This field offers 2 career paths:

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• The Quantity Surveyor

  A quantity surveyor is a professional consultant that a building owner (who is the client) hires the servicers of should he wish to invest in property. The quantity surveyor is expected to advise the client, architect and engineer on all financial and contractual matters that come to rise from the beginning of the construction project right through to the end. 
  
  Quantity surveyors specialize in the financial department for the building industry, they are the experts of cost planning and control, contracts, tendering, negotiation procedures and budgets. 
  
  Following is a range of services that quantity surveyors offer:
  
  

  1. Estimating and cost advice - Quantity surveyors provide clients with such advice during all stages of the development of a project. This helps in making correct decisions.
     
     
  2. Cost planning - Clients have to be kept on the light about what the quantity surveyor plans to do with the money in the project and the client has to be assured that they are receiving value for the one that they pay.
     
     
  3. Providing advice on property development - The quantity surveyor provides the client with pre-design feasibility studies that involve technical and/or economic investigations. This gives the client the opportunity to give their input as to whether, and how the project to proceed.
     
     
  4. Providing advice on tendering procedures and contractual arrangements - There are different forms of contracts and the choice of which form of contract to be used on the project will depend on the nature of that project. The quantity surveyors, in collaboration with architects step in to advise the client about these contracts and to help the client choose the appropriate and advantageous one.
     
     
  5. Providing advice on different types of contract such as negotiated, lump-sum, managed and cost plus contracts. Package deals, turnkey offers, etc. are included as well. 
     
     
  6. Preparation of budgets and prediction of cash flow.
     
     
  7. Valuation for monthly payment certificates.
     
     
  8. Valuation of work in progress
     
     
  9. Preparation of final accounts
     
     
  10. Dispute resolution 
      
      
  11. Managing the maintenance of immovable assets
      
      
  12. Participating n community development 
      
      
  13. Researching on topics related to building/property economics  

  
  

  Other service provision such as:
  
  

  • Preparing material list
  • Quantity surveying services in respect to civil, mechanical and electrical work
  • Providing advice on property economic aspects, project management and fast track construction
  • Participate in all other forms of dispute resolution such as evaluation, conciliation, mediation and arbitration. 
  • Industrial development 
  • Negotiate rates and prices with contractors
  • Act as a principal agent
  • Value buildings for insurance purposes

  
  

• The Construction Manager

  The Construction manager is a professional that is hired by the client to provide services such as organizing the effort, developing the management plan, monitoring the participants’ progress against the plan and identifies actions that are to be taken should there be a deviation from the plan.
  
  Expertise applicable to virtually any project includes:

  1. Project scope development - A construction manager has to develop a written scope that is understood by all people participating in the project. 
  2. Permitting - This is associated with acquiring permits to perform certain work where required. They secure the needed permits and licenses for projects.
  3. Cost estimating - Ensuring that the construction process is within the set budget
  4. Contract administration - Construction managers interpret and explain contracts and technical information to other professionals. 
  5. Collaborating with architects, engineers and other construction specialists.
  6. Quality control - Quality assurance is designed throughout the design process. 
  7. Select subcontractors and schedule and allocate and coordinate their activities.
  8. Comply with legal requirements, building and safety codes and other regulations.
  9. They are in charge of labor related issues, including supervising the hiring and firing of employees.
  10. Consideration of material, systems and process alternatives.
  11. Respond to work delays, emergencies and other problems.
  12. Report work progress and budget matters to clients 
  13. Matching construction spending to available funds
  14. Contracting and project delivery systems
  15. Design acquisition and management
  16. Dispute avoidance and resolution
  17. Cost and schedule control
  18. Cash flow management
  19. Milestone cost estimating
  20. Code compliance review
  21. Constructability review
  22. Document control
  23. Risk management

  
  

  Construction inspection 
  Construction mangers keep track of the construction process so that it easy to detect when there are problems. They instruct supervisors and keep track of the progress of construction operations such as the arrival and utilization materials, supplies, tools, machinery, equipment and vehicles. 

  • Construction managers are responsible for the planning, designing and construction phases of the project.
  • The owner of the project has options to make use of any of the form of contracts that are available for use in the construction industry, the construction manager then steps in to give contractual advice that is in the interest of the owner and the project.