David Forster’s letter (To get a proper B of Q, ask a proper QS, QS News, 29 July) will not sit comfortably with some designers, but will have many QSs who are still producing Bills of Quantities nodding in agreement.

The demise of measuring Bills through the introduction of electronic measurement was predicted decades ago, but it has still yet to happen, not least for the very reasons David Forster has highlighted.

Equally, the introduction of different procurement techniques has also been cited as spelling the end of B of Qs production, but it is still happening, both as part of the contractors procurement process and where we are allowed to include Bills as part of our QS duties. In the latter case it is both welcomed by tenderers and makes our cost management duties much easier.

Use of Bill measurement software has made the measurement process far quicker and more efficient, including coverage of the ‘detailing’ which can often have a significant cost effect, so I am slightly concerned at the reported decision by the RICS to simplify further the building SMM.

Hopefully the views of those in practices and those in contractors who are actually using the information contained in B of Qs will be sought before the new International SMM is published. Which reminds me – I have on my bookshelf a document called the Principles of Measurement (International) published in 1979 by the RICS. Looks like the problem has already been solved!

Doug Chalmers, The CBE Partnership

Source

QS News