Proposal To Investigate Factors

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Department of Engineering, Mangosuthu University of Technology, Durban, South Africa

[email protected]

Abstract:

The main objective of this report is to track "Where Quantity Surveying as a profession is heading."

Quantity implies amount, number, measure, extent, size, magnitude and mass. Surveyor denotes inspector, assessor, examiner, reviewer and evaluator.

The name Quantity Surveyor was originally derived from the initial need for the profession; which is to compile a Bill of Quantities with measurements taken off plans, with full descriptions of material used plus specific work and quantities required. A Bill of Quantities is also utilised by contractors when submitting tenders in order to secure work.

Currently, Quantity Surveyor functions involve numerous activities. It is these activities that far remove the profession from that of simple "brick counting."

With the changing environment, the quantity surveyor has evolved to satisfy the marketplace by filling the gaps across diverse industries, as is reflected in industry changes, title changes and education.

Quantity Surveyors are employed under various titles, namely those of Construction Cost Consultants, Building or Construction Economists, Cost Engineers and Commercial Managers.

The cluster sampling survey method was used, which involved pilot interviews and structured questionnaire surveys. Investigations were limited to the views expressed by both students of Quantity Surveying and professionals employed outside the traditional construction industry who were members of the South African Council of Quantity Surveyors, although the views of practitioners with no professional affiliations were also sought. Content analysis, descriptive statistics, multi-attribute techniques and rank correlation tests were used in the analysis of the research data.

The potential outputs of this work in progress could include changes in courses at tertiary institutions or the introduction of new courses, a name change for Quantity Surveying as a profession.

Keywords:

Changing, Effects, Evolution, Quantity Surveying

1 Introduction

Historically, the three major employers of Quantity Surveyors were; professional Quantity Surveying firms (PQS), municipalities and government departments, as well as construction and civil engineering companies.

Quantity Surveyors are increasingly employed across several industries, ranging from chemical e.g. Fluor, communications e.g. Telkom, electrical e.g. Eskom, oil refineries e.g. Sapref. What does this mean regarding the demand for the profession? This report will also strive to ascertain what they are doing there, how they are valued and so forth.

The option of working in an industry of your choosing elevates the status of quantity surveying as a profession. This should be tantamount to greater job opportunities and employment security, further enhancing quantity surveying as a target profession. How does this impact on students’ career choice?

Due to the range of services currently provided, the profession is becoming less reliant on construction, as it places more emphasis on finance, which enables greater involvement in other industries such as insurance, banking, law, and property management.

2 Literature Review

2.1 The Establishment of Quantity Surveying

2.1.1. Political Perspective

Further research is recommended to investigate whether it would be feasible to incorporate the con- cepts of professional ethics as discussed in the literature into a code of ethics in the form of ‘ethical decision- making models’. Bayles (1989) contends that profes- sional ethics is not simply an application of narrow ethical theories but involves political, social and legal philosophy as well. Professional ethics can be properly analysed only against a set of social values and a conception of the general role of professions in society. All decision-making models discussed above in the background section were developed mainly in the busi- ness field. Although there are some similarities in the constituents of decision-making there are significant differences in the nature and conditions of work in business in general and in the construction sector in particular. A decision-making model for the construc- tion/surveying professions would therefore, in our view, be useful. Such a model may have a role to play in maintaining ethical standards and in guiding younger surveyors towards the higher standards of ethics at work. Fan et al. (2001)

In the last two decades, many cases have been revealed associated with ethical misconduct in all areas of the construction professions, such as engineering and surveying. Some of the practices of surveying profes- sionals are defective from the moral point of view, despite the impression conveyed by their code of ethics and other ideological instruments. Traditional ideas on the surveying profession and professional conduct have been challenged by recent social, political and tech- nological changes. It is the main theme of this research to study the ethical behaviour of the surveying profes- sion in order to reveal its perception, attitude and response towards ethics and ethical dilemmas. Fan et al. (2001)

These are all predominantly clerical tasks. Reasons cited under ‘Other’ sources of dissatisfaction included: perceived incompetence of other professionals; poor documenta- tion from, and lack of faith in, designers; bureaucracy; dealing with government officials (political interfer- ence); disparaging attitudes displayed towards White women by Black male clients; contractual disputes; professional appointments made on the basis of affirmative action; and dealing with incompetent emerging contractors. Bowen et al. (2008a)

Based on the result tabulated,

the most important external factor is "industry-related issue" which ranked first, having a MS of 4.545. As construction is a project-based activity, the timely availability of resources (building materials) is of paramount importance. It will affect the

construction time performance if certain resources are not available on time.

