r

I QTS 506 LECTURE NOTE:

Nature and purpose of Quantity Surveying Consulting
Business may be defined as an institution organised and operated to provide good ~
and services to the society with the objective of making profit.
A profession may be defined as an occupation which involves in rendering person al
services of a specialised nature based on a professional knowledge , education and
1
training e.g . Architect, Quantity Surveyors, lawyer etc. These professionals cl arge
professional Fees for services rendered.
A profession becomes a business when there is high intention for profit. Quantity
Surveying organisation are both professional and entrepreneur organisation . l hey
provide services to the client with the aim of getting opportunities that will ensure a
higher profit and became highly competitive in the business
,.. environment.

Who is a Quantity Surveyor?

A quantity surveyor is a professional who specialises in understanding, analysing, a•:d
reporting on the costs associated with construction pr ojects. In order to pro,··.le
relevant strategic advice , the quantity surveyor must be part estimator, part desigr.er,
part engineer, part contractor, and part mediator. A quantity surveyor takes every issue
concerning cost, project schedule, and budget into consideration when estimating ,
planning, and repc-rting cost data.
f he quantity surveyor is the person responsible for figuring out just what a construction
project is going to cost. They have other roles too, especially making sure that
construction costs and production are managed as efficiently as possible .

What is Consulting?
There are many definitions of consulting , the first approach takes a broad functional
view of consulting . Consulting therefore can be defined as any form of providing help
on the content, process, or structure of a task or series of tasks, where the consultant
is not actually responsible for doing the task itself but is helping those who are.

The second approach views consulting as a special professional service and

emphasizes a number of characteristics that such a service must possess.

Therefore, quantity surveying consulting is a professional advisory service contracted

for and provided to Clients/organizations by specially trained and qualified Quantity
Surveyors who assist, in an objective and independent manner, the client organization
to identify problems, analyse such problems, recommend solutions to these problems,
and help, in the implementation of solutions.

Consultancy generally involve the interaction between two parties, The Client who
believes that help is needed (Construction project cost) and the Consultants (Qs) who
will provide the help (Cost management) by using his or her experienced and skilled
to have an accurate projection of the costs involved in a construction project and also
allow the client to have an effective cost strategist to help lower costs with ideas,
options, and experienced advice.
Quantity surveyors are responsible for managing all aspects of the contractual and
financial side of construction projects. They help to ensure that the construction project
is completed within its projected budget.

Why are consultants used?

Consulting purposes can be looked at from several angles and described in various
ways. Let us look first at five broad, or generic, purposes pursued by clients in using
consultants, irrespective of the field of intervention and the specific intervention
method used:
- achieving clienUorganizational purposes and objectives;
- solving management and business problems;
- identifying and seizing new opportunities;
1 - enhancing learning;
- implementing changes.
In , tenns of Quantity Surveying Consulting; Clients normally consult Quantity
Surveyors for the following purposes:
• To achieve the best value for each money spent
• To keep expenditures within tne amount aliocateC: for &ach cf the various
elements or segments of the project
• To achieve a balanced expenditure between the various elements or segments
of the project
QTS 506 LECTURE NOTE 2 :
Range and Scope of Quantity Surveying consulting services:
Quantity surveying profession has continued to respond to the global changes in the recent
time. Advances in ICT have had a profound impact on how quantity surveyors operate, their
function and the scope and breath of the services they provide. Large practices have
responded to the needs of a global market and, over the last decade, there has been an
increase in both multidisciplinary and multinational surveying organisations An increase in
niche market provision has also been seen. Quantity surveying practices have diversified in
response to global trends in the construction industry.

Some of these changes are as follows:

1. Changes in markets: trends in workloads across the different sectors and the
importance of the changing in international scene, particularly the volume of
construction activities.

2. Changes in the construction industry: - The changing nature of contracting has

placed an emphasis upon management of construction, the comparison with other
countries abroad and the competition being offered from non-construction
professionals.

3. Changes in client needs: - An emphasis in terms of the value added to the client's
business; they want purchasable design, procurement and management of
construction. Many now want the long-term view beyond the initial design and
construction phase.

4. Changes in the profession: - It noted employment patterns, the growth in graduate

members, the impact of fee competition, the ways in which the quantity surveyor is
now appointed, and changes in their role and practice with changing attitudes and
horizons.
The major role of Quantity Surveyors is ensuring that the resources of the construction industry
are well utilized to the best advantage of the society. It also includes the financial management
of the project and a cost consultancy services to the client during the whole construction
process.

