Quantity Surveying

School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
CENG 5101: Contract, Specification and

Quantity Survey
Chapter 3
Quantity Surveying
GETANEH GEZAHEGNE
November 2013
Contents
Quantity Surveying
1. Introduction
2. Measurement of Civil Works
3. Process of Quantity Surveying
4. Technical Specification and Method of
Measurement for Building Projects
AAU, AAiT, Contract, Specification & Quantity survey, Lecture Notes, November 2013, Getaneh G. 2
1. Introduction
1.1 General
 Once a construction project is completed or depending on
the form of contract upon completion of certain parts of
the work, the contractor must be paid for appropriately
completed works.
 This would then require that the actual works done be
somehow estimated or measured for payment purposes.
 On the other hand to estimate how much a civil
engineering project may cost, the actual quantities of
materials, labor, equipment etc. that is needed for the
construction work must be calculated at the beginning of
the work.
 Such work of calculating the amount of materials and
other incidentals necessary for the realization of the work
is called quantity surveying.
1. Introduction
1.2 Quantity Surveying: Definition
 Quantity surveying is a term or processes used in the
construction industry to take measurements of civil
works, prepare specifications, and estimate the cost of
works either for each trade of work or for the whole
project.
 The term “surveying” means to inspect, study, review,
investigate, asses, and hence “to measure” therefore the
term “quantity surveying” means “quantity measuring”
as applied to civil engineering projects.
 Quantity surveying is the application of standard
methods of measurement to quantify the amount of
various items in a construction project, for the
undertaking of valuation, and certifying payments.
1. Introduction
1.3 Major Activities in Quantity Surveying
 The following tasks are covered in quantity surveying:
 Preparation of Specification;
 Taking measurements of civil works (Taking off
quantities and preparing BOQ);
 Preparation of approximate (preliminary) cost
estimate at the very early stage of the project;
 Preparation of detail cost estimate at different stages
(taking as built measurements and preparing payment
certificates or approval of payment certificates
prepared by taking measurements); and
 Valuation of property.
1. Introduction
1.4 Purpose of Quantity Surveying
 The purpose of quantity surveying hence the preparation
of Bill of quantities is:
 Assist the client to have an accurate estimate of the
volume of work as well as the required budget;
 To assist in the accurate preparation of tenders, by
providing uniform measurement of quantities;
 To give an accurate checklist of work accomplished
 To assist in the certification of payments; and
 To give insight into the required variation work
amounts.
2.1 General
 Measurement of civil works includes the billing of each
trade of work either from drawings or the building itself
for defining the extent of works under each trade.
 In order to avoid ambiguity in measuring quantities, there
is now a recommended principle of measurement in
construction activities.
 Many professional organizations publish
recommendations on units of measurement, degree of
accuracy etc. this assists in setting a common parameters
so that dispute is avoided.
 The standard book, which is used in Ethiopia, is Standard
Technical Specification & Method of Measurement for
Construction of Buildings by BaTCoDA, March 1991; and
 Ethiopian Roads Authority Standard Specification, 2002 is
used for Road Construction.
2.2 Principles of Measurement
 The following are list of the basic principles of quantity
surveying, applicable to all items of work.
 Each work section of a bill shall contain a brief
description of the nature and location of work;
 Work shall be measured net as fixed in position;
 Measure the full work area and adjust deductions later;
 Items which are to be measured by area shall state the
thickness or such other information as may be
appropriate;
 Items which are to be measured by length or depth shall
state the cross-sectional size and shape, girth or ranges
of girths or such other information as may be appropriate;
 Items which are to be measured by weight shall state the
material thickness and unit weight if appropriate ( Ex.
Duct work);
2.2 Principles of Measurement
 List of the basic principles of quantity surveying……
 Piece of work shall be taken in numbers;
 For items of pipe work it shall be stated whether the
diameter is internal or external;
 Mass voluminous and thick works shall be measured
in volume (cubic meter);
 Thin, shallow and surface work shall be measured in
area (meter square) specifying the thickness;
 Long and thin work shall be measured in length
(linear measure, running meter); and
 Bills are deemed to include labor, materials, goods
and plant and all associated costs for fixing,
assembling, etc.
2.3 Units of Measurement
 Depending on the prevailing system of measurement in
any locality, quantities may be measured in the FPS
system or the metric system.
 Here in Ethiopia, the most common unit of measurement
is the International System of Units, or the metric system
of units in which the various items are measured as
follows:
 For the measurement of length Meter (m)
 For the measurement of mass Kilogram (Kg)
 For the measurement of time Second (s)
 For the measurement of current Ampere (A)
 For the measurement of temperature Degree Kelvin (K)
 For the measurement of luminous intensity Candles (Cd)
2.4 Degrees of Accuracy of Measurement
 The following degree of accuracy is normally used.
 All dimensions measure to the nearest 0.01m
 Thickness of slab measure to the nearest 0.005m
 Wood work measure to the nearest 0.002m
 Steel work measure to the nearest 0.001m
 Reinforcement measure to the nearest 0.005m
 Road work measure to the nearest 0.005m
 Areas measure to the nearest 0.01 meter square
 Steel work areas measure to the nearest 0.001 meter square
 Volume measure to the nearest 0.01 meter cube
 Wood work volume measure to the nearest 0.001 meter cubes
 Weights measure to the nearest 1 kg
 There are four clearly defined steps in preparation of Bill
of Quantities:
 Taking off,
 Squaring,
 Abstracting, and
 Writing the final Bill of Quantity.
3.1 Taking Off

