The role of quantity surveyors in the international construction arena

Abstract

The quantity surveying profession is unpopular in some countries, such as the USA. However, in the international construction arena, quantity surveyors have renowned construction competencies and are widely involved in construction projects. They have different names in different countries ‒ e.g. cost engineer, building economist, cost manager, or construction accountant. In spite of the different names, they have significant skills that have evolved to meet the increasing and changing needs of clients, especially in the international construction arena. This research investigated the roles of quantity surveyors and the complexities they may find in international construction. A literature review and survey questionnaire were used to investigate the roles, complexities, and the level of competition from other construction professionals. The results showed that quantity surveyors had many roles in construction, with a majority of them acting as representatives of clients in construction projects. Also, they experienced varied complexities and faced competition from other construction professionals. It is noteworthy that they had procedures to safeguard the survival of the profession and had room for future expansion and diversification of their roles in international construction. The research provides useful information for those professionals and clients wishing to take part in international construction.

Keywords:

• construction competencies
• cost engineer
• estimator
• international construction project
• quantity surveying

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the Quantity Surveyors International (QSI) administrator, Suzanne Cash, for distributing the questionnaire to its membership and of course to QSI members for answering the survey.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.