Quantity Surveying consulting services

The consultancy services offer by Quantity Surveying firms can be grouped under the
following :
1. Pre-contract Services and

2. Post-contract services
 Pre-contract Services:
Preparation (RIBA Outline Plan of Work 2007)
• Liaise with the Client and the Professional Team to determine the Client's initial
requirements and to develop the Client's Brief.

• Advise on the cost of the Project. Advise on the cost of alternative design and
construction options.

• Prepare an initial budget estimate to test feasibility proposals.

• Prepare a preliminary cost plan and cash flow forecast.

• Advise on alternative procurement opti9ns.

Design {RISA Outline Plan of Work 2007)

• Prepare, maintain and develop a cost plan and cash flow forecast.

• Advise on the cost of the Professional Team's proposals, including effects of site
usage, shape of buildings, alternative forms of design, procurement and construction
etc. Advise on any cost variances to the allowances contained in the cost plan.

Pre-construction (RISA Outline Plan of Work 2007)

• Advise on tendering and contractual procurement options. Prepare recommendations
for the Client's approval.

• Prepare bills of quantities, or other pricing documents, for inclusion in tender

documents.

• Advise on likely suitable tenderers

• Tendering and Tender processes

• Tender reporting , Negotiation and contractor selection.

Post-contract Services
Construction (RISA Outline Plan of Work 2007)
• Cost control and monitoring

• Visit the Site periodically and assess the progress of work done for interim Valuation
of work done

• Advise on the cost of variations prior to the issue of instructions under the Building
Contract. (Change management).

• Attend to Claims

• Preparation of periodic Financial statement

Use (RISA Outline Plan of Work 2007)

• Preparation, Negotiation and agreeing Final account.
• settlement of contractual claims
New and Evolving roles of Quantities Surveyors:
Apart for the traditional roles of Quantity Surveyors as listed above , there are new and
evolving roles that many Quantity Surveying firms are offering in recent time that attract
additional fees for rendering those services.

• Investment appraisal
• Advice on cost limits and budgets
• Whole life costing
• Value management
• Risk analysis
• Insolvency services
• Cost engineering services
• Subcontract administration
• Environmental services measurement and costing
• Technical auditing
• Planning and supervision
• Valuation for insurance purposes
• Project management
• Facilities management
• Administering maintenance programmes
• Advice on contractual disputes
• Planning supervisor
• Employers' agent
• Programme management
• Cost modelling
• Sustainabilrty
QTS 506 LECTURE NOTE ON:
THE CONSULTING PROCESS

Consulting process can be seen as a set of activities on the part of the consultants which help
the client to perceive, understand and act upon process events which occurs in the client's
environment. The consulting process also involves assisting transforming client's predefined
ideas to reality.

The purpose of consulting process is to solve a problem faced by a client.

During a typical consulting intervention, the consultant and the client undertake a set of
activities required for achieving the desired purposes and changes. These activities are
normally known as "the consulting process". This process has a clear beginning (the
relationship is established and work starts) and end (the consultant departs). Between these
two points the process can be subdivided into several phases, which helps both the consultant
and the client to be systematic and methodical, proceeding from phase to phase, and from
operation to operation.

f:tatures of consulting process

1. A consulting is an independent service i.e it is on its own. It is characterised by the

detachment of the consultant.

2. Consulting is ar, advisory service. The ·consultant -is noF expected to take over the
running of the organisation. It is just an advisory or to put the organisation in the
proper position.

3. Consulting is a service providing. They provide their professional knowledge and skills
relevant to solve management problem.

4. Consulting brings to their resources/provide the resources required to change the

function or condition of the clients.

s. Consulting involves specialist or expert of various kind.

6. consulting focuses on problem solving, initiating changes and generally improving the
general condition of an organisation.

