As a contractor, you have a lot on your plate – managing suppliers, ensuring safety standards, sourcing materials, and keeping an eye on the budget. With all these responsibilities, have you ever thought about getting a little expert help? Enter the role of a contractor’s Quantity Surveyor (QS).
Hiring a Quantity Surveyor may appear to be an unnecessary expense, especially if you do not win the tender. However, a competent QS can save you more money than what you invest in their services.
Thought-provoking, right? Keep reading to explore:
3 compelling reasons why you, as a contractor, need a QS by your side.
1. A QS knows the rules of measurement like the back of their hand
When you tender a job, you intend to make money on it. And the first step is measuring and rating the job so you can build profitably. Measuring and estimating the cost of a project is one of the most critical steps in construction. And it’s also one of the most complex ones. It’s about more than just adding up the cost of bricks, cement, and labour. A whole set of standards and guidelines, known as the rules of measurement, determine how your estimates should be done.
As a contractor, you might know some of these rules, but do you really have the time and expertise to dig into them in detail? This is where your QS comes in. Your QS is so well-versed in these rules that you end up with accurate estimates, reducing the risk of unwanted surprises in your budget down the line. By getting it right from the start and working with the QS throughout the build, you can safeguard your profits and keep your projects on track from tender to final account.
2. A QS knows where money can be left behind
Picture this: you’ve completed a project but then realised you’ve overlooked certain aspects that could have been billed or paid more for materials than you should have. Sounds familiar? You could leave money on the table in these areas, and a QS can help prevent that.
A QS doesn’t just understand the cost of things; they understand the value. They have a knack for spotting potential cost savings, like using different materials that reduce cost without affecting quality and negotiating favourable terms with suppliers. When your QS gets quotes from your suppliers, tenders your jobs and then manages your payment claims, you’ll be much more confident you’re building profitably.
3. A QS can help you tender multiple jobs at one time
A growing contracting business can be like a double-edged sword. If you’re in the space where your business is growing, you likely have multiple projects you’re handling simultaneously. Balancing multiple tenders at once can feel like a stressful administrative overload. Never mind managing payment claims on numerous jobs. But what if we told you that a QS could help you manage this load and significantly increase your strike rate of winning jobs?
A team of QS’s have the knowledge, skills and resources to handle tendering several projects simultaneously, ensuring each gets the attention it deserves. They can assess the financial and material requirements, formulate strategies for each bid, and prepare comprehensive and competitive tender documents. This leaves you free to focus on what you do best – building and managing the actual projects. Additionally, when you have a QS doing your bidding, it makes you look professional. Also, PQS’s and design teams tend to favour contractors with a QS.
And the benefits continue beyond there
Working with a QS also helps to guarantee profitability for every job you take on. They are experts at identifying cost-effective methods and materials, spotting areas where money can be saved, and ensuring that you’re billing correctly for every aspect of a project. This attention to detail means you’re not only winning more jobs but also maximising the profitability of each one.
For this reason, hiring a QS on a retainer basis can be a game-changer for your business. What’s that, and how does that work? Well, a QS on retainer means the QS will tender a fixed number of jobs per month for you and manage your payment claims too. Constant, reliable support like this can help streamline your operations, ensuring that tendering for new jobs doesn’t interfere with managing your ongoing projects.
Conclusion
To sum up, you have to spend money to make money. Hiring a QS is not just an expense; it’s an investment. One that can pay off in spades by saving you money, maximising your profits, allowing you to take on more work and lifting the weight of the administration burden off your shoulders. So, why not consider bringing a QS on board next time you plan a project? You might just find that they become an invaluable part of your team.
So, the question is, how many jobs can you tender and manage on your own without a QS?