QSs are still in cheapest price ‘Dark Ages’, claims Midas chairman

Steve Hindley, chairman at South-west-based contractor Midas, claimed the profession had still not fully signed up to the agreed industry practice of using partnering contracts in place of the old-style adversarial forms.

Hindley conceded that some QSs were in tune with the practices championed by industry good practice body the Strategic Forum, but added: “Unfortunately, some are still in the Dark Ages, selling the concept of employers taking on a design team and putting the work out to tender at the cheapest price.

“The industry needs to get all the PQSs singing from the same hymn sheet. They have to advise the client on employing an integrated team with the contractor there from day one to evolve the project. If they don’t they’re giving the client bad advice.”

Other industry figures asked by QS News about the state of the profession claimed that QSs had moved on.

Bob Rendell, managing director at contractor Leadbitter, claimed that the profession had significantly improved its performance and created better relationships between clients and contractors.

He said: “Over the last four years, there has been a marked change in the way professionals are treating contractors. Five years ago QSs saw it as their place to keep up the screen between clients and contractors, but since then they have gone a significant way to change that relationship.”

Some are still selling the concept of employers putting the work out to tender at the cheapest price

Steve Hindley

Architect Stuart McLarty was also positive about the role of the QS, claiming that it had become more important in the industry in the past few years.

McLarty said: “The profession has gone through massive change – it’s become pretty key in the whole procurement and development strategy.

“A few years ago, the QS role was disappearing, but they’ve reinvented themselves as the client’s cost consultant and usurped the architect in many cases for the role of first choice consultant.”

Geoff Wright, projects director at developer Hammerson, was similarly upbeat about the performance of the quantity surveying profession but he warned that QSs should stick to their core role.

He said: “I think they should stay as QSs and not try to move up the chain … they don’t necessarily make good project managers.”