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ARCH 530

Building Technology 4
Specification Writing and Quantity Surveying

Prepared by:
Arch. Anna Rachel M. Perez
Guest Lecturer 1 - 2024
Week 1
January 23, 24, 25

Orientation and Introduction

Why do we carry out Quantity
Surveying?
Introduction
- Before starting any construction, one must have a
thorough knowledge about the volume of the work and
the probable cost that may be required for the
completion of the project.
- Otherwise, the construction will be stopped before its
completion due to shortage of money and materials.
- Quantity surveying may be defined as the process of
calculating the quantities and cost of various works
required in connection with the project.
Purpose of Quantity Surveying
- To calculate the probable costs of the project at hand
so that the client will be aware of the expenses due
to arise during the construction. If the money is not
there, the client can devise a mechanism for other
sources of money or change the project idea from the
beginning.
Purpose of Quantity Surveying
- To fix the completion time of the project. This is
usually done by breaking the works in to smaller
activities. The activities require materials, labor,
equipment and some overheads (generally called
“Resources”).
The project time is the total time required by these
small activities with some spare times made available.
Purpose of Quantity Surveying
- To prepare construction schedules, material
schedules, labor schedules, equipment schedules and
payment schedules, which are very important to
effectively utilize the resources made available
for the project.
Purpose of Quantity Surveying
- To get approval from the concerned authorities. The
government office giving the construction permit
needs to be aware of the magnitude of the work you
are going to get in.
- To get loans or funds or budget for various
projects. If you are working at a government owned
project, you may be required to present the budget
detail for the works before the work is commenced.
Purpose of Specification
- The specification provides clear instructions on
project intent, performance and construction.

- It can reference the quality and standards which

should be applied.
Purpose of Specification
- Materials and manufacturers’ products can be clearly
defined.
- It eliminates the need for information overload on the
drawing or model, making identifying information
easier.
- Along with the drawings, the specification forms part
of the contractual documents, helping minimize project
risk and providing support should there be any legal
disputes.
Purpose of Specification
- It supports client brief interpretation and gives
the client assurance that their commissioned asset
is the one being delivered.
- By being clear, concise and information-rich, a
specification provides answers to many onsite
construction questions, saving the project team,
client and contractor time and money.
- The specification is a living document to be used
by the complete project team throughout the
construction phase; its value does not end at the
design phase.
Quantity Surveyor
Is a professional working within the construction
industry concerned with construction costs and
contracts.
Estimating
Simply the process of predicting and planning the
expenses of any given construction project. The final
product is usually a document or presentation of some
kind that lays out, in detail, what you plan to do,
what materials you’ll use, and how much it’s going to
cost.
Construction Estimator
A person that is responsible for determining the
total quantity and cost of construction project, it
involves validating the project’s Scope of Work.
Scope of Work
is a document that lays out the entirety of work
that needs to be done in order complete the building
project. The scope documents, along with the building
plans or the working drawings and specification, give
an estimator a place to start for compiling a list of
materials, called quantity takeoff that will be needed
to construct the building.
Bill of Quantities (BOQ)
provides project-specific measured quantities of
the items identified in drawings and specifications
for a built asset such as a building. Preparing a bill
of quantities requires that the design is complete,
and a specification has been prepared.
Specification
is a special description or a particular subject.
Purpose of Quantity Surveying
1. To know the amount of money required.
2. To know the quantities of material required.
3. To know the different workers to be employed.
4. To fix up the completion period.
5. To invite tenders.
6. To know the tools and equipment required for the
construction.
7. To draw up the construction schedule and program.
8. To obtain sanction of necessary funds from the
concerned authority.
9. For valuation of an existing structure.
Estimating Variables

Direct Field Costs and Indirect Field Costs

Direct Field Costs
are the material, labor, equipment, or
subcontracted items that are permanently and
physically integrated into the building.

For example:
the labor and materials for the foundation of the
building would be a direct field cost.
Indirect Field Costs
are also referred to as general conditions or project
overhead costs in building construction.
The indirect field costs are the cost for the items
that are required to support the field construction
efforts.
For example:
the project site office would be a general conditions cost. In addition,
factors such as weather, transportation, soil conditions, labor strikes,
material availability, and subcontractor availability need to be
integrated into the estimate.
Types of Specification
Manufacturer’s Specification
Manufacturers prepare specification of
their product for guidane of their users,
which may include property description and
installation guidelines.
Guide Specification
Specification prepared by an individual or
group of individuals based on
manufacturer’s specifications, established
trends of workmanship, service and
laboratory tests and research findings to
be used as a guidelines for preparation of
contract specification.
Standard Specification

Specifications which are intended to be

used as reference standard in the
construction of the project. The guide
specification which has been standardized
by recognized authority.
Contract (Project) Specification
The specification prepared for a particular project
to accompany the drawings and other contract
documents.

2 types of Contract Specification:

- General Specification
- Specific Specification
Data Required and Tasks of a
Quantity Surveyor
 1. Drawings
Complete and fully dimensioned drawings (i.e.
plans, elevations, sections and other details) of the
building or work in question are required.
 2. Specification
Detailed specifications, giving the nature, quality
and class of work, materials to be used, quality of
the material, their proportions, and method of
preparation are required.
 3. Rates
The rates of various of work, materials to be used
in the construction, wages of different categories of
labor (skilled or unskilled) and cost of
transportation charges should be available for
preparing an estimate of work cost.
 4. Actual Finished Work
Quantities can be calculated from the actual work
done in the project site.
Data Required
1. Drawings
2. Specification
3. Rates
4. Actual finished work
 Quantities mainly can be
calculated as:
1. Quantity = L x W x H or Thickness
2. Quantity = Area of cross section x L
3. Quantity = L x W
4. Quantity = L
5. Quantity = No. of units
6. Quantity = Weight
Tasks of Quantity Surveyor

1. Takes a clear image of the project in to his/her

mind before starting the work.
2. Estimates the quantities of all works in the
project without jumping anything.
3. Estimates most probable cost of the project with
very small variations.
Note:
No quantity surveyor can find the exact cost of the project during
estimation stage. There are a number of unforeseen expenses which
arise the course of construction, and no one can for see them ahead.
The actual cost of the project is therefore known after the project
is completed.
question/s?
thank you!