7. Consulting is not a service miracle panacea for all difficult management organisation
problems.
Phases of the consulting process:

There is a simple five-phase model, comprising:

1. Entry,
• First contact with clients
• Preliminary problem diagnosis
• Assignment planning
• Assignment proposals to client
• Consulting contract

2. diagnosis,
• Purpose analysis
• Problem analysis
• Fact finding
• Fact analysis and synthesis
• Feedback to client

3. action planning,
• Developing solutions
• Evaluating alternatives
• Proposals to client
• Planning for implementation

4. Implementation
• Assisting with impJementation
• Adjusting proposals
• Training

5. Termination
• Evaluation
• Final Report
• Settling commitments
• Plans for follow-up
• Withdrawal

Entry:
In the entry phase the consultant starts working with a client. This phase includes their first
contacts, discussions on what the client would like to achieve or change in his or her
organisation and how the consultant might help, the clarification of their respective roles, the
preparation of an assignment plan based on preliminary problem analysis, and the
negotiation and agreement of a consulting contract.

This is a preparatory and planning phase. It is often emphasised that this phase lays the
foundations for everything that will follow, since the subsequent phases will be strongly
influenced by the quality of conceptual work done, and by the kind of relationship that the
consultant establishes with the client at the very beginning.
In this initial phase, it can also happen that an assignment proposal is not prepared to the
client's satisfaction and no contract is agreed, or that several consultants are contacted and
invited to present proposals but only one of them is selected for the assignment.

Diagnosis
The second phase is an in-depth diagnosis of the problem to be solved. During this phase the
consultant and the client cooperate in identifying the sort of change required, defining in
detail the purposes to be achieved by the assignment, and assessing the client's performance,
resources, needs and perspectives. Is the fundamental change problem technological,
organisational, infol'mational, psychological or other? If it has all these dimensions, which is
the crucial one?

What atti•udes to change prevail in the organisation? Is the ,,eed for change appreciated, or
will it be necessary to persuade people that they will have to change? The results of the
diagnostic phase are synthesised and conclusions drawn on how to orient work on action
proposals so that the real problems are resolved and the desired purposes achieved. Some
possible solutions may start emerging during this phase.

!<act-finding and fact diagnosis often receive the least attention . Yet decisions on what data
to look for, what data to omit, what aspects of the problem to examine in depth and what
facts to skip predetermine the relevance and quality of the solutions that will be proposed .
Also, by collecting data and talking to people the consultant is already influencing the client
S}'Stem, and people may already start changing as a result of the consultant's presence in the
oq; « 11, at;;:, r, , ::onvers£..,,, fact-finding has to be kept within reasonable limits, determined by
the nature and purpose of the consultancy.

Action p/onninq
The third phase aims at finding the solution to the problem. It includes work on one or several
alternative · solutions, the evaluation of alternatives, the elaboration of a plan for
implementing changes and the presentation of proposals to the client_ for decision. The
consultant can choose from a wide range of techniques, in particular if the client actively
participates in this phase. Action planning requires imagination and creativity, as well as a
rigorous and systematic approach in identifying and exploring feasible alternatives,
eliminating proposals that could lead to trivial and unnecessary changes, and deciding what
solution will be adopted. A significant dimension of action planning is developing strategy and
tacti~ for implementing changes, in particular for dealing with the human problems that can
be anticip.ated, and for overcoming resistance to, and gaining support for, change

tmplementotion
Implementation, the fourth phase of the consulting process, provides an acid test for the
relevance and feasibility of the proposals developed by the consultant in collaboration with
the client. The changes pro.posed start turning into reality. Things begin happening, either as
planned or differently. Unforeseen new problems and obstacles may arise and false
assumptions or planning errors may be uncovered.
Resistance to change may be quite different from what was assumed at the diagnostic and
planning stages. The original design and action plan may need to be corrected. As it is not
possible to foresee exactly and in detail every relationship, event or attitude, and the reality
of implementation often differs from the plan, mon itoring and managing implementation are
very important. This is also why professional consultants prefer to be associated with the
implementation of changes that they have helped to identify and plan.

This is an issue over which there has been much misunderstanding. Many consulting
assignments end when a report with action proposals is transmitted.

Termination
The fifth and final phase in the consulting process includes several activities. The consultant's
performance during the assignment, the approach taken, the changes made and the results
achieved have to be evaluated by both the client and the consulting firm . Final reports are
presented and discussed. Mutual commitments are settled. If there is an interest in pursuing
the collaborative relationship, an agreement on follow-up and future contracts may be
negotiated. Once these activities are completed, the consulting assignment or project is
terminated by mutual agreement and the consultant withdraws from the client organisation.