Quantity Surveying Northern Ireland
Quantity Surveying Northern Ireland
Quintin QS

Services

QUINTIN provides advice on all aspects of quantity surveying including measurement of the works, standard method of measurement matters, preparation of contract documents, interim payments, variations and final accounts. We also provide project management services where specifically requested, under the NEC Form of Contract.QUINTIN will always act in the best interests of their client. We will demonstrate, amongst others, the following qualities when carrying out their duties:
  • Fairness, honesty and integrity
  • Respect privacy
  • Deal openly with clients
  • Observe rules of conduct
  • Disclose conflicts of interest
  • Safeguard clients’ assets entrusted to them
  • Keep abreast of current professional knowledge
QUINTIN have a very high standard of professional conduct and competence.QUINTIN are professionals who have been trained as construction cost consultants. We have expert knowledge of costs, values, finance, contractual arrangements and legal matters in the construction field. ClientsQUINTIN can provide appropriate services to suit various demands and our Clients include:
  • Private developers
  • Architects
  • Professional QS firms
  • Government departments and related bodies
  • Contractors/Sub-contractors
  • Insurance companies
Quantity SurveyingFrom building construction, to civil and structural engineering, all are areas in which QUINTIN are equipped to provide advice. The following are the principal services rendered:
  1. Cost Planning
  2. Life Cycle Costing
  3. Value Management
  4. Facilities Management
  5. Preliminary Cost Advice
  6. Procurement Methods
  7. Contractual Advice
  8. Tendering
  9. Valuation of Construction Work
  10. Cost Control & Financial Management
 1. Cost Planning - Cost planning is a specialist technique used by QUINTIN. It aims to help all the members of the construction team - architects, engineering consultants, interior specialists - to arrive jointly at practical designs for a project and stay within the budget.Effective cost planning will help to ensure that, once a realistic estimate is agreed, everything that follows is in accord with it, from the successful contractor's tender to the final project cost. In planning construction costs, maintenance and running costs are borne in mind, thus helping to achieve a project that is cost effective throughout its life.When the client decides to change the plans and introduces variations, QUINTIN will rapidly assess the cost implications.Cost planning means improved economy standards and so better value for money. Constant monitoring means that the risk of overspending can be spotted early and prompt corrective action taken. 

2. Life Cycle Costing - It has long been recognised that it is unsatisfactory to evaluate the costs of a project on the basis of its initial cost alone. What appears to be a cheaper constructed facility may in the long term be far more expensive than one with much higher initial costs.Life cycle costing is an evaluation technique that enables comparative assessment of the performance of a project or a constructed facility over its operating life. The life cycle costing assessment process takes into account not only the characteristics of the constructed facility, reusability, sustainability, maintainability and obsolescence, but also the initial capital cost, operational cost, maintenance cost, residual and disposal costs. In this way, both the economic and non-economic performances of the constructed facility can be assessed.QUINTIN will monitor the life cycle costing analysis. The objectives of life cycle costing are to consider the impact of all costs rather than only the initial capital costs, to enable alternative constructed facilities to be more effectively evaluated, and to assist the effective management of a completed facility. The building clients can thus obtain the best value for their money. 

3. Value Management - Value management is a systematic approach to eliminating waste from a design or client's brief, while at the same time retaining the safety and key functions of the project.The objective of value management is to deliver the project functions to the required quality for the best value for the money expended. This does not necessarily mean at the lowest initial cost, but the highest value considering all factors impacting upon the project as a whole.QUINTIN is well qualified to lead value management studies on a project. The structured nature of value management permits the project team to obtain a clearer understanding of the project functions and objectives hence being able to reduce unnecessary costs. Value management also addresses the whole life implications of the building design both in terms of cost and the client's business objectives. 

4. Facilities ManagementVarious definitions exist for the term "facilities management" and yet there is no consistent definition of its scope of activities. This might due to its extremely wide and all embracing activity, encompassing numerous functions such as asset management, building and engineering maintenance, office management and house keeping. The other rationale behind may be that facilities management is still an emerging profession and it is therefore difficult, or not advisable, to set a defined limit for its scope of services.Amongst the definitions of facilities management, however, it could be noted that there exist some common themes, or characteristics, as follows:
  • it relates to built asset - the workplace;
  • it requires integrated multi-disciplinary professional services; and
  • it shall support the organization in achieving its objectives.
No one individual, or profession, would be able to fulfil all the technical functions encompassed in the concept of facilities management. However, with the comparatively wide range of training in financial, contractual, managerial, building and engineering technology aspects, the all-round technical knowledge and involvement in development of the workplace, QUINTIN are more able to interpret and define objectives of the client's organization, to coordinate and provide the appropriate facilities management services. 

5. Preliminary Cost AdviceFrom the outset, QUINTIN will give practical advice on the likely cost of a project. Cost studies and advice on alternative design solutions, structural forms, choice of materials, construction sequence and maintenance cost will also be prepared. From that, a detailed cost plan can be developed for budgetary control. 

6. Procurement Methods - QUINTIN has the expertise, knowledge and tools required in the selection of the "right" contractors and suppliers for any given project.No two projects are the same. Most major projects (and many smaller ones) are individual challenges and need individual solutions.The most common method of procurement is through competitive tendering based on a variety of forms of contract and options. The bills of quantities prepared by QUINTIN are used to form the basis of tendering. During construction, bills of quantities are also a crucial element in effective cost control as well as the basis of valuation of variations.On occasions, the situation may warrant other forms of tendering methods and contractual arrangements. These include design and build, guaranteed maximum price, construction management, prime cost contract and cost plus, just to name a few. QUINTIN will provide advice on the best choice of contractual arrangement to suit the circumstances of the individual project. 

7. Contractual Advice - QUINTIN are able to provide contractual and commercial advice to government bodies, corporations, developers, contractors and subcontractors, for all types of civil engineering, building and structural projects. The service of contractual advice covers:
  • Contract documents: selection of the appropriate standard forms of contract, drafting of special conditions and forms of contract, warranties, bonds and guarantees and the interpretation thereof;
  • Contract administration: site set-up, subcontract procurement, cost reporting, valuations of work in progress, measurement, assessment of rates and variations.
 8. TenderingCompetitive tendering of one kind or another remains the usual basis for construction contracts, and bills of quantities are fundamental to this process. Bills of quantities translate the drawings, plans and specifications produced by the designers into a document that enables a contractor to calculate his tender price fairly, on exactly the same basis as his competitors.During construction, QUINTIN are also a crucial element in effective cost control. Where other tendering procedures are appropriate, the quantity surveyor will recommend alternatives. 

9. Valuation of Construction WorkIn most construction contracts, the contractor is paid monthly. The quantity surveyor will value the work carried out each month on the project and submit a recommendation for payment.QUINTIN will stay with the project right to the settlement of the accounts, when all necessary adjustments are dealt with. QUINTIN can also prepare any analysis of the final account which may be required, prepare statements of expenditure for tax or accountancy purposes, and assess the project's replacement value for insurance. 

10. Cost Control & Financial ManagementCost control is one of the most important processes in any capital project. The basic objectives are to give the client good value for money, achieve the required balance of expenditure between the various parts of the project, and keep the final expenditure within the client's approved budget.In principle, cost control consists of three basic steps; namely:
  1. establishing an overall cost target
  2. checking any deviations
  3. taking remedial action where necessary
In practice, the process of cost control embraces