 This is a process of measuring or scaling dimensions
from drawings and recording all dimensions in an easily
understood format.
 This is coupled with the descriptions in the drawings and
specification.
3.1 Taking Off
 In this task the quantity surveyor “take off” the quantities
from the drawings and determines the volume of work to
be done for the various components.
 These quantities are calculated in a specially prepared
format, as to aid accurate preparation and enable
checking/rechecking or adjusting of amounts and
correcting errors if any.
 These special formats are called “Take off sheets” or
“Dimension Paper”.
 The dimension paper used for taking off is usually
double-ruled as shown (A4 size).
3.1 Taking Off
Title
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
Page Page
3.1 Taking Off
 Column 1 is used for stating the number of times an item
occurs and is called the timising column.
 Column 2 is called dimension column as it is used to
enter the dimensions of the items of works.
 The dimensions are entered in the order indicated below:
Length, Width, Height or Thickness.
 Column 3 is called squaring column. The stated
dimensions in column 2 are multiplied to determine the
quantity of the work either in ml, m2, m3 or in Pcs. or No.
 Column 4 is called description column and description of
the work item is briefly stated.
3.1 Taking Off
3.1 Taking Off
3.1 Taking Off
 A separate sheet (Bar Schedule) is used to prepare
reinforcement quantities as shown below.
3.1 Taking Off
3.2 Squaring
 The dimensions entered in Column 2 are squared or
cubed as the case may be, multiplied by the timising
factor, and the result entered in Column 3. This task is
called squaring.
 All squared dimensions should be carefully checked by
another person before abstracting, and if correct the item
should be ticked with red. Use two decimal places.
3.3 Abstracting
 The squared dimensions are transferred to abstract
sheets and all similar dimensions are collected in the
same category to obtain the total quantity of each item.
3.4 Writing the final Bill
 After the abstract sheets have been completed and
checked, the final Bill of Quantity is written.
 The dimensions are copied from the abstracts, and as each
item is transferred it should be ticked by a vertical line
from the abstract sheets.
 The description of each item in the final BoQ should be
short, precise and descriptive as per the specification.
3.4 Writing the final Bill
3.5 Basic Principles of Taking Off
 The following tasks are part of the Taking Off:
 Describing the item,
 Bracketing (relating the description to the quantity),
 Timising,
 Dotting on (adding to the timising factor),
 The Ampersand (ditto),
 Waste calculations,
 Deduction of items, and
 Correction of dimensions (nullifying).
 The following principles shall be considered in taking off:
1. Drawings shall be fully understood and clearly detailed.
2. Works, which cannot be measured accurately, shall be
expressed as provisional quantity (PQ) and will result in
provisional sum (PS) and lump sum (LS)
3. There shall be the understanding that measurements are
taken to the nearest cm.
4. Built items shall generally include all possible entrants
like labor, materials (including storing, loading,
unloading and handling), fixing, use of plant and
equipment, wastage of materials, equipment; which will
result in a better process for establishing prices and
profit.
 The following principles shall be considered in taking off:
5. Prior knowledge of the regulations is necessary (For
E.g. roofing is measured in horizontal projection).
6. Measurements of civil works shall be carried out in
such a way that it can be easily checked and audited.
3.6 Types of Taking Off
