Category
28 articles
The working knowledge of quantity surveying, from fundamentals to specifics. Cost planning, measurement, valuation, variations, CVRs, final accounts — the practical craft that fills a working week.
Preparing an interim valuation construction teams can rely on takes more than a site walk and a calculator. This step-by-step guide breaks the process into seven clear stages, with a checklist and process graphic you can use on your next valuation.
HGCRA payment notices govern who gets paid what, and by when, on every UK construction contract. Miss a deadline and you can end up owing - or losing the right to challenge - the full notified sum.
Profit is what a job is worth on paper. Cash is what's actually in the bank when wages fall due. This piece unpacks why a construction cash flow forecast matters more than a healthy margin, and what QSs and commercial managers can do about it.
Earned value management turns three simple numbers - planned value, earned value and actual cost - into an early-warning system for cost overruns and delays. This guide walks through the core formulas, a worked construction example, the software tools that support it, and where EVM falls short on site.
Cost planning is the core discipline that sits behind every construction budget decision. This guide walks through the RIBA-stage cost plan journey, the elemental method, RICS NRM1 structure, contingency allowances and a full worked example - everything a QS needs to build a defensible cost plan.
From feasibility study to final handover, this is how experienced UK construction professionals manage a project through every stage - covering programme, cost, quality, risk and health and safety along the way.
Every construction budget lives or dies by the RIBA cost plan. This guide explains what a RIBA cost plan is, how it develops stage by stage from Stage 1 through Stage 4, the NRM1 elemental method behind it, and the mistakes that catch out junior QSs.
The RIBA Plan of Work is the framework every UK construction project runs on, and every QS deliverable maps to it. This guide breaks down all eight stages, 0 to 7, and the specific cost documents, estimates and reports a QS produces at each one.
Value engineering construction gets confused with cost cutting more often than any other commercial practice term. This guide explains function analysis, the VE job plan, when in the RIBA stages VE should happen, who runs it, and what goes wrong when it's done badly.
Elemental cost analysis helps quantity surveyors break a construction budget into meaningful building elements so clients and design teams can see where money is being spent and where costs are moving.
Learn exactly how to prepare a CVR construction report: gather the right data, reconcile value against cost, calculate a defensible cost-to-complete, and turn the numbers into a report commercial management can act on.
Cost reporting is one of the core commercial skills a QS builds early and uses for an entire career. This guide breaks down what a construction cost report actually contains, how often it's produced, who reads it, and how it feeds into the monthly CVR.
What actually is a RICS Red Book valuation, and why do lenders, auditors and courts insist on it? This guide explains the standard, when you need one, and how it differs from an informal valuation.
Knowing what a risk register is isn't the same as knowing how to build one. This step-by-step guide walks QSs and commercial managers through running the workshop, scoring risks, assigning owners and setting a review cadence that actually holds up on site.
Employer's Agent and quantity surveyor get used almost interchangeably on site, but one is a contractual appointment and the other is a profession. This guide untangles the two roles, shows where they overlap, and explains what it means for your career when you're asked to act as EA.
The RICS assessment (APC) comes down to a single one-hour interview after months of preparation. This complete guide covers the submission documents, the interview format minute by minute, what assessors are really scoring, and how to avoid the most common reasons candidates are referred.
Commercial management sits at the financial and contractual heart of every construction project. This pillar guide explains what the discipline covers, how it differs from quantity surveying, how to progress into the role, and what a commercial manager actually does day to day.
Agreeing a subcontractor final account means reconciling the original subcontract sum against every variation, claim, contra charge and retention item until both parties sign off a single figure. Here's the process, the documents you need, and where these negotiations usually go wrong.
Most QSs can build a CVR in their sleep but freeze when asked to read a profit and loss account. This guide breaks down what a contract P&L contains, how it connects to the CVR, a worked example, and why the skill matters for commercial management.
Construction risk assessment isn't just a site safety form - it's a commercial discipline that protects programme, budget and reputation. Here's how UK QS and commercial teams identify, score and manage risk properly.
A risk register is the working document that turns construction risk from a vague worry into something you can score, own and act on. Here's how to build and run one, with a worked example and a free template.
A Bill of Quantities (BOQ) is a detailed document that breaks a construction project down into individual measured items — describing what needs to be done, how much of it there is, and leaving space for contractors to insert their prices. This beginner's guide explains what a BOQ is, why it exists, what goes into one, and how quantity surveyors produce and use them.
Cost Value Reconciliation, or CVR, is one of the most important commercial reports used by contractor-side quantity surveyors. This guide explains what a CVR is, how it works and why it matters.
A practical UK guide to free courses, CPD and learning resources for inexperienced quantity surveyors, assistant QSs, APC candidates, qualified QSs and RICS members.
The RICS APC has a pass rate of 70–75%. This guide shows you how to be in the majority that passes first time. We cover every step: the training routes, QS pathway competencies, how to write your Summary of Experience and Case Study, and exactly what happens in the one-hour final assessment interview.
Quantity surveyors are the financial backbone of every UK construction project. They control costs, manage contracts, and ensure projects are delivered within budget. But what does that look like day to day? This guide breaks down the full QS role — responsibilities, skills, salary, and career path.
