PRINCIPALS OF MEASUREMENT

The concept behind measurement of work is to establish a fairly accurate account of recourses
necessary for a project. However in a big bill of quantity some of the production elements are not
physically expressed but are rather deemed to be included in the itemized, described or measured
items there in. the basis of work measurement is the standard method of measurement SMM
which embodies the essential of professional home surveyors internationally accepted.

Taking off

- Picking out of dimensions

- Calculating or measuring of quantities
- Sizes or quantities of work, work items from drawings schedules, catalogues,
specifications and booking in dimension paper.
The quantities are booked in M, M², M³, and No, KG or items as stipulated in SMM

Dimension paper

Margin Timesing Booking/ Squaring Description/waste column

dimension

Timesing column

Is the column in which all the multiplying factors are booked i.e. for booking timesing factor.

Dimension column

This where dimensions from drawings, calculations e.t.c are entered

Squaring column

Squaring the product of (2 × 1) in the dimension paper - Timesing × dimension

Description column

Used for preliminaries calculation

Used for description

When booking or describing

- Leave a space (approx 4cm) from item to the following

- In case you forgot an item, you can squeeze in the space
Dimension booked

To be in the order of length, width and depth e.g

2/ 2.00 L
0.20 W
1.20 D

Dotting on

An addition to the multiplying factor e.g. you realize you made a mistake e.g. multiplying by
2 and you should have multiplied by 5. Do not cancel the 2 but add 3 on the top and put a dot
above 2 i.e. ³.2 instead of cancelling when timesing

Cancellation

In case dimension entered are wrong, enter Nil in the next column and enter right dimension
below. In case of description, use a straight line to cancel
 timesing booking squaring description
200 × 2 = 4000
10 × 625 = 6250

7.00 excavate to reduce level average 150mm

6.25 Nil deep from striped level

6.25
4.00

Grouping dimension

When several booking relate to one description a bracket is drawn

timesing booking squaring description

10.00
10.00

5.00 hard-core fill in 2 layers

4.00 of 150mm thick

3.00
2.50 bracket
Grouping of description

The use of ampersand

timesing booking squaring description

7.00 hard- core fill in

5.00 200mm layer

&

blinding

&

insecticide

& when description is the same of a number of items entered in the booking

To avoid relative description of the same except for dimension

timesing booking squaring description

71.00 200mm resin DPC lapped 100mm at joint

and bedded in 1:3 cement sand mortar

150mm ditto
56.00 (ditto meaning exactly as above)
To avoid repetition of same description on a different page

timesing booking squaring description

16.00 150mm DPC

a.b.d.

Deduction / addition

Deduction and addition are entered as below

timesing booking squaring description

10.00 150mm (1:3:6) plain concrete in suspended

10.00 slab

2.00 DDT
2.00 ditto (DDT for deduction of the above)

ADD 150mm (1:3:6) pain concrete in

2.00 suspended slab
1.00

Abbreviation

- Can be used on dimension sheet to make work faster

- Not used on the bill
 Spot items
- Work items measured by QS upon a site visit e.g. demolition measured on the sport,
alteration
Extra over measured items
- Items measured over measured items of work e.g. when excavating soil, a rock may be
encountered which may be expensive to excavate and is measured over the excavation
measured earlier or used planned timber instead of wrought timber, planning cost is now
measured if unplanned timber had been used.
 Dimension paper

T B S DESCRIPTION T B S DESCRIPTION