Every construction project a UK quantity surveyor works on, whether it is a housing scheme, a school or a commercial fit-out, runs on the same underlying framework: the RIBA Plan of Work. Understanding RIBA work stages explained in plain terms is one of the first things a graduate QS is expected to pick up, because every cost document you produce, from an early feasibility estimate to a final account, is timed against one of its eight stages.
This guide walks through RIBA Stages 0 to 7 in order, explaining what each stage is for and, more importantly, exactly what a quantity surveyor is expected to deliver at that point in the project. It covers the shift from broad, indicative cost advice at Stage 0 through to the detailed elemental cost plan at Stage 4, the tender and bills of quantities process, cost management on site, and the final account and post-occupancy review that close a project out.
The RIBA Plan of Work 2020 is published and maintained by the Royal Institute of British Architects, and while it was written primarily for architects and designers, it has become the shared timeline that quantity surveyors, project managers and contractors all work to. Knowing which stage you are in tells you what level of design information you can expect, and therefore how accurate your cost advice can reasonably be.
If you are studying for the RICS APC, preparing for a QS interview, or simply want a clear reference for where cost planning, procurement and cost management activities sit against the RIBA stages, this article covers all of it, with a stage-by-stage deliverables table and links through to the detailed guides on cost planning and procurement routes.
The RIBA Plan of Work 2020 divides a construction project into eight stages, numbered 0 to 7: Strategic Definition, Preparation and Briefing, Concept Design, Spatial Coordination, Technical Design, Manufacturing and Construction, Handover, and Use. A quantity surveyor's deliverables move in step with each stage, from an initial feasibility estimate at Stage 0, through a series of increasingly detailed cost plans at Stages 1 to 4, into bills of quantities and tender documents at Stage 4, cost management and valuations during construction at Stage 5, and a final account and in-use cost review at Stages 6 and 7. The tightening of design information at each stage is what allows cost certainty to improve as the project progresses.
What Is the RIBA Plan of Work?
The RIBA Plan of Work is a framework published by the Royal Institute of British Architects that breaks a building project down into clearly defined stages, each with its own purpose, outputs and information requirements. First introduced in 1963 and most recently overhauled in the RIBA Plan of Work 2020, it is the closest thing the UK construction industry has to a common language for project sequencing, used by architects, QSs, project managers, contractors and clients alike. The stages are deliberately generic about procurement route and project type, so the same eight-stage skeleton applies whether you are working on a small residential extension procured traditionally or a major infrastructure scheme delivered through a construction management route; what changes between projects is the detail and duration within each stage, not the sequence itself.
Why the 2020 Update Matters
The 2020 version kept the familiar eight stages, 0 to 7, from the 2013 edition but sharpened the language around tasks, information exchanges and, critically, sustainability. RIBA presents the stages as points on a circular diagram rather than a straight line, reflecting a push toward reusing and adapting existing buildings rather than defaulting to demolition and new build. For a QS this matters because Stage 7, Use, is treated as a genuine stage with its own deliverables, not just an afterthought once the building is handed over.
Core Objectives at Each Stage
Each RIBA stage has a stated core objective the project team must satisfy before moving on: for example, Stage 2 exists to prepare a Concept Design that aligns with the Project Brief, while Stage 4 exists to prepare the technical design information needed to manufacture and construct the building. A QS's job is to attach realistic, well-evidenced cost information to whatever level of design detail exists at that objective, which is why cost plans become more precise, and cost ranges narrower, as the project moves through the stages.
- Stage 0-1: broad, benchmark-based cost advice while the brief is still forming
- Stage 2-3: formal elemental cost plans built from the emerging design
- Stage 4: detailed, measured cost information ready for tender
- Stage 5-7: cost control, final account and long-term cost data
RIBA Stages 0-2: Strategic Definition to Concept Design
Stage 0: Strategic Definition
Stage 0 is about testing whether a building is even the right answer to the client's problem before committing to one. At this point, a QS is rarely appointed formally, but where cost input is sought, it takes the form of high-level feasibility advice, drawing on benchmark cost data from comparable projects to give the client a broad sense of what they might be committing to. Even informal Stage 0 cost advice carries weight, since it often forms the basis for the initial go or no-go decision the client's board or funder makes, so QSs are expected to flag clearly where a figure is a rough order of magnitude rather than anything approaching a firm estimate.
Stage 1: Preparation and Briefing
Once the client decides to proceed, Stage 1 is where the Project Brief and Business Case are developed. The QS's core deliverable here is the order of cost estimate: a single figure, or narrow range, built from floor area and unit rates rather than a measured design, that gives the client a defensible budget to plan against. This is also the stage where a QS advises on an initial procurement strategy, since the chosen route can shape the whole cost and risk profile of the project.