 Mensuration – the calculation of geometric quantities
such as length, area, and volume, from dimensions and
angles that are already known.
 Girth (perimeter) computation – linear measurement.
There are various methods of taking off quantities for
computation of girth.
 In-to-in and out-to-out method – some wall lengths are
taken out to out and others in to in (offsets are added to
out to out lengths) and same are deducted from in -to-in
lengths; used for any type of measurement irrespective of
condition of symmetry.
 Centre line method – suitable only when the cross
sections of all walls are symmetrical. In this method
Centre line length is found and same is used for taking
off quantities (therefore only width and depth vary).
3.6 Types of Taking Off
 Girth (perimeter) computation
 Crossing method – lengths and breadths of walls as
shown in plan are taken for working out various items
and this method is useful only if the offsets of footings
are symmetrical.
A. Out – to - Out and In – to – In Method
 Long Wall (Out – to - Out ) = Inner Length + 2 Times
Thickness of the Wall
 Short Wall (In – to – In ) = Outer Length - 2 Times
B. Center Line Method
 All dimensions are taken center to center.
C. Crossing Method
 Long Wall (Out – to - Out ) = Inner Length + 2 Times
Short
 Contract,
AAU, AAiT, Wall (In
Specification – tosurvey,
& Quantity – InLecture
) =Notes,
Inner Length
November 2013, Getaneh G. 27
4. Technical Specification & Method of Measurement
for Building Projects
 The following specifications and methods of
measurement are provided to guide the quantity surveyor
in the preparation of quantities for a building project.
 A typical building project will have the following work
items.
A-SUB STRUCTURE
1 Excavation and earth work
2 Concrete Works
3 Masonry work
B. SUPER STRUCTURE
1 Concrete Works
2 Block Works
3 Roofing
4 Carpentry and Joinery
5 Metal Works/Almunium work
6 Glazing
7 Finishing
8 Painting
9 Sanitary installation
10 Electrical installation
11 Fence Work
4.1 Substructure
 Any structure below the ground floor slab level including
the basement, retaining walls, ground slab, grade beam,
and foundation is called a substructure.
 In most of the cases, substructure work can be
categorized as follows:
 Excavation and earthworks (mandatory)
 Concrete works (can be neglected sometimes)
 Masonry works (mandatory)
4.1 Substructure
4.1.1 Excavation and earth works
A) Site clearance
 Carbonatious elements are not good in concrete, steel and
timber works. In soils under structures even 5% of these
elements will damage the structure.
 Therefore, these materials (including trees, bushes and
the top 20 to 30 cm soil), termite hills, any other
obstruction, have to be cleared.
 A working space of 1m is required on each side. It is
sometimes necessary to prepare separate specification for
obstructions (demolition works) because reusable items
like doors and windows are there.
4.1 Substructure
B) Excavation (bulk excavation)
 Excavation to get reduced levels of every structural
element below the ground level is called bulk excavation.
They are subdivided as follows depending on the
subsurface condition.
 Ordinary soil:- with boulders and without boulders and can
easily be removed by shovel.
 Weathered rock:- it can be divided easily without blasting.
 Rock:- bedded rocks that cannot be dug without blasting
(requires using explosives).
 Note: - Working space for bulk excavation is 25 cm (not
used for shallow masonry).
 Depth of excavation less than 30 cm – measured per m2
,depth > 30 cm per m 3
4.1 Substructure
C) Fill/ Embankment
 Shall be measured in m3 of net volume to be filled.
 Fill is required because the reduced level of every
structural element above the structure has to be covered.
