Quantity Surveyor: a person who measures and prices building work.

In real life

Quantity surveyors are the accountants of the building profession - planning and managing costs of construction projects from start to finish. Quantity surveyors (or QSs as they are known, since it's a bit of a mouthful) either work for a private QS practice and act on behalf of clients or for a contracting firm which carries out construction work.

This profession is certainly not all hard hats and wellies. In fact the role of the quantity surveyor has changed so dramatically in recent years that the profession doesn't always answer to the name of quantity surveying anymore!

You will often see private practices referring to themselves as 'cost consultants' and 'project managers' because of the nature of the work they now handle. Due to the recession, QSs have had to adapt or die and there are now fewer, larger private practices than ever before taking on a broader remit of work.

No longer do quantity surveyors just measure and price work, they have a more strategic role. Nowadays the QS is involved at all stages of a project from preparing tenders and planning costs to preparing final bills of quantities; essentially, making sure projects are planned and completed to cost and quality, on time.

UK construction professionals are respected abroad and, partly in response to the depressed home market, many UK firms have developed an international outlook.

Best bits

• Seeing things happen exactly as you said they would.
• The opportunity to have a career with commercial AND practical elements.
• No two projects are the same.

Worst bits

• As with all parts of the construction industry, quantity surveying is very recession sensitive.
• Everyone outside the industry thinks you are an estate agent!

Don't bother if ...

• You're sensitive to jokes about counting nails.
• You want a nine to five career full of textbook projects.

Demands

• Technical and business knowledge. QSs understand the building work in hand and make sure work is done in a commercially viable way.
• A logical mind with a down-to-earth approach to problem solving and a personality which is at ease with business executives, site employees ... and spreadsheets is an advantage.
• Teamwork - Overused word, but in this business you appreciate the clients' needs and work with them to achieve a satisfactory outcome. Also required is the ability to motivate and lead people on site.
• Flexibility You'll be required to travel to projects all over your patch (a car is often part of your salary package).
• Qualifications and training Most entrants follow relevant degrees or HNDs and have gained work placements in the process (sandwich courses are popular). To qualify as a chartered quantity surveyor entrants take the APC (assessment of professional qualification) run by The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). The APC is all about what you know and how well you can apply it.

Areas of work

• Contracting QS
• Private Practice QS
  

• Often seen as the 'muddy boots' side of the profession because contracting QSs are usually based in site offices - although contrary to popular rumour they do not count bricks all day!
• The contracting QS has a budget for every project and must make sure a project stays within it. To control the purse strings the QS will:
  • Organise work on site in the most efficient manner.
  • Liaise with the site employees, plus employees from subcontracting organisations (smaller organisations brought in to handle particular portions of work).
  • Negotiate with the client's QS over any price changes.
  • Approve payments made to suppliers, employees and subcontractors.
  • Prepare bills of quantity for work in progress and the final accounts.

• A private quantity surveyor is employed by a client to advise on their construction costs. Key roles for the private QS include working out the most appropriate way to meet clients' needs and advising on:
  • The site chosen.
  • Costs of labour, plant and materials.
  • A suitable building contractor.
• Once the project is up and running the QS monitors costs and negotiates with the contractor's QS (agreeing payments and any changes to the original price) to ensure work is carried out to the quality specified and in the time available.
• Once a project is complete the services of a QS can be retained to ensure a building is managed and maintained efficiently.