RICS and RLF hit back at Guardian QS attack

The RICS has hit back at an attack on the QS profession in a recent edition of the Guardian newspaper that claimed the profession was unable to predict outturn cost of projects.

In a letter to the nespaper sent this week Ed Badke, RICS director for construction, said that having a QS on board on a project "is essential if a client wants to deliver a construction budget within plus or minus 5% of the construction programme and the cost budget". He added: "The most common causes of overruns are the client changing their mind, an incomplete brief and failures of corporate governance such as aggressively under bidding for a job that is perceived as strategically important to a company's development.

RLF senior partner Steve Barker also attacked the article claiming it was "not based on any real knowledge of the industry, or solid facts". He added: "At the end of the day, though, despite all this, the figures speak for themselves: nearly 70% of projects were completed on or under the budget committed to by the client, according to the latest Government statistics published by Constructing Excellence. This is a very positive figure."

Guardian writer John Crace wrote in Saturday's Work section of the newspaper: "If it was just a few quid here and there, no one would care too much, but when quantity surveyors get it wrong they do it in style. A 50% overspend is nothing to be ashamed of for a top quantity surveyor."