 Excavation and embankment should not be added at a
time in computing their volume, because their costs are
different.
 The major consideration under embankment is
compaction. Compaction is done usually at 20 cm lift
thickness. The subdivisions under fill are:
 Back fill: - filling by using the excavated soil but by removing
coarse particles.
 Borrow fill: - filling by using fill material from another place
when there is shortage of fill or when better quality material is
required.
4.1 Substructure
D) Disposal
 Disposal - cleaning the building area including cart away.
E) Sundry Items
 Application of termite proof solution, providing hard
coring, dust blinding, expansion joints, etc are itemized as
sundry items; measured in m2.
4.1 Substructure
4.1.2 Concrete works
A) Concrete
 Cast-in-situ concrete:– formed on site and requires
formwork and reinforcement.
 Cast in situ concrete shall be measured by volume except
in ribbed slabs and grouting.
 Prefabricated concrete:– fabricated (manufactured) in a
factory and brought to the site and joined to make a
building. It does not require formwork but needs a special
care when connecting the different elements.
 Pre-tensioned (Post tensioned) Concrete:– involves in
bending up the concrete itself to make it ready for the
downward bending due to load
4.1 Substructure
A) Concrete
 Concrete ancillaries:- include windowsills, lintels,
expansion joints, and permanent and temporary
embedded materials. It is measured in ml or enumerated.
 Grades of Concrete:
 C5 & C7:- lean concrete, to protect the structural
concrete from damage;
 C15:- for totally supported structural elements;
 C20:- used for slabs; mix proportion is 1:2:4;
 C25:- Commonly used grade of structural Concrete;
mix proportion is 1:2:3; and
 C30:–Used for chemical stores and nuclear plants.
4.1 Substructure
B) Formwork
 A temporary structural element, which supports slabs,
beams in casting concrete. It shall be designed and
erected to safely support, vertical and lateral loads that
might be applied until such load can be supported by the
concrete structure.
 Period of removal (minimum):
 Vertical formwork to columns, walls and beams: 16 hrs
 Soffits formwork to slab: 21 days
 props to cantilever slabs: 14 days
 Soffits formwork to beams: 21 days
 Props to cantilever beams: 14 days
4.1 Substructure
C) Reinforcement Bars
 The type and diameter should be clearly stated and shall
be measured in Kg.
4.1.3 Masonry Works
 Masonry works are works that are executed by laying
building material units of specified dimension through a
binding material such as mortar.
 Stone obtained from quarries shall be hard and sound,
free from vents, cracks, fishers, discoloration or other
defects that will adversely affect strength or appearance.
4.1 Substructure
4.1.3 Masonry Works
 Stone chips to be produced shall not be less than 450 mm
average and 380 mm in individual length. Stone for
various masonry works shall be selected and shaped as
follows:
 Stone for facing works shall generally be selected for
consistency in grain, color and texture ,throughout the
work
 Stone for below ground work shall be chiseled from
natural stone
 Stone wall is measured by volume, whereas stone
pavement is measured by area, specifying thickness.
4.2 Super Structure
4.2.1 Concrete Works
4.2.2 Block Works
4.2.3 Roofing
4.2.4 Carpentry & Joinery
4.2.5 Metal Work (Aluminum Work)
4.2.6 Glazing
4.2.7 Finishing
4.2.8 Painting
4.2.9 Electrical Installation
4.2.10 Sanitary Installation
THANK YOU!

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School of Civil and Environmental Engineering

CENG 5101: Contract, Specification and

3.1 Taking Off

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