Evolution Of Quantity Surveying And Its Effects Construction Essay

Evolution Of measure Surveying And Its Effects Construction Essay touchstone implies amount, number, measure, extent, size, magnitude and mass. Surveyor denotes inspector, assessor, examiner, reviewer and evaluator.The arrive at sum of money Surveyor was originally derived from the initial destiny for the profession which is to prep atomic number 18 the Bill of Quantities from plans, describing the material, items of work and the quantities required. Builders likewise use the Bill of Quantities when submitting tenders in order to secure work.Currently, Quantity Surveyors functions involve numerous activities. It is these activities that far remove the profession from that of simple bean brick counting. With the changing environment, the meter surveyor has evolved to satisfy the marketplace by filling the gaps across some(prenominal)(a) industries, as is reflected in diligence changes, title changes and education.Suitable titles have now become necessary, namely those of Const ruction live Consultants, Building or Construction Economists, Cost Engineers and Commercial Managers.The cluster sampling survey method was use, which involved pi down interviews and structured questionnaire surveys. Investigations were limited to the views expressed by both students of Quantity Surveying and pros apply outside the traditional construction industry who were members of the South African Council of Quantity Surveyors, although the views of practitioners with no professional affiliations were similarly sought. Content analysis, descriptive statistics, multi-attribute techniques and rank correlation tests were used in the analysis of the research data.The Potential Outputs of my research this work in progress could include Changes in courses at tertiary institutions or the introduction of new courses, a name change for Quantity Surveying as a Profession.KeywordsChanging, Effects, Evolution, Quantity Surveying1 IntroductionHistorically, the three major employers o f Quantity Surveyors were professional Quantity Surveying firms (PQS), municipalities and government departments, as sanitary as construction and civil engineer companies . companies.Quantity surveyors are increasingly employed across several industries. Industries rang, ranginge from chemical e.g. Fluor, communications e.g. Telkom, electrical e.g. Eskom, Oil oil refineries e.g. Sapref. What does this mean regarding the demand for the profession? This report bequeath also strive to ascertain what they are doing there, how they are valued and so forth.The option of working in an industry of your choosing elevates the status of beat study as a profession. This should be tantamount to greater argument opportunities and employment security, further enhancing quantity surveying as a target profession. How does this impact on students career choice?Due to the range of services currently provided, the profession is becoming less reliant on construction, as it places more accent mar k on finance, which enables greater involvement in other industries such(prenominal) as insurance, banking, law, and property management.If in fact there are m whatsoever other industries employing quantity surveyors, this spells good news for the profession. A knock on effect would be an increase in the number of students applying to study Quantity Surveying as a career, as it moves away from the traditional construction approach. Throughput rates will also be affected, as a greater number of students could havecould have access to in-service training earlier. For the long term, course material/notes might change/adapt to compositors case the various sectors, as each, having subtle differences in approaches would need the necessary Curriculum curriculum and syllabus changes.The Quantity Surveying profession is at an interesting stage, where opportunities and rewards will be highschool for those who are innovative, bully on research and willing to embrace the hallengeschallenges of the future and emerging technology.2 Literature Review2.1 The Establishment of Quantity SurveyingThere is a shortage of qualified Quantity Surveyors with good employment opportunities in various industries the (AIQS, 2010).Demand for qualified and experienced Quantity Surveyors has been high in recent years. Historically, this demand follows the fortunes of the building, construction and engineering industries. When industry booms, so does the need for Quantity Surveyors.By the middle of the 20th century Quantity surveying had evolved to a recognised profession in the construction industry (Ashworth and Willis, 1995). Quantity Surveying had developed into the traditional role of keeping accounts and controlling of construction cost for both the client and the builder.The prime role of the quantity surveyor pivots around the aspect of cost control of projects (Willis and Trench, 1999). From inception to completion necessitates a detailed knowledge of asserter s prices, experienc e of the construction process and an ability to foresee the likely effect of economic trends.Quantity surveyors are construction economists who fulfil varied and nationwide duties to support cost-effective construction and property development projects (Ilias et al., 2010).The core competencies of quantity surveyors include determining project budgets, measuring project quantities, preparing contract documentation such as Bills of Quantities and cost control documents, administering contracts, and preparing final accounts.Despite being recognised as a professional discipline distinct from architecture and civil engineering since 1836, quantity surveyors are not immune to the threats and changes in their operating environment. Some parties in the construction industry have been critical about the quality of whole caboodle and services provided by quantity surveyors.Some even question the importance of appointing quantity surveyors as project consultants. Because of these challenges , the profession needs to regroup and take rakehell of the whole situation so that they will not become extinct in the future, this includes all parties who have vested interest in the development of the profession, be it the students, educators and professionals. all