@ fundamentali

You do not hire the construction lawyers as a part of the construction design and contract administration team…the lawyers should only feature in:

1.formalization of the contract..i.e signing of the contract agreement between the client and the contractor.

2.custodian of the contract performance/surety bonds…although here the client may choose to keep them instead.

3.any time a contract dispute arises between the client and consultants, client and contractor and rarely consultants and contractor.

@ fresher2010,

Check on my post #5…I already disputed those responsibilities purportedly undertaken by the QS.

Let us slice it this way…if the architectural plans are complete with no foreseeable client initiated changes and if the engineers designs are adequate after having been taken through a thorough quality control exercise, then believe me the construction project will be delivered within the budget, assuming that non preventable escalation forces do not play out. Please note that the non preventable escalation forces that I am talking about are:

1. increase in fuel costs by the oil merchants.

2. increase in the statutory taxes by the government

3. currency fluctuations

4. labour fluctuations

The QS cannot do anything to stop the above.

As for additional costs brought about by inadequate or defective designs, poor workmanship, bad quality materials etc, these are purely technical issues which the QS has never handled and are not in their (QSs) jurisdiction.

So the notion that without a QS on a construction project, the construction cost would escalate is definitely wrong and baseless.

@ fresher2010,

If your name is anything to go by, you must be a new entrant into the school of the built environment at the...and so you are trying to justify the relevance of the course you are pursuing. We will understand you accordingly and as sensitively as we can in the circumstances.
Needless to say, the importance of a QS in the construction process cannot be over emphasised. They check on costs!!!

But please tell your professional collegues especially those who work in cahoot with contractors to inflate quantities and prices to watch out. Otherwise how do you explain the various white elephant construction projects spread around our country if it was not an attempt to fleece clients of their money in the guise of providing consultancy services.

@Litro, names can be deceiving, am new at wazua, hence the name, for the built industry lets just say am still a new farer...i have a long way to go, but hii ndio shamba yangu!

If there are such QSs, (which i highly doubt, they have a code of ethics to abide by) you can always sue them you know, the best way is to engage a different QS to do an audit of what the other QS did, at a cost of course. There is a registering body, Board Of Registration for Architects & Quantity Surveyors (BORAQS) which give individuals and firms the approval of practising QSing, i can get you their contacts if you want. Such acts are considered unethical by the board and one can be fined and or deregistered.

Even Engineers by the way do overdesign thus pushing the construction costs higher, they also can be sued!!

i think what kaigangio meant was that there are construction law experts out there, who he can hire should disputes arise (who by the way are QSs by profession, the ones who i have met!)

standard form of contracts can be used a basis, then they can be adjusted or edited to match the requirements of the client..i highly doubt a lawyer has the technical know how on how edit a buidling contract, leave alone to drafting one..

though IMHO, the current contract by the Joint Building Council needs serious ammendments!!

@Pablo..please refer to the following documents if you need fee guidance for construction profesionals. Consultancy fees will cost you 10-15% of your construction cost.

1. CAP 525 - THE ARCHITECTS AND QUANTITY SURVEYORS ACT
2. Conditions of Engagement and Scale of Fees for Professional Services for Building and Civil Engineering Works
3. Conditions of Engagement by The Association of Consulting Engineers of Kenya - Agreement 1 - 3

Generally speaking the percentage figure used to calculate the design fee is inversely proportional to the construction cost. The higher the construction cost of the project the smaller the fee percentage. The technical complexity and the extent of services provided also varies from project to project and has a bearing on the percentage fee figure.

To me it doesnt really matter what architects charge whether 6 or 7%, I dont see the value.

I think the challenge is to the above mentioned building professionals to actually to much more work in not just educating the investing public but also adding value adds. I believe maybe I can pay that for a 'green' building as the savings will offset the initial cost.

We do not dispute that. The point is, a Qs is duplication of effort as explained in the other strings.

A quantity surveyor(referred to as a cost engineer in US) is important any construction project design team. Its true that u can do without a QS in a project, but the value added when one is involved can not be refuted.

