Checklist for Assessment of Professional Competencies expected of Quantity Surveyors:
A. MANDATORY COMPETENCIES
- Professional Ethics
• Understanding and compliance to the Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct Standards for Quantity Surveyors - Laws related to QS Practise & Management
• Have an understanding of Contract Law and Construction Law - Communication Skills
• Must be able to communicate effectively
B. CORE COMPETENCIES
- Estimating, Cost Planning, Cost risk assessment
• Developing project briefs and attending project initiation meetings
• Advising on procurement policy for the project.
• Advising on economic factors affecting the project and on appropriate financial design criteria.
• Reviewing and evaluating design concepts – value engineering
• Preparing preliminary estimates of construction cost
• Assisting in preparation of financial viability reports/feasibility studies
• Auditing space allocations against the initial brief.
• Reviewing and evaluating design and outline specifications and exercising cost control
• Preparing detailed estimates of construction cost.
• Reviewing the financial viability report / auditing of Cost Budget Estimates
• Advising on escalation formulae and their implementation
• Reviewing working drawings for compliance with the approved budget for construction cost and/or financial viability. - Measurement & Quantifying
• Agreeing the documentation programme for the project
• Preparing area schedules and advising on space and accommodation allowances
• Taking off of quantities and preparing price determination documents, including abstracts, schedules and pricing specialist construction elements in accordance with industry practice norms
• Computer literacy and information Technology including basic and specialist Quantity Surveying software - Procurement & Tendering
• Advising on procurement policy for the project
• Assisting in the formulation of the procurement strategy for contractors, subcontractors and suppliers.
• Preparing documentation for both principal and subcontract procurement including the measurement and design of work, and the drafting of preliminaries, preambles and contract conditions.
• Advising on selection of tenderers.
• Calling of tenders and/or negotiation of prices.
• Evaluating and reporting on tenders, including clarification meetings. - Contract Administration
• Defining the quantity surveyors’ scope of work and services and finalizing the client/quantity surveyor professional services agreement and other professional agreements.
• Preparing contract documents
• Advising on the different forms of construction contracts available for projects (JBCC, FIDIC, NEC, GCC)
• Preparation of health and safety requirements for building projects - Quantification of Work Progress
• Attending site handover and regular site, technical and progress meetings
• Preparing schedules of predicted cash flow
• Cost control during progress of the works including advising on proposed variations and on alternative construction methods and sequencing.
• Preparing valuations for interim payment certificates and reconciliation statements - Financial Management & Reporting
• Understanding the roles, requirements and responsibilities of cost engineers and the use of cost elements (CBS)
• Reporting on cost variations and contractual issues.
• Adjudication and resolving financial claims by the contractor, subcontractors and/or suppliers
• Preparing and agreeing final account(s) for the works
• Preparing valuations for final payment certificates and reconciliation statements
• Preparing fee accounts based on appropriate fee scale and conditions of
C. OPTIONAL (SPECIALISATION) COMPETENCIES
- Project Planning and/or Management
• Project planning and project management
– planning or programming of contract works
– procurement of plant and materials
– resource determination, scheduling and purchasing
• Dilapidations and maintenance
• Project Monitoring - Project Evaluation / Audit
- Facilities Management
- Dispute resolution
• Litigation and arbitration
• Adjudication and Alternatives dispute resolution
• Mediation - Life Cycle Costing
- Building Information Modelling (BIM)
- Taxation, Insurances, etc.
• Office management, resource allocation and budgeting
• Taxation allowance and grants
• Insurance
• Insolvency and liquidation - Preparing schedules of quantities for engineering works (civils, structural, piping and electrical) and the various methods of measurement.
Guidelines for Documenting the Summary of Post-Graduate Professional Experience and the Statement on Post-Graduate Quantity Surveying Experience
The application for registration as a Professional Quantity Surveyor must be accompanied by the Summary of Post-Graduate Professional Experience (CV) and Statements on each specific Post Graduate Quantity Surveying related experience recorded in chronological order and typed or printed in black ink.
- You may use a separate form for each training/experience period.
- Number the periods in chronological order.
In the Post-Graduate Experience statements on each QS Skill indicated in the summary, the applicant must show how the QS experience meets the competency requirements outlined in Appendix A. - Describe the work you did. Do not just list tasks and projects but explain your role – to what degree you were exposed or actually responsible for each particular competency in the work done.
The following are points that could be included in the Post-Graduate Statements where applicable:
- Your responsibility in a task
- Your own contributions in a task
- Learning points you experienced from performing a particular task
- Communication on a task
- Interaction with other disciplines
- Preparation of documentation
- Compliance with regulations
- Contracts and conditions of contract
- Safety, Health and Occupation Laws
And any other points that relate to the competencies listed in Appendix A.