Stage 2: Concept Design
Stage 2 produces the first Concept Design, coordinated across the design team and checked against the Project Brief and Business Case. This is the point at which the first formal, elemental cost plan is prepared, typically following the RICS New Rules of Measurement (NRM1) structure, breaking cost down by building element such as substructure, superstructure and services, with contingency and risk allowances added. For the full mechanics of how an elemental cost plan is built and controlled through this stage and beyond, see our guide to construction cost planning.
RIBA Stage 3-4: Spatial Coordination and Technical Design
Stage 3: Spatial Coordination
Stage 3 replaced the old 'Developed Design' stage in the 2020 update, and its purpose is to check and coordinate the design across all disciplines, architectural, structural and services, before detailed construction drawings are produced. For the QS, this means updating the cost plan again, running value engineering exercises where costs are tracking over budget, and confirming the procurement route and contract strategy so tender documentation can be planned. This is also typically when the design is checked for buildability and cost risk before it is technically resolved.
Stage 4: Technical Design
Stage 4 is where the design is resolved into the technical information needed to manufacture and construct the building, and it is the busiest stage in the calendar for most QSs. The cost plan is refined into its most detailed version yet, and where the procurement route requires it, the QS prepares bills of quantities and tender documentation, usually measured to RICS New Rules of Measurement (NRM2). A pre-tender estimate is produced to sanity-check contractor bids once they land, and the QS advises on contract selection and drafts the preliminaries and pricing document that will go out to tender.
Table 01 / RIBA stage to QS deliverable
What a QS delivers at each RIBA Plan of Work 2020 stage
| RIBA Stage | Stage Name | Core QS Deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Strategic Definition | Initial feasibility cost advice, benchmarking against similar projects |
| 1 | Preparation and Briefing | Order of cost estimate, budget for Project Brief, procurement strategy input |
| 2 | Concept Design | Formal cost plan 1 (elemental, NRM1), risk and contingency allowances |
| 3 | Spatial Coordination | Cost plan 2 update, value engineering, procurement route confirmed |
| 4 | Technical Design | Cost plan 3, bills of quantities/tender documents (NRM2), pre-tender estimate |
| 5 | Manufacturing and Construction | Interim valuations, variations, cost reporting, cash flow forecasting |
| 6 | Handover | Final account agreement, defects cost tracking, retention release |
| 7 | Use | In-use cost review, benchmarking data for future feasibility studies |
Source: RIBA, Plan of Work 2020. Exact deliverable names vary by practice and the Project Roles Table agreed for each commission.
For a closer look at how bills of quantities and tender documentation are structured and issued at this stage, see our step-by-step guide to the construction tender process.
RIBA Stage 5: Manufacturing and Construction
Stage 5 covers off-site manufacturing and on-site construction, and it is where the QS role shifts from cost planning to active cost management. If the project used traditional procurement, this is also when the QS runs the tender process itself: shortlisting bidders, normalising returns so like is compared with like, and recommending an award to the client before negotiating final contract terms. On larger or more complex schemes, Stage 5 can run for well over a year, and the QS's cost reporting cadence, weekly on fast-moving sites, monthly on most others, needs to be disciplined enough that the client never has to ask where the budget stands.
Cost Control During Construction
Once on site, the QS manages interim valuations, usually monthly, assessing the value of work completed to certify payment to the contractor. Variations and change instructions are priced and agreed as they arise, and a running cost report is maintained comparing actual and forecast spend against the approved cost plan, flagging any drift early enough for the client to make decisions about it.
Cash Flow and Risk Tracking
Alongside valuations, the QS typically maintains a cash flow forecast so the client can plan funding drawdown, and tracks the project's risk register and contingency drawdown so that any erosion of the risk allowance set at Stage 2 is visible well before it becomes a problem. This is the stage where the discipline built into the cost plan at Stages 2 to 4 either holds up or gets tested.
RIBA Stages 6-7: Handover and Use
Stage 6: Handover
Stage 6 covers the handover of the building and the closing out of the building contract. The central QS deliverable here is the final account: agreeing the total sum due to the contractor once all variations, loss and expense claims and remeasurement are settled, and reconciling it against the original contract sum and the cost plan. The QS also tracks the cost of resolving any defects identified during the defects liability period and manages the release of retention once that period ends.