profession evolves in response to the ever-increasing changes in the global business environment (Marcel and Jasper, 2009).In order to remain relevant, globally competitive and successful, New Zealand Quantity Surveyors need to constantly scan their business landscape to discern new directions and to adapt to imminent changes in their professional practice. This study aims to investigate the current areas of, and future directions in, quantity surveying practice in the New Zealand construction industry imminent opportunities and threats and ways to proactively maximise the opportunities and minimise the threats.The results of a survey, based on a structured questionnaire reflecting 23 defined competencies, which were derived from the literature and from in-depth interviews with selected practitioners, indicated that technically orientated competencies were rated of highest importance for current services, while management orientated competencies were rated of higher importance for future services (Nkado and Meyer, 2001).Quantity surveying firms that offer services overseas have more staff than non-exporters .exporters. They also handle pear-shapedr projects and offer a wider range of services (Florence Yean and Chan, 2008). new-fangled practice, however, has gone back to the original intent of value engineering, i.e., to improve the value of the end product or service (McDuff, 2001). This typically means that the client is dismission to receive more for their money because of the practice of value engineering.2.2 Current and Future Trends of Quantity SurveyingQuantity surveyors are also employed by large engineering companies as well as and housing agencies (AGCAS, 1994). Specialist home build ers seek the expertise of quantity surveyors, as do some trading agencies, including any public committees who control extensive property investments.Multinational mechanical contractors and energy conglomerates regularly employ quantity surveyors under the unconventional title of Cost Engineer.The University of Salford is offer post graduate Electrical Quantity Surveying courses, Mechanical Quantity Surveying courses and Electrical Mechanical Quantity Surveying courses (Salford, 2011).These courses are accredited by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. The MSc Quantity Surveying in Mechanical Electrical programme is aimed at the mechanical and electrical sectors.Due to the increase importance on low carbon emissions and sustainability in the modern built environment, new roles are emerging for the Mechanical Electrical Quantity Surveyor in the areas of renewable energy, sustainability, low carbon technologies and energy management involved in the provision of careers and employability.With buildings accounting for around 50% of all carbon emissions, the quantity surveyor plays a prodigious role in combating climate change.The need for Quantity Surveyors is relatively consistent (AIQS, 2010). The range of services provided by the profession has become less dependent on the level of construction but more on finance and property management.Quantity surveyors are known by various names, as they are also called Construction Cost Consultants, Building / Construction Economists, Cost Engineers and Estimators.The Quantity Surveying profession is at an interesting stage, where opportunities and rewards will be high for those who are innovative, keen on research and willing to embrace the challenges of the future and emerging technology.A description of the quantity surveying profession states that, Quantity Surveyors get a lot more involved in all aspects of construction as well as other industries such as insurance, banking, law etc. (University, 2010).An article in a career recruitment company further speaks of a Chartered Quantity Surveyor working as a Commercial Manager (Kempthorne, 2010).As a job description for a Quantity Surveying role, it was stipulated that market need creates evolved Quantity Surveyors (Construction, 2011).Quantity Surveyors meet the ever evolving needs of their clients, offering a ample range of services as depicted in the following website article (Brown, 2010).Today several Quantity Surveyors have explored opportunities out of the boundaries of construction industry, examples being the monetary industry, insurance industry, manufacturing industry and real estate sector. (NISA et al., 2006).As emphasised, being one of the key professional experts in the construction sector, Quantity Surveyors have the utmost righteousness to address the key cost, financial and contractual issues of the construction process, which is always highly influenced by the environmental parameters, which are very sensitive to ch anges and are unique for every project (Senaratne and Sabesan, 2008).The new approaches in construction culture, procurement strategies, changing markets, delivering added value and supply chain management, partnering, private finance initiatives have directed the construction industry towards a new route of evolvement (Cartlidge, 2002).The importance of this is further emphasised due to the declining role of manufacturing and increasing growth in the service sector of the economy .economy.In order to subsist and grow in the future, quantity surveying profession has the utmost necessity to respond to the accelerating social, technological, economical and environmental changes quickly as well as productively (Surveyors, 1992).Since the needs and expectations of the clients are ever changing facts, in order to compete and to excel in the profession, quantity surveyors have to acquire and rifle wide range of diverse skills outside the normal traditional Quantity Surveying role (Pathir age and Amaratunga, 2006).The changing nature of the construction and development industry such as the adoption of innovative technological processes and development, the emergence of highly focused professionals and the full range of advanced technologies will necessitate a much stronger emphasis on job competencies than ever before (Lenard, 2000).The findings are important given the increasing globalization of construction services, especially given the international ties between designers, quantity surveyors and other built environment professionals (Bowen et al., 2010) .