History of quantity surveying

BRIEF HISTORY OF QUANTITY SURVEYING AS A PROFESSION The origin of Quantity Surveying as a profession dates way back in the 17th century during the restoration of London after the Great Fire in 1666, though the first reference to a Quantity Surveyor is found in the Bible in the book of Luke 14:28 which says “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower, will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it. Before 1666, masons, carpenters and other craftsmen were paid by the day, but because of the large amount of labor needed to reconstruct the city after the fire, it was decided that each craftsmen be paid for the quantity of his trades work. This meant that instead of being paid a wage, the tradesmen were paid for the amount of masonry, carpentry or any other craft ship contained in the building. In essence one had to study the drawings and measure the quantity of work of each trade contained in the building and at the same time prepare an estimate for the total cost of the  building. Hence, from that humble beginning, the Quantity Surveying profession evolved.

what does the quantity surveyor do?

1. The preparation of Bills and/or Schedules of Quantities of materials, labour and services required in the construction and equipment of building, or engineering works, and;
   
   
2. The preparation and valuation of progress and final payments in connection with any contract or sub-contract, and;
   
   
3. The appraisal of the value of proposed constructions or other structures already erected, and;
   
   
4. The preparation of specifications when required so to do, and;
   
   
5. Acting as arbitrator in cases of dispute in connection with building, or engineering work, when required so to do, and;
   
   
6. To advise from time to time on cost management, or value management.
   
   
7. To carry out such other duties as may properly be those of a Quantity Surveyor.

meaning of Quantity Surveyor

 a "Quantity Surveyor" means a person educated, trained and qualified, and who is particularly and regularly engaged, for the purpose of livelihood