The factor ranked second in Table VIII is "nature", having a MS of 4.364. Weather conditions and site environment can influence the speed of the project completion. Economic situation of the country also affects the success of the construction project,

which is ranked third and having a MS of 4.182. A stable economic condition, inflation rate as well as economic policy friendly to investors will increase the likelihood of the project success. Construction technology, political and social factors are ranked third,

fourth and fifth, respectively.

Yong and Mustaffa (2012)

The trends noted above are interesting in a number of respects. Significantly the inclusion of the word "Royal" is consistently seen as a most significant political barrier.

BSs in Oceania perceive RICS lack of support becoming more significant in the future. There is an even split in terms of whether remaining political barriers are becoming more of less significant over time, however, the majority of political barriers are in the

mid-range. The one economic barrier was considered of low significance and unlikely to change from the present to the future. The sociological barriers scored highest of all barriers. The most significant sociological barriers were cultural prejudices about

"outsiders" and the broader remits vested in indigenous professionals which is perhaps to be expected. This was followed closely by the problems associated with lack of local

There is a scarcity of competent Quantity Surveyors in the various industries (AIQS, 2010).

In recent years, qualified and experienced Quantity Surveyors have been in great demand. However, this was not always the case. In the past, this demand was dependant on the engineering, building and construction industries.  These industries booms resulted in increased demand for Quantity Surveyors, although the opposite was also true.

By the middle of the 20th century Quantity Surveying had evolved to a recognised profession in the construction industry (Ashworth and Willis, 1995). Quantity Surveying had developed into the traditional role of keeping accounts and controlling of construction costs for both the client and the builder.

The prime role of the quantity surveyor pivots around the aspect of cost control of projects (Willis and Trench, 1999). From initiation to handover, project control requires an intimate knowledge of various crucial aspects, viz. experience of the construction process , an ability to foresee the likely effect of economic trends and contractor’s prices .

Quantity Surveyors are construction economists who fulfil comprehensive and varied duties in order to support property development projects and cost-effective construction. (Ilias et al., 2010).

A Quantity Surveyors area of expertise include preparing contract documentation, administering contracts, preparing final accounts, measuring project quantities, utilising Bills of Quantities and financial control documents, and calculation of project budgets.

Since 1836, Quantity Surveying has been recognised as a professional discipline that is certainly different from that of civil engineering or architecture, as such, this does not remove the profession from threats and changes in its surrounding environment. Other role players in the construction industry have been judgemental about the quality of output delivered by the profession.

Equally under criticism is the relevance of appointing Quantity Surveyors as project consultants. As a result of these challenges, the profession needs to gather and address these issues, in order to ensure their longevity as a profession. The same is true for all other stakeholders who may also have a countable interest in the development of the profession. This includes professionals, students and educators.

Every profession evolves in response to the ever-increasing changes in the global business environment (Marcel and Jasper, 2009).

In order to remain relevant, globally competitive and successful, South African Quantity Surveyors need constantly to scan their business landscape to discern new directions and to adapt to imminent changes in their professional practice. This study aims to investigate the current areas of, and future directions in, quantity surveying practice in the South African construction industry; imminent opportunities and threats; and ways to proactively maximise the opportunities and minimise the threats.

The results of a questionnaire, derived from a structured survey exhibited 23 clear abilities. These were ascertained from literature as well as from comprehensive transcripts conducted with specially chosen practitioners. The importance of technically orientated competencies were rated of high in importance with regards to current services, while management orientated competencies were rated high in importance in terms of future services (Nkado and Meyer, 2001).

Quantity Surveying firms that offer services overseas have more staff than non-exporters. They also handle larger projects and offer a wider range of services (Ling and Chan, 2008).

Recent practice, however, has gone back to the original intent of value engineering, i.e., to improve the value of the end product or service (McDuff, 2001). This typically means that the client is going to receive more for their money because of the practice of value engineering.

2.2 Current and Future Trends of Quantity Surveying

Quantity Surveyors are also employed by large engineering companies as well as housing agencies (AGCAS, 1994). Specialist home builders seek the expertise of Quantity Surveyors, as do some trading agencies, including any public committees who control extensive property investments. Multinational mechanical contractors and energy conglomerates regularly employ Quantity Surveyors under the unconventional title of Cost Engineer.

The University of Salford is offering post graduate Electrical Quantity Surveying courses, Mechanical Quantity Surveying courses and Electrical Mechanical Quantity Surveying courses (Salford, 2011).

