The Role of the Quantity Surveying Profession within the contemporary Built Environment

onward discussing the role of the beat surveyor, its rattling important to get an liking astir(predicate) the built surroundings where the measuring surveyor works. Simply the built environment means kind made buildings, cities, roads and surroundings etc.. that could provide an environment for their activities. The concept of the built environment was introduced in Greece in many centuries ago in the edge of evolution their cities using grid plans. But the late concept of built environment is far more(prenominal)(prenominal) complex than that.Considering the contemporaneous built environment, with huge increase of the population in the world everyplace the last century human desires are risen up and became more complicated. Similarly necessity to fork out ho economic consumptions, cities, roads, which is c all in alled built environment, has reverse compulsive nerve of human life. Since the mensurationment Surveyor is a significant character of constructing th at built environment, he/she has to play a vital role in it.The Origin of the cadence canvasWhat is the bar canvas? According to the Seeley (1997), Quantity Surveying is a avocation which would prepare an accurate bill of quantities to be priced by tendering contractors and who would measure and value any variations that might occur during the progress of the works. But when considering the memorial of this work, the origin of quantity analyze carries us way back to the seventeenth century. In 1666 after the Great Fire, London was under restoration attend to it necessitate huge no. of workers standardized masons, carpenters and separate tradesmen. Before the 1666 all the workers menti iodined above got paid daily basis. But the large amount of constancy needed to restore the city after the fire, it made governors to think double and decided to pay separately worker for the quantity of work they had make.It meant on behalf of the salary workers had been paid for the am ount of carpentry, masonry and other works they had done. Therefore one somebody had to read the drawings of the buildings and take off the quantity of work each and every trade in the structure and at the same clock he had to prepare an estimate for the total damage. And the Quantity Surveying employment was evolved to the current status after that incidence.History of the Quantity SurveyingIn early 70s there was a misunderstanding ab come in the business that believing the valuation and the measurement are covering the unit of measurement area of quantity canvass. Therefore quantity appraise profession was highlighted whole for its Technical role throughout that period. But measurement and valuation are only two functions performed by quantity surveyors. Because of this record, many people believed that the functions done by the quantity surveyor can be undertaken by any person or machine that can perform arithmetic calculations, like a computer.The QS is non a necessi ty in the order of things. Any cheery and cheap method of multiplying drawings and specifications and placing copies in the hands of each estimator would solving the same purpose and get rid of the QS for good (Anon, 1889 cited in Wood, 2008). changing roles of Quantity SurveyingDespite all the above doubts quantity surveying profession was survived and presently regarded as one of the most expensive profession in the twisting industry. alike quantity surveying is being cognize as a take careile profession and its skills section had gone for variant changes over the last decade or so. Smith (2004) mentioned that the quantity surveying profession has faced to considerable changes over the last decade in terms of scope and the type of contributions provided within and outside the spin process. Ashworth (1981) pointed out the changing role of the quantity surveyor in recent past has been significant. conventional roles of Quantity SurveyingQuantity Surveyor Is the person who g iving advices and preparing documents regarding hail estimating and monetary section of the mental synthesis process. Thirty years ago the role of quantity surveyor was to prepare Bill of Quantities and providing Final Ac cyphers only.The traditional role of quantity surveyor is the original who provides advice about constitute and financial management for the construction process. The traditional serve provided are considered to be of a technical basis, such(prenominal) as preparing the cost plan and the bills of quantities, tender documentation and tender appraisal, interim payments, measuring and valuing variations, advising on anticipated utmost be and preparing the final account (Burnside and Westcott, 1999).Competencies of Quantity SurveyingQuantity surveyors are in any case sound known as a construction economists who perform various and wide range of duties to support the cost effective construction molds. The core competencies of quantity surveying profession su ch as determining the budgets of intents, measuring barf quantities, preparing Bills of Quantities, cost control documents, administrating contracts, and preparing final accounts, etc.. should be of importtained and resurrectd in order to adapt to changes in many areas of the construction industry since the quantity surveyors success depends not only the skills which he/she has. Practitioners need to be far more pliable and provideing to change their standard work practices than in the past (Smith, 2004). Also the RICS has introduced and highlighted some basic and optional core competencies that required of quantity surveyors to enhance their expertness to face the varying construction industry and they are as follows.Competencies required of Quantity Surveyors for professional Competency (RICS)Basic competenciesCore competencies ex gratia competenciesPersonal and interpersonal skillsConstruction contract practiceArbitration & other dispute resolution proceduresBusiness skill sConstruction technology and environmental functionDevelopment appraisalData, reading and information technologyEconomics of constructionFacilities managementProfessional practiceProcurement and financial managementIn purposency rectitudeInsuranceMeasurementProject managementMappingProperty enthronement fundingResearch methodologies and techniquesValuationTaxation allowances & grantsApart from that, Information engineering has made huge clashing on quantity surveying profession as though it is spread out all over the construction industry. Smith (2004 2006) keep emphasized that all the professionals should urinate the knowledge of how to use the AUTOCAD properly and accurately and be an expertise in the field of construction without delaying. (Odeyinka, 2008)Stated that, commercially developed software packages are available world(a) to cleanse the performance of quantity surveyors. Frei, (2009) also stated that with the intention of developing the productivity and high perf ormance of the industry it is necessary to invest in information technology (IT) and information communication technology (ICT). RICS (1991) In mid-nineties and 2000s, Quantity