With the construction industry facing price rises at rates not seen for nearly 40 years, inflation is an area for serious consideration for contractors and clients alike. Most of us who currently work in the industry have never really had to deal with inflation in our...

How To Know Which Tendering Process Is Right For Your Project In our role as quantity surveyors, it is our duty to ensure our employer gets the best value for money. This is pursued at all stages of the project lifecycle, from the initial feasibility studies through...

What is a Quantity Surveyor, and why do I need one? Embarking on a large construction project can be pretty daunting at the best of times. There are many factors and concerns to weigh up to ensure your project goes off without a hitch. ‘Have I picked the right...

Construction is a risky game...or so many that operate in the industry would have you believe. Whilst there is obviously truth to this, I often think it's an excuse for not addressing the basics. Many construction professionals blame the unknowns. In my experience,...

Inevitably, mistakes happen. They happen a lot. Assessing and commenting on mistakes is fairly common practice in the negotiation of variations. However there is one situation which poses quite a dilemma for a number of Quantity Surveyors. This is when a mistake...

I have yet to meet a sub-contractor that hasn't suffered from no / late payment from Clients. The list of fears and problems this causes are endless but these ones I hear time and time again are: I'm not able to pay my suppliers and / or staff If I don't sort this...

Let's start by asking a similar question to the one in this article's title: "Would you start work without agreeing what you are going to get paid?" Most of the time, this isn't a question at all. Of course we want to have our price agreed on up front. Now, don't get...

In the heat of a commercial argument, it can be tempting to go all guns blazing. This is especially true when money (and sometimes the survival of the company) is at stake. However, there is nothing more important than nurturing and maintaining relationships. This is...

There are often debates about the value of variations. Sometimes a client disputes a rate because the contractor's rate differs from the cost plan. A similar occurrence often occurs between contractors and their subcontractors. In this instance, the actual cost varies...

Sub-contractors, no doubt you've encountered this situation before. You do your best effort to make sure the payment application is issued on time (otherwise risk not getting paid until the following month!). You spend a lot of time chasing to make sure it's received...