The architect is trained to interpret a clients requirements into a concept/a form.. and thus he comes up with an architectural design. From this architectural design, the structural engineer is called in to do the structural design for the architectural design to be achieved...

the importance of involving a Qs in the design team is to assess the cost implications of various designs. And by so doin, at the very initial stage of the design, you will be designing to a cost and not costing a design as there is usually what the client can afford ie the client's budget.

there are the various stages of design:-
1. inception/feasibility stage - the QS will assess the feasibility of the project in terms of affordability and value addition.
2. Outline Proposals - After the initial feasibility studies and preliminary estimates have been prepared, the Quantity Surveyor prepares the cost plan from the Architect’s preliminary drawings. The cost plan divides a building into its various functional elements and allocates costs to these elements. In this way it is possible to ensure a proper apportionment of expenditure over the various elements. Proposals for alternative materials and designs are costed as the design progresses and the cost implications are presented to the client and other consultations are made with knowledge of the overall cost involved.

3. To be short, after the design is complete, the QS will prepare the final BQs. Bills of Quantities are the translation of the designer’s drawings and specification into describing the building works in words and quantities. They enable each contractor tendering to estimate his price on exactly the same basis as his competitors. the BQs provide a basis for the financial management of the contract.
4. Construction stage - Cost control - the QS uses the cost plan prepared in the design stages as a basis for cost control during the construction process.Variations sometimes to take account of the client’s changing needs, sometimes to overcome site conditions which could not be foreseen such as the presence of underground site conditions _ The Qs estimates the costs of proposed variations and reports their impact on the probable final cost, so that corrective steps may be taken elsewhere in the work, if the client requires, to keep the cost within the budget.

The QS will prepare at regular intervals financial statements which keep the client and designers fully informed of the up-to-date financial position and the anticipated final cost of the work.

5. Valuation of work in progress for stage payments
6. Preparing a final account by adjusting the contract sum in accordance with the terms of the contract to take account of any variations, of adjustments in the accounts of nominated sub-contractors and suppliers and of any other matters for which the contract allows.

@Kaigangio & all,The QS is adequately trained in construction law(contract, tort, agency, land laws,..); architectural and structural design; economics; management; accounting; .. just to mention but a few. Their specialty is cost management and construction contracts.

Just like u go to a shoe shiner on the street, or take a taxi while u cud do shining and the driving urself, an architect or a civil engineer cud as well do what the QSs do, But i think the ideal thing wud be to leave everything to the specialists. We can not do all,

each person in the design team has a special role, that is why each is a professional. the architect cud as well do the structural design..,Fundis can design for u and build if its a matter of saving costs..

There is something called Engineers Estimate. There are softwares that design and produce quantities.
Personally, i don't understand why i do a design, prepare bar bending schedule, get the total kilograms of reinforcemnet required then all the QS does is multiply the kilograms by unit price.
He does the same to the volume of concrete.

For contract management and standard documents, you can use FIDIC and PPOA documents which can be downloaded from the link below.
PPOA Documents

@holycow,

As fantony has put it, these free software tools dont do the job.

I have worked in the IT industry all my life and have even paid for software related to building your own house.

However, that does not mean that you dont need a QS.

Read my message above no. 36.

Unless you want to be the QS on your project, it is not possible. 1) you are not qualified
2) Do you have the time
3) If as in my case the project is in Mombasa and I am in Nairobi, how do I control it.
4) Who gives the certificates for work completed for staged payments

I promise you the 2% is well worth the hasle you avoid.

As I mentioned in my post above Mama ( the BOSS ) had changed her mind on the tiles in the kitchen.

Since then she has decided that instead of a plain hardwood front door she wants a carved Zanzibar door.

Just looking at the detailed B of M, we can see the cost impact straight away.

I am currently waiting for my Mama to think of something else to change ( she is a very creative Mama !!!! )

I hate to think what would happen if I didnt have a QS, and had to deal with it myself on the phone of email or even fly down to Mombasa.

Save yourself the headaches and probably money by having a QS.

Regards