Hello friends 👋
Another Level 2 post is below for your enjoyment! Here is the link to the first Quantification post if you've missed it: Quantification and Costing of Construction Works - Level 1
I would highly advise you to go through the candidate guide and the QS pathway guide to understand the basics.
DISCLAIMER: The following is not an exhaustive set of notes, but it's an attempt to help those who, like me at the beginning, did not know where to start! Please feel free to let me know if I have said anything incorrect or out of date!
So what is Level 2 Quantification all about?
The RICS pathway guide suggests that to effectively demonstrate your competence at this level you must show that you can (at a minimum):
Apply your knowledge to the quantification and costing of construction works, including the use of appropriate standard methods of measurement and forms of cost analysis. Carrying out measurement and costing of works at all stages of the construction process.
Quantifying construction works at the various stages of a project
This is a fairly straightforward requirement. You need to show you are a rounded surveyor at both the pre and post-contract stages.
In the pre-contract stage, you should be able to draw upon your experience of measuring and costing. You should be able to give examples of how you measured and priced specific elements/components within your specific niche industry.
For example, if you are in housing, you should be able to explain how you measure the build-up of the foundations, the ground floor all the way up to the roof and finishing. Some of these will be very straightforward e.g. the measurement of floor or wall areas, the counts of doors etc.
In the rail industry, you should be able to provide the build-up of the track, the different elements and how it is constructed.
Moreover, you should be able to explain how you have priced these items. How did you make sure that the rate you used was appropriate? Did you adjust for location and inflation? If you took a composite rate did you extract any extraneous items?
In the post-contract stage, you need to know how to value the construction works. How does the method of valuation differ from a BW to a schedule of works to a schedule of rates?
Do remember, your pre-contract skills for measurement and pricing may be required post-contract. In the event of variations, the client may ask you to anticipate the cost which will require you to put your pre-contract hat back on!
Producing pricing documents such as bills of quantities,
schedules of activities/works, schedules of rates or contract sum analyses.
You need to know the differences between the above pricing documents. Nobody really produces bills of quantities anymore (in the UK at least), and it is highly unlikely you would have produced an entire BoQ by yourself. It is more plausible that you produced a section of a bill by yourself, so you should be elaborate on how you produced that bill e.g. examples of descriptions for items.
Carrying out the costing of construction works by methods such as tendered rates, quotations or day works.
This is about how you have handled cost information. How have you used tendered rates? Did you use them to inform estimates and cost plans? How did you standardise them to ensure they can be used across your other projects? The same applies to quotations.
Do you understand what dayworks are? How have they applied to your projects and how did you deal with them?
That all for this post?
As always, if you have any queries please give me a shout!