What does a quantity surveyor cost? Prices, what affects them and an illustrative calculator
What does a quantity surveyor cost? My price is set by a price list according to the size of the building, for a contractor's BOQ for tender that includes the structure, the finishes and the external works. So that you can get a feel for it before we talk, I made a calculator: one slider that runs by price, from the first point on the list, a small house with structure and external works, to a project with three building types in a luxury specification. Every point on the slider is a price from the list, with a building the size of that bracket, what the BOQ includes, the specification, the typical duration and a picture. If you prefer, enter the area in m² and choose options, and the calculator jumps to the matching bracket.
Calculator: what a quantity surveyor costs, the whole price list on one slider
Have the figures? Enter the area in m² and choose options
After you enter it, the slider jumps to the matching bracket of the list. An area that has no number on the list gets "By quote".
The calculator shows my price list for a typical contractor's BOQ for tender, excluding VAT, and a typical duration. The price is for the BOQ of the building works only (structure, finishes and external works) and does not include the consultants' BOQs (electrical, plumbing, air conditioning and the like), which are priced separately. It is not a quote and not a commitment to a timetable: the price and the timetable for your project are set in a separate written quote, after I see the material.
The price list: a contractor's BOQ by building size
| Building size | Price, excluding VAT | Typical duration from receipt of complete documents |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 150 m², with structure and external works | ₪3,500 | Up to a week |
| Up to 200 m² | ₪6,000 | Up to a week |
| Up to 350 m², for example a villa of 250 to 300 m² | ₪7,000 | Up to a week |
| Up to 5,000 m², for example a building of about 4,000 m² including parking | ₪25,000 | Three to six weeks |
| Up to 10,000 m² | ₪30,000 | About six weeks |
| Up to 20,000 m² | ₪35,000 | About six weeks |
| Up to 40,000 m² | ₪40,000 | A month and a half to two months |
| Up to 60,000 m² | ₪45,000 | A month and a half to two months |
| Up to 80,000 m² | ₪50,000 | A month and a half to two months |
| Up to 100,000 m² | ₪55,000 | A month and a half to two months |
| Up to 100,000 m², with three building types | ₪70,000 | A month and a half to two months |
| A commercial centre up to 40,000 m² | ₪35,000 | Four to six weeks |
The price list is for the BOQ of the building works only (structure, finishes and external works); the consultants' BOQs are not included. It assumes that at least half of the area is typical: floors or buildings that repeat themselves. It is subject to a specific quote for each project, and the prices exclude VAT. The duration is typical, counted from the day all the material arrives (a model, or drawings and specifications), and it is not a commitment: the timetable for each project is set in the quote.
The same price list for other projects: retail, institutions and infrastructure
The table above was built for buildings, but the same scale by m² serves other project types as well. The difference is which area is measured. The price is the fee for preparing the BOQ, not the construction cost, and it is subject to a written quote for each project.
| Project type | The area measured |
|---|---|
| Commercial centre | Total built area, including basements and car parks. In the calculator a commercial centre has its own price up to 40,000 m² |
| Hospital | Total built area; when the work is inside an existing building, the area where the work is done |
| Hotel | Total built area, including basements and service areas |
| Roads and external works | The subgrade area: carriageways, pavements and paths |
| Sewage, drainage and water infrastructure | The length of the lines times the theoretical trench width |
| Bridges | The deck area: length times width |
| Sports pitches | The area within the works boundary: pitch, margins, stand, paths and parking. The changing-room building by its own built area |
| Wastewater treatment plant | The area of the buildings and the ponds; pipelines by length times trench width |
An example: a road with a subgrade area of about 7,600 m² falls into the bracket up to 10,000 m². A sewer line 4,345 metres long with a theoretical trench width of 1.2 metres is about 5,200 m², and falls into the same bracket.
The pictures are illustrations generated with artificial intelligence, not real projects.
