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A field journal for UK quantity surveyors

Building your path to success in quantity surveying.

Honest, well-researched writing on careers, contracts and craft — for the surveyors construction left to figure things out alone.

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A quantity surveyor reviewing a cost report and budget spreadsheet on a UK construction site

Construction Cost Control: Techniques Every QS Should Use

Cost control is what separates a project that finishes on budget from one that quietly bleeds margin from month one. This guide brings together the baseline, monitoring, change control, value engineering and technology techniques every QS should be using, with links to deeper guides on each.

Date23 Sept 2026CategorySkills & Practice
A quantity surveyor comparing JCT and NEC contract documents while pricing a variation order

How to Price a Variation Order: JCT and NEC Methods Explained

Pricing a variation order means something different depending on your form of contract. This guide sets JCT's rates-based valuation hierarchy against NEC's forward-looking compensation event quotation, with a worked example comparing both.

Date22 Sept 2026CategoryContracts & Law
A commercial manager reviewing subcontractor tender returns and package schedules at a site office desk

Subcontractor Procurement: A Commercial Manager's Complete Guide

How commercial managers procure subcontract packages in UK construction: splitting the works, building an approved list, running tenders, checking financial standing, and placing orders that transfer risk properly.

Date21 Sept 2026CategorySkills & Practice
Quantity surveyor reviewing cost records on a target cost contract - open-book accounting is central to the pain/gain share mechanism.

Target Cost Contracts: How They Work and When to Use Them

Target cost contracts split the difference between agreed and actual cost through a pain/gain share mechanism. Here is how they work, how NEC4 Option C implements them, and when to use one.

Date20 Sept 2026CategoryContracts & Law
Quantity surveyor reviewing final account documents and variation schedules on site - final account construction

Final Account in Construction: What Every QS Needs to Know

The final account construction stage closes out every variation, claim and remeasurement into one agreed figure. Here's how the process works under JCT and NEC, what documents you need, and how to avoid the disputes that drag it out.

Date19 Sept 2026CategorySkills & Practice
A quantity surveyor reviewing a subcontractor application for payment against site records and previous valuations.

How to Process Subcontractor Applications for Payment

How to process a subcontractor application for payment from submission to final payment date, including what to check when valuing the work, the statutory notice timeline, and how to avoid smash and grab adjudications.

Date18 Sept 2026CategorySkills & Practice

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