Stage 7: Use
Stage 7 is where the RIBA Plan of Work 2020 broke new ground compared to the 2013 edition, treating post-occupancy as a genuine stage rather than an afterthought. For a QS this stage is smaller in scope but still valuable: reviewing actual in-use running costs against the predictions made in the business case, and feeding the finished project's outturn cost data back into the practice's benchmark database so it can sharpen feasibility estimates on the next Stage 0 project. This is the point where the RIBA's circular, rather than linear, framing of the stages becomes relevant, since Stage 7 data directly informs Stage 0 decisions on future projects.
- Final account agreement and reconciliation against the cost plan
- Retention release once the defects liability period ends
- Post-occupancy in-use cost review
- Outturn cost data fed back into the firm's benchmarking database
Why This Matters for Your QS Career
Fluency in the RIBA stages is not just exam knowledge for the RICS APC, it is the shared vocabulary you will use in every design team meeting, every cost report cover note and every conversation with an architect or project manager about why a cost plan has moved. Being able to say precisely which RIBA stage a project is at, and therefore what level of cost certainty is reasonable to expect, is a quick signal of competence to employers and clients alike.
It also helps you manage client expectations. A client who understands that a Stage 1 order of cost estimate is a benchmark-based figure, not a quoted price, is far less likely to be blindsided when the Stage 4 cost plan comes in higher once the design is properly resolved. Framing cost advice explicitly against the RIBA stage it belongs to is one of the simplest ways a QS builds trust with a client over the life of a project.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the RIBA work stages, in order?
The RIBA Plan of Work 2020 has eight stages, numbered 0 to 7: Stage 0 Strategic Definition, Stage 1 Preparation and Briefing, Stage 2 Concept Design, Stage 3 Spatial Coordination, Stage 4 Technical Design, Stage 5 Manufacturing and Construction, Stage 6 Handover, and Stage 7 Use.
What does a QS do at RIBA Stage 2?
At Stage 2, Concept Design, a QS prepares the first formal elemental cost plan, usually structured to RICS New Rules of Measurement (NRM1), breaking the estimated cost down by building element with contingency and risk allowances added.
When are bills of quantities produced in the RIBA stages?
Bills of quantities and full tender documentation are typically produced during RIBA Stage 4, Technical Design, once the design is sufficiently resolved to measure quantities accurately, usually following RICS New Rules of Measurement (NRM2).
What is the difference between RIBA Stage 3 and Stage 4?
Stage 3, Spatial Coordination, checks and coordinates the design across disciplines and confirms the procurement route, while Stage 4, Technical Design, resolves that design into the detailed technical information, including tender documents, needed to actually construct the building.
What does a QS deliver at RIBA Stage 7?
Stage 7, Use, is a post-occupancy stage where a QS reviews the building's actual in-use running costs against the original business case predictions and feeds outturn cost data back into benchmark records used for future feasibility estimates.
Is the RIBA Plan of Work only used by architects?
No. Although published by the Royal Institute of British Architects primarily for design teams, the Plan of Work is used across the industry, including by quantity surveyors, project managers and contractors, as a shared framework for sequencing project stages and deliverables.
How does the final account relate to the RIBA stages?
The final account is agreed and settled during RIBA Stage 6, Handover, once all variations, claims and remeasurement following practical completion have been finalised and reconciled against the original contract sum.
Final Thoughts
The RIBA Plan of Work gives quantity surveyors a shared timeline with the rest of the design and construction team, and mapping your own deliverables against it, feasibility estimate at Stage 0, cost plan iterations through Stages 2 to 4, tender documents at Stage 4, cost management at Stage 5, final account at Stage 6, and in-use review at Stage 7, is one of the fastest ways to understand what is expected of you at any point in a project. Once the stages click, everything else about how a QS's workload is structured across a project starts to make sense.
Want the full picture? Want to go deeper on the cost side of each stage?
Read our complete guide to construction cost planning for how the elemental cost plan develops stage by stage, or our breakdown of construction procurement routes to see how the Stage 3 procurement decision shapes the rest of the project.
Sources / Further reading
Official guidance and contractor resources
| 01 | RIBA RIBA Plan of Work |
| 02 | RIBA Plan of Work 2020 Template (PDF) |
| 03 | RIBA Plan of Work 2020 Overview (PDF) |
| 04 | Architecture for London The RIBA Plan of Work Explained |
| 05 | Urbanist Architecture How to Use RIBA 2020 Plan of Work |
| 06 | archisoup RIBA Work Stages Explained |
| 07 | RISE Design Studio RIBA Plan of Work 2020 Explained |
| 08 | Metroun Quantity Surveyor Duties: Pre to Post Construction |
| 09 | RICS Construction Sectors and Roles for Chartered Quantity Surveyors (PDF) |
