Bachelor of Engineering (Hons)

Civil Engineering
Estimating and Costing of Buildings

Introduction of Bill of Quantities

(Week 1)

PowerPoint® Slides
by Ms. Aminah Mohd Bakhari
 Learning Objectives:

Explain about definition, purposes and principles Bill

of Quantities (BQ) as main document that used in
construction projects as well as identify the roles of
Quantity Surveyor (QS).in preparing BQ and others
jobs.

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 Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the class, students should be able to

Demonstrate an understanding appropriately about Bill

of Quantities used and describe the roles of Quantity
Surveyor (QS) which provides budget information for
construction projects.

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 Introduction

Construction Industry

Clients Main Contractors

Consultant as Client’s Rep.

(Architect,Engineers & QS)
Main documents as reference about details of project cost information
as well as contractual matters and procurements that useful to have
proper planning, managing and controlling of construction projects.

Bill of Quantities (BQ)

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 Contents

Introduction of Bill of Quantities (BQ)

I. Definition BQ
II. The purposes of BQ

III. Roles of QS involved in the construction projects.

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 What is Bill of Quantities?

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 What is Bill of Quantities?

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 What the purposes of BQ?

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 Why do we need to do a measurement/taking
off?

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 Who is responsible to prepare BQ?

 BQ will prepare by cost professional.

 Its prepared in advance to take into account the
measurement of relevant building works applied to
cater approximate budget cost required for new project.
 QS will using BQ as cost planning and mapping cash
flow of proposed construction projects.

Quantity Surveyor

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 Who is QS?

Quantity Surveyor is…………..

I. The person responsible for figuring

out just what a building is going to
cost and in some cases for make
sure that construction costs and
production are managed as
efficiently as possible.

II. Undertake cost planning which aims to help all

members of the design team arrive at practical solutions
and stay within the project budget.
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 Who is QS?
Quantity Surveyor is…………..

III. Tenders evaluated : Schedules of quantities translate

the drawing, plans and specifications produced by the
design team to enable each contractor to calculate
tender prices fairly, on exactly the same basis as the
competitors

IV. QS provides cash flow data to enable a

client to programme his resources
adequately to meet contract
commitments and decides how much of
a job should be paid to the main
contractor for at any one time
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 Who is QS?
Quantity Surveyor is…………..

V. Quantity Surveyor can value the work carried out each

month submitting a recommendation for certified payment
as well as to assess cost effects when changes occur and
agree on variation with contractors.

IV. Quantity Surveyor prepares a statement

of final account, summarizing the cost
charges that have occurred and arriving
at a final contract sum.

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 The Role of Quantity Surveyor

Main roles:

1. To ensure the resources of the construction industry

are utilized to the best advantage of society by
providing, inter alia the financial management for the
projects;
2. A cost consultancy services to client and designer
during the whole construction process.

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 The Role of Quantity Surveyor

Others QS roles involved:

a. Preliminary Cost Advise

b. Cost Planning
c. Contractual Matters
d. Tendering
e. Choice of Contractor
f. Valuation of Construction Works
g. Increased Efficiency

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 Tutorial 1

Explain in detail the QS roles listed below and

identify tasks related to the estimating works:

a. Preliminary Cost Advise

b. Cost Planning
c. Contractual Matters
d. Tendering
e. Choice of Contractor
f. Valuation of Construction Works
g. Increased Efficiency

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 References

I. Seeley I.H. (1998), Building

Quantities Explained, 5th Edition,
Palgrave;
II. Khairiani Ahmad (1998),
Construction Property Development,
Pearson;
III. Sandra Lee, W. Trench, Andrew
Willis (2005), Willis’s Elements of
Quantity Surveying, 10th Edition,
Blackwell Science

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 Key Terms

I. Bill of Quantities (BQ); What is Bill of Quantities?

II. Quantity Surveyor (QS) Who is QS?

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