A typical neighbourhood, and why the price per m² goes down
In a small building every floor is different and every detail is measured separately. In a tower, once the typical floor has been measured and checked, the floors identical to it mainly need checking. In a typical neighbourhood, where all the buildings are identical, this stands out even more: a neighbourhood can reach hundreds of thousands of m², but I measure one typical building, check that the others really are identical to it, and multiply. That is why in such a neighbourhood the price is set by the number of building types and not by the total area.
Price list for government and public bodies, by the Ministry of Defence tariff
For government ministries, local authorities and public bodies in Israel, the fee is set as a percentage of the building value, not per m². This price list is built on the Israeli Ministry of Defence tariff for design work, chapter 2.29 "Specifications and bills of quantities" (edition 01, August 2020): in each bracket of building value it takes the highest quota of the tariff's five tables (simple, regular, complex, purpose-built and public buildings). The building value is the estimated construction cost of each separate tender.
Bracket: building value ₪10 millionBOQ only: ₪21,180
Bracket: building value ₪50 millionBOQ only: ₪93,300
Bracket: building value ₪200 millionBOQ only: ₪300,000| Building value | Basic fee quota | BOQ only (60%) | With tender management (full fee) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ₪2,000,000 | 0.368% | ₪4,416 | ₪7,360 |
| ₪5,000,000 | 0.376% | ₪11,280 | ₪18,800 |
| ₪10,000,000 | 0.353% | ₪21,180 | ₪35,300 |
| ₪20,000,000 | 0.331% | ₪39,720 | ₪66,200 |
| ₪30,000,000 | 0.323% | ₪58,140 | ₪96,900 |
| ₪40,000,000 | 0.317% | ₪76,080 | ₪126,800 |
| ₪50,000,000 | 0.311% | ₪93,300 | ₪155,500 |
| ₪60,000,000 | 0.305% | ₪109,800 | ₪183,000 |
| ₪70,000,000 | 0.301% | ₪126,420 | ₪210,700 |
| ₪80,000,000 | 0.298% | ₪143,040 | ₪238,400 |
| ₪90,000,000 | 0.294% | ₪158,760 | ₪264,600 |
| ₪100,000,000 | 0.290% | ₪174,000 | ₪290,000 |
| ₪120,000,000 | 0.282% | ₪203,040 | ₪338,400 |
| ₪140,000,000 | 0.275% | ₪231,000 | ₪385,000 |
| ₪160,000,000 | 0.270% | ₪259,200 | ₪432,000 |
| ₪180,000,000 | 0.268% | ₪289,440 | ₪482,400 |
| ₪200,000,000 | 0.250% | ₪300,000 | ₪500,000 |
BOQ only means items 1, 2 and 4 of the tariff's partial services: a site visit, clarifications with the client and guidance for the designers and consultants (5%), collecting, checking and approving the designers' and consultants' drawings, bills of quantities, specifications and estimates (5%), and preparing the specifications and the bill of quantities (50%). Tender management adds items 3, 5 and 6: a draft of the overall tender (10%), a final estimate for the tender by a known, published price list (15%), and editing the tender booklet and accompanying the tender process (15%).
- Identical buildings: the fee is calculated on the value of one building, plus the value of the items that are not identical in the other buildings.
- An additional tender in the same engagement: the fee for each additional tender is reduced by 10%.
- Price agreement: a final, fixed price set at the start of the work, based on estimated hours and the duration of the work.
The prices exclude VAT. A value between two brackets and all other terms follow the tariff and the engagement; where the client body has a tariff of its own, that tariff applies.
What raises and what lowers the price of a quantity surveyor
- Luxury specification: urban renewal in a simple specification, with a plaster façade and standard aluminium, and luxury urban renewal, with stone cladding, glass balustrades, penthouses and a specification for each flat type, are not the same BOQ. Luxury has more items and more details, so the price is higher.
- An existing building, TAMA 38 or a renovation: demolition, strengthening and surveys of the existing state add work, so the price goes up.