Surveyors should be more innovative, more pro-active and more mobile to solve the problems and the changing of client requirements. New skills and operate will be progressively developed from continuous research and developments of new techniques.Evolving roles of Quantity SurveyingThe quantity surveying profession has been able to evolve and diversify into new areas of practicing, providing a wider range of services, with the modern quantity surveyor covering all aspects of project cost management, procural and contract management (Lee, Trench and Willis 2011)(Menaha Thayaparan, et.al2011) Deviating from its traditional technical role, during mid-80s RICS has promoted the role of the Quantity Surveyor as the Building Economist, Cost channelise, Procurement consultant and as a Cost Consultant (RICS, 1986 R ICS, 1991). These roles have attributed more of a managerial image to the quantity surveying profession.Since that dynamic nature of the profession, it has been shaped up to provide timely needs such as cost and value management, project management, procurement consultant, part management, attempt management, arbitration, and many more non-traditional services of the construction industry without limiting to its pin up scope. QSBC (2009)Has been suggested that the role of the quantity surveyor has outspread over time beyond its main scope of financial based concerns not only to cover the knowledge of values, cost, intentness and materials, but also to include legal and contractual matters, like wise being a consultants on construction business and also has to be concern about developers, the government, contractors and the general project management. According to the facts which I have discussed so far, it has declared that Quantity Surveyors not only have to perform traditional roles by offering traditional services yet also have to play modern roles by granting non-traditional or redundant services to fill up the demand of this innovative and mutable construction industry.Apart from those cost concerned aspects discussed above, quantity surveyors are also needed to be conversant in construction management and procurement, contractual giving medication and legal aspects of construction within the modern built environment.Therefore its important to discuss about management knowledge of quantity surveyor which gives the ability to adapt to divers conditions and to solve problems emerge in financial and contractual sectors which are very unique for each and every construction projects. In the recent past years it has been not rare for quantity surveyors to stretch their scope of profession and put themselves in a position of project manager with the amount of experience they have got. The importance of the Project trouble is growing worldwide and it has huge impact on productivity and quality of the project. By using this art of leading and coordinating material and human resources in construction process called project management, Quantity surveyor will be able to complete project on time within the budget.Is a quantity surveyor an estimator, contract manager or project manager? The scam answer to this question is yes, yes and yes. People from a quantity surveying accentuate may find working environment compatible with any of those roles because the didactics qualifications acquired from the quantity surveying create the pathways (Donald Towey ,2012, pp.110)It is possible to list about 5 main evolved roles of the quantity surveying profession from the information mentioned above.1. Client incite and representative2. Construction designing and economics3. Construction planning and procurement4. Construction administration and management5. Project managementEmerging roles of Quantity SurveyingNot limiting to discussing about th e changes that already has made an impact on the profession, its better to address about changes which are liberation to happen in weedy future to the quantity surveying profession. due to the latest economic climate over the world, there are very fewer resources available to commence new building projects. But it has become viable with the finding of new ways to handle building project more cost-efficiently by modern quantity surveyors who has given the traditional and modern-day monetary roles.Whence, future changes of quantity surveying profession seem to be more compulsive and its influence to the construction industry should be more explored by the quantity surveyors. Sustainability, whole life cost and the building information modeling (BIM) are the three main emerging roles of quantity surveying profession.When it comes to the whole life cost, it is a technique that use intentionally to improve efficiency, sustainability and also it provides clear information to the clien t whether the project is going to be financially viable or not after built. Calculating the costs of building and the items included for its whole life is called whole life costing assessment. By carrying these assessments prior to any other works which has been taken into count maintenance, operational and demolition costs of the project with the consideration of the inflation, client will be able to get best value for his money.The concept of sustainable construction is becoming more significant in the world as we are trying to bring down the environmental pollution and the glasshouse gases globally. By using recycled material, installing innovative natural sourced systems (solar systems) and introducing efficient material, labor and waste management, Sustainability can be admitted to the construction industry.Building Information moulding (BIM) compares all details about projects design and its construction and operation process to meet the maximum efficiency at any stage of th e project by using a computer generated model. (BIMIWG 2011) Furthermore, capability of identifying number of variations in design and compare them with traditional measures in a second, reduces the workload of the quantity surveyor. Also the changes has being made to quantity surveying profession with BIM is obligate by the UK government as 3D-BIM modeling will be requisite component of every project by 2016. (BIMIWG 2011)ConclusionIn brief, this survey has done a critical discussion on traditional and contemporary roles of quantity surveying, origin and history of the profession, key and core competencies of quantity surveying and also changing, evolved and emerging roles of quantity surveying profession. Due to the changing nature of clients and the market demand the quantity surveying profession has evolved continuously during recent decades.Clients not only ask for traditional services but also request for nontraditional services like project management, procurement, constru ction administration in contemporary built environment. Also there are some emerging aspects like whole life costing assessments, sustainability and BIM that could add more changes to the quantity surveying profession in near future. Therefore, in order to develop their skills and practice Quantity Surveyors should be well aware of these changes and has to adapt to them quickly.