Quantity surveyor fees
This article is all about Quantity surveyor fees
Introduction
A Quantity surveyor can work on behalf of a Client or a building contractor.
This article refers to specifically the averages fees charged by a quantity surveyor to a Client. You can read more about the history of quantity surveyors here.
Quantity surveyor full project service
The full project service by a quantity surveyor includes:
Preparation
- Prepare and maintain cost plan
- Advise design team on impact of design development on cost
Pre-construction
- liaise with professional team
- advise on procurement strategy
- liaise with client’s legal advisors on contract matters
- prepare tender documents
- define prospective tenderers
- obtain tenders/check tends/prepare recommendation for client
- maintain and develop cost plan
Construction
- visit the site
- prepare interim valuations
- advise on the cost of variations
- agree the cost of claims
- advise on contractual matters
Supplementary services may include:
- preparation of mechanical and electrical tender documentation
- preparation of cost analyses
- advice on insurance claims
- facilitate value management exercises
- prepare life cycle calculations/sustainability
- capital allowance advice/VAT
- attend adjudication/mediation proceedings
Fee guide:
The median cost for quantity surveying services is 2.2%
Lower quartile (not complicated projects) cost 1.9%
Upper quartile (complicated/sophisticated projects 3.4%
The level of fees above, are expressed as a percentage of the contract value of £4,000,000 for a new build project and do not include VAT.
So for a project with a contract value of £4,000,000 a quantity surveyor might charge around £88,000.
Of course, 2.2% is a low value for a project worth £100,000, it works out as £2.2k so a quantity surveyor will probably charge more for those small projects. Otherwise, there is no incentive to get involved, especially with the post contract management as even small projects can generate a huge amount of emails and take up a lot of time.
How to appoint a quantity surveyor?
The RICS publishes several standard forms of consultants appointment suitable for minor or large projects.
There is also a full schedule of the services that the quantity surveyor provides on the website. This is a useful document for explaining exactly what services the quantity surveyor can provide, is providing and is not providing.