prove a challenge to those without specialist quantity surveyor training – helping to keep your project on track!
Personal preference
Ultimately, the decision to use a quantity surveyor will come down to your personal preference. Some self-build projects may not require support from a quantity surveyor, but there’s no denying the significant benefits that they can bring to the table.
Regardless of whether you’re an architect, contractor, homeowner, or property developer, we always recommend contacting a quantity surveyor to find out more about how they could help with your specific project and requirements.
Reliable and RICS regulated quantity surveyor
If you need more help answering the question ‘do you need a quantity surveyor’ or are already confident that your project would benefit from our professional quantity surveying services, please don’t hesitate to contact our experienced team of today.
At Kingsmead Consultants, our talented team of quantity surveyors can help your building dreams become a reality with our cost-saving, project management, and value engineering expertise.
With offices in Crewe and Liverpool, we can help clients up and down the North West of England. From Manchester based customers to those in the Chester and Cheshire areas, our expert quantity surveyors can help bring your project to life.
Regardless of whether you require professional help mitigating risks, creating detailed construction project plans, or even negotiating contracts with suppliers and architects, Kingsmead Consultants is a one-stop shop for a wide range of consulting services.
To learn more about our quantity surveying services or to discuss your project in more detail, simply give us a call on 01270 323 515.
Alternatively, you can also reach out via email at info@kingsmeadconsultants.co.uk or use our convenient online contact form.
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