Quantity surveying services: choose the output your project needs
Quantity surveying services from Yaakov Avital connect project drawings with a structured list of work and quantities that can be checked and issued to contractors. You can commission measurement for selected trades, a bill of quantities, work packages or an update following a design change. The starting point is your purpose and the information available, with the review scope and deliverables defined in a written proposal.
Quantity surveying services: choose the output you need
Before choosing a service, identify what you need to do with the result. Checking a concrete quantity, inviting a main contractor to quote and appointing subcontractors directly are different tasks. They call for different item groupings, levels of detail and supporting documents. Work can start with a defined scope and continue as the design develops, without presenting incomplete information as a complete bill.
| Your purpose | Relevant service | Agree in advance |
|---|---|---|
| Establish the planned quantities | Quantity takeoff | Trades, buildings, floors and measurement sources |
| Obtain quotations on a common basis | Contractor or tender BOQ | Descriptions, units, quantities and work boundaries |
| Appoint subcontractors directly | Separate work packages | Package responsibilities and shared site items |
| Understand design changes | Update an existing calculation or bill | Baseline, new revision and comparison scope |
This table helps with selection; the proposal defines the actual scope. Two projects with similar floor areas can require different work. Multiple buildings, non-repeating floors, basements or missing design information affect the review. The scope is therefore assessed from the task and documents, rather than floor area alone.
Quantity takeoff and a usable bill
Quantity takeoff measures work from PDF and DWG drawings or a Revit model, according to the supplied information and agreed scope. Results are organised by trade and the project's agreed divisions. Source references, document revisions and assumptions explain the measurement basis. Where a floor-by-floor or building breakdown is needed, define it at the start and check that the information supports it.
For a bill of quantities, the calculations are organised into items with work descriptions, units and quantities. The descriptions help contractors understand the requested work and help the client check that quotations cover the same scope. The deliverable is an Excel file, divided into the agreed sections and stages, with assumptions and missing information identified. Read more about the structure of a bill of quantities.
For example, a commission covering the structural frame does not automatically include finishes and building services. If finishes have not yet been designed, they can be identified as a later stage. This makes the distinction between completed measurement and work awaiting a decision or document visible to the reader.
Work packages and consultants' bills
Where the client appoints several subcontractors directly, the bill can be divided into trade packages. Each package defines its work boundaries and interfaces: supply versus installation, background preparation, completion work and execution conditions. Shared site items are shown separately in the agreed structure so that gaps or overlaps between packages can be identified.
You can also commission the assembly of consultants' bills into a tender booklet. Electrical, mechanical, plumbing and other received bills are incorporated as supplied, with the specifications packaged in a zip file. This is document assembly; the consultants retain responsibility for their professional content. A missing section is identified as missing rather than replaced by an invented bill to make the booklet look complete.
Contractor quotations, prices and design updates
Contractor outreach and collection of quotations are a separate service. The client selects the contractor list. Within the agreed scope, the work can include distributing documents, tracking responses and collecting quotations for comparison. The review considers scope, qualifications and missing items as well as the final total. The number and timing of responses depend on the contractors. Some invited contractors may not submit a quotation.
Pricing is an extra service: verbal feedback on prices together with the client, with no commitment. For the full public-body service, the final tender estimate is based on a known, published price list, according to the agreed service route and scope. The quantity surveyor fee guide explains the fees; your written proposal defines the price and deliverables for your project.
When a new design revision arrives, you can commission a comparison and update of the quantities and items within the agreed scope. Each deliverable includes one revision round where there is no design change. Design changes, new revisions or materially new information are priced separately. A focused quantity check or consultation can be agreed as hourly work with a defined task.
What to prepare and how the work starts
- Describe the project. State the building type, current stage and purpose: measurement, tender bill, work packages or an update.
- Identify the available documents. Include drawings, a model if available, specifications, schedules and any earlier bill. Identify the current revisions and missing inputs.
- Define the important boundaries. Which trades, buildings and floors are included, and who will coordinate answers and clarifications?
- Clarification and proposal. The information is reviewed, questions are raised as needed and a written proposal sets out stages, deliverables and payment terms.
Further questions may emerge during the work. They are recorded as they become clear rather than concealed within a quantity. Use of the deliverables and their distribution to contractors for pricing are defined in the written proposal and engagement terms. Deliverables are provided for review at the agreed stages.
Define the service before measurement starts. Quantity surveying services do not automatically include every trade, estimates, contractor outreach, site supervision or project management. A clear scope shows what you receive and which responsibilities remain with other parties.
Yaakov Avital: measurement informed by execution
A quantity surveyor may have an engineering or registered building technician background. Yaakov Avital is a registered building technician and quantity surveyor who measures every detail like a contractor. In practice, this means checking the work description alongside the quantity: where the item applies, what information supports it and which clarification is needed to use it.
Contact quantity surveyor Yaakov Avital through the website form with a project description and the available information. If you are unsure which output to commission, describe the decision you need to make. That helps establish a suitable service and a clear scope.
Frequently asked questions
Can I commission measurement for one trade only?
Yes. Define the trade, measurement areas, source documents and required output. The proposal can cover that specific scope, with additional trades agreed separately.
What happens when drawings are missing?
The available information is assessed to establish what can be done, with the gaps made visible. Missing information is not a zero quantity, and an unmeasured section is not presented as complete. Further work depends on the outstanding inputs.
Does a BOQ include a price for every item?
A bill containing descriptions, units and quantities can be issued to contractors for their prices. Price feedback and estimates are not automatically included; they are defined separately according to the purpose and selected service route.
Have a project? Tell me briefly what the project is and what already exists. When the project is a good fit, I usually reply with focused questions and a written quote.
Contact me for a quote* Created with AI for marketing, for illustration only. Not reviewed by Yaakov Avital and not professional advice. Every project must be checked on its own by a professional quantity surveyor and an engineer.