These courses are accredited by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. The MSc Quantity Surveying in Mechanical & Electrical programme is aimed at the mechanical and electrical sectors.

Due to the increased importance on low carbon emissions and viability in modern technology, previously unfamiliar roles are developing for the Mechanical & Electrical Quantity Surveyor in the areas of sustainability, renewable energy, energy management and low carbon technologies, promoting the provision of careers and employability.

Buildings, being responsible for approximately 50% of all carbon emissions, plays a significant role in combating climate change.

The demand for Quantity Surveyors is comparatively consistent (AIQS, 2010). The numerous services provided by the profession relies more on finance and property management, and is becoming less dependant on construction.

Quantity Surveyors are known by various names. They are referred to as Cost Engineers, Construction Cost Consultants, Estimators and Building / Construction Economists.

A description of the quantity surveying profession states that, Quantity Surveyors are involved in other industries such as insurance, banking, law etc., as well as being involved in all aspects of construction (University, 2010).

An article in a career recruitment company further speaks of a Chartered Quantity Surveyor working as a Commercial Manager (Kempthorne, 2010).

As a job description for a Quantity Surveying role, it was stipulated that market need creates evolved Quantity Surveyors (Construction, 2011).

Quantity Surveyors meet the ever evolving needs of their clients, offering a vast range of services as depicted in the following website article (Brown, 2010).

Today several Quantity Surveyors have explored opportunities out of the boundaries of construction industry, examples being the financial industry, insurance industry, manufacturing industry and real estate sector (NISA et al., 2006).

Quantity Surveyors as emphasised, are one of the key professional experts in the construction sector, as such they have the utmost responsibility to address the key areas of financial, cost and contractual issues of the construction process. These areas are greatly influenced by environmental controls, and as such, are very reactive to changes that are specific to every project (Senaratne and Sabesan, 2008).

The new approaches in construction culture, procurement strategies, changing markets, delivering added value and supply chain management, partnering, private finance initiatives have directed the construction industry towards a new route of evolvement (Cartlidge, 2002). The importance of this is further emphasised due to the declining role of manufacturing and increasing growth in the service sector of the economy.

In order to subsist and grow in the future, Quantity Surveying profession has the utmost necessity to respond to the accelerating social, technological, economical and environmental changes quickly as well as productively (Surveyors, 1992).

Since the needs and expectations of the clients are ever changing facts, in order to compete and to excel in the profession, Quantity Surveyors have to acquire and operate wide range of diverse skills outside the normal traditional Quantity Surveying role (Pathirage and Amaratunga, 2006).

The changing nature of the construction and development industry such as the adoption of innovative technological processes and development, the emergence of highly focused professionals and the full range of advanced technologies will necessitate a much stronger emphasis on job competencies than ever before (Lenard, 2000).

The findings are important given the increasing globalization of construction services, especially given the international ties between designers, Quantity Surveyors and other built environment professionals (Bowen et al., 2010).

3. Research Methodology

Qualitative:

In order to achieve results, use of pilot interviews and cluster sampling questionnaire surveys will be employed. With regards to the analysis of research data, content analysis, descriptive statistics, multi-attribute techniques and rank correlation tests will be used.

Providing Supporting evidence – industry happenings

Developing Questionnaires – industry awareness / feedback

Researching written material on industry patterns.

4. Findings and Discussions

Potential Outputs include:

Changes in courses or and introduction of new courses at tertiary institutions.

A growth in Quantity Surveying to include specialisation in other industries e.g. MSc/ Pg Dip-Quantity Surveying Mechanical & Electrical) aimed specifically at the mechanical and electrical industries.

There is a potential of offering further courses at tertiary institutions, namely petrochemical, banking, insurance, law, and so forth.

5. Conclusions and Further Research

A Profession name change might also be in order.

If in fact there are many other industries employing Quantity Surveyors, this spells good news for the profession. A knock on effect would be an increase in the number of students applying to study Quantity Surveying as a career, as it moves away from the traditional construction approach. Throughput rates will also be affected, as a greater number of students could have access to in-service training earlier. For the long term, course material/notes might change/adapt to suit the various sectors, as each, having subtle differences in approaches would need the necessary curriculum and syllabus changes.

The Quantity Surveying profession is at an exciting juncture. For those professional who are willing to embrace the challenges of future and emerging technologies, keen on research and innovative, opportunities and rewards will be high.

6. Acknowledgements

The contributions made by the co author, Professor Peter Utting, have been and continue to prove invaluable. The clear direction received in many instances has led to a growth in my writing and thought processes for which I remain appreciative