- No model: when there is only DWG or PDF, the measurement is more manual and the price goes up. An orderly Revit model saves time.
- Splitting into packages for subcontractors: each chapter is built as a closed package with its own scope boundaries. That is additional work.
- A compressed timetable raises the price.
- Identical floors and buildings lower the price per m².
- Additional scope: a cost estimate, approaching contractors or gathering the consultants' BOQs are priced as separate items.
Example prices for additional services
| Service | Example price |
|---|---|
| Tender management: putting the consultants' BOQs into the tender documents as they are, and packing the specifications in a zip file | ₪3,000 |
| Approaching contractors, distribution, follow-up and collecting the offers | ₪2,000 to ₪5,000 |
| Hourly work: advice, checks, changes | ₪450 per hour |
| Changes after the work has started | from ₪2,000 |
How payment works
The price is set for the whole project, excluding VAT, and it is split by the stages of the work. For example: a payment at the start of the work, a payment after delivery of the structure stage and a payment after delivery of the finishes stage. Every delivery is for review, and one round of updates per deliverable is included in the price when there is no design change. A design change, a new version or substantial new material is priced separately.
The full terms are in the terms of engagement, and every project has its own quote. It is worth comparing what a quote includes, not only the number; I wrote about this in the guide how to compare quantity surveyor quotes. A private house has a separate guide: a BOQ for a private house.
Send through the form what the project is, how many m², and what exists (a model, DWG, PDF). I will come back with focused questions and a written quote. Everything is checked in a separate quote, with no commitment in advance. A quantity surveyor for construction projects: Yaakov Avital.
The price depends mainly on the scope of the quantity takeoff required: how many chapters, how many drawings and how many versions. When the quantity takeoff is done from an orderly model, the work is usually shorter.
Frequently asked questions
What does a quantity surveyor cost for a private house?
A house up to 150 m² with structure and external works: ₪3,500. A house up to 200 m² with structure and external works: ₪6,000. A villa of 250 to 300 m² with structure and external works: ₪7,000. The prices exclude VAT, and the final price is set in a written quote.
What does a budget planner cost for a private house?
When the house budget is built from a BOQ, the cost is mainly the price of the BOQ in the previous answer. Checks and changes during construction are charged by the hour, ₪450 excluding VAT. How the budget is built and followed: private house construction budget.
What does a BOQ cost for a government ministry or a public body?
By the building value and the Ministry of Defence tariff: for a building worth ₪50 million, a BOQ only is ₪93,300 and with tender management ₪155,500, excluding VAT. All the brackets are in the price list for government and public bodies.
Why does luxury urban renewal cost more?
Because it has more flat types, claddings and details, and each of them is measured and described in the BOQ. In the calculator the luxury points sit on the same slider, by price, and you can also enter an area and choose "Luxury" to see the difference.
How long does it take to prepare a BOQ?
A typical duration, from the day all the material arrives: a private house or a villa up to a week, a residential building up to 5,000 m² three to six weeks, up to 20,000 m² about six weeks, a commercial centre up to 40,000 m² four to six weeks, and larger projects a month and a half to two months. The timetable for each project is set in the quote.
How is the area calculated for roads and infrastructure?
For roads, by the subgrade area: carriageways, pavements and paths. For sewage, drainage and water lines, by the length of the lines times the theoretical trench width. The resulting area goes into the same table as the buildings.
Is the price in the calculator binding?
No. The calculator shows an indicative price list. The price for each project is set in a separate written quote.
What is not included in the price of the BOQ?
The price list is for the building works only: structure, finishes and external works. The consultants' BOQs (electrical, plumbing, air conditioning and the like) are not included. Tender management, in which they go into the tender documents as they are and the specifications are packed in a zip file, is priced separately: ₪3,000. A cost estimate and approaching contractors are separate items too, and so is a design change after the work has started.
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.