If you are considering whether to use a quantity surveyor for your project, there is a good chance you are working with higher value projects or you are looking to tender for larger projects.
Either way is an exciting prospect, however like most things the bigger the project value the greater the challenges involved.
In any build project, it is important to set an accurate overall budget and then stick to it. Material costs, labour contracts as well as time to source both can be difficult to manage based on industry benchmarks.
Based in Manchester but with offices around the UK, SubPort is an award winning quantity surveying consultancy. We help subcontractors with QS support, as well as financial commercial assistance helping you to operate more effectively.
Quantity Surveyors: Do I Need One for My Building Project?
If you have a complex build design or a large construction budget of several hundred thousand pounds or more, we would recommend using a quantity surveyor in the process.
We speak to and hear from sub-contractors who feel that hiring a quantity surveyor is a ‘nice to have’ rather than an essential component in the build process.
Fundamentally, it depends whether a sub-contractor is happy to control building costs themselves as that’s where their skillset lies, and it’s also the best use of their time.
Realistically though, we know all too often that tendering for a project is a complex task and there are often unforeseen circumstances or challenging conditions with which to work in.
This is where the value of working with an experienced quantity surveyor will work for your business and build project. And that’s where we come in here at SubPort.
Ultimately, working with our experienced team will save you money, relieve any headaches from your build project and importantly will result in a happy client for you when the project is completed on time and within budget.
How will a QS benefit my project?
Simon Robinson, Director at SubPort, comments,
“I always advise to sub-contractors the three biggest ways we can help are firstly we help to set realistic budget. Secondly we help you to stick to the set budget. And finally, we actually save businesses money.
We all know the challenges of sourcing materials currently. Costs have skyrocketed and various materials are in short supply. Getting the materials at the right time, even by a matter of weeks, can make a drastic difference in the overall cost.
Also, labour is another difficult component to get right. If you outsource any of your responsibilities, it is important to ensure you’re getting the best price.
It’s difficult to keep on top of these factors, as well as actually carrying out the work you’ve been tasked to do. Which is why working with our team here at SubPort will mean you just have to concentrate on your task at hand and we will manage the rest.”
What will a quantity surveyor do for me?
Here are some of the QS tasks that we help support sub-contractors with:
Preparing, negotiating, and analysing project costs for tenders and contracts
Carry out feasibility studies – so working out what a client can afford to build on a site
Work out costs for materials, labour and time
Dealing with legal and contractual issues
Acting as a financial advisor and valuing completed work as well as arranging for payments
No two build projects are the same, but every project come down to the same triangle of factors - cost, quality, and time. Each one affects another and it’s important to get the right balance of each.
For example, high quality and ample time results in high costs. You can achieve quality and managing costs by taking your time. Or by sacrificing costs and time will result in poor quality.
An important service we support sub-contractors with includes building a Schedule of Works. This includes all associated costs involved in a particular project, including the architectural components, structural elements, and mechanical and electrical services too.
The Schedule of Works is used to estimate and plan costs and negotiate contracts with other contractors so that construction costs can be set and agreed before works commence.
So, by working with us as your quantity surveyor:
it saves you money
mitigates any potential risk or project deviations
helps you win new tenders and contractors
helps your business grow
How can we help you?
SubPort is driven by a mission to make sure subcontractors are supported in running the commercial aspects of their business. We have a wealth of experience and knowledge behind us in offering commercial construction quantity surveying.
We are leading freelance quantity surveyors based in Manchester and with offices throughout the rest of the UK.
Call our team directly on 0333 200 7205 or if you prefer to email, use our contact form and we’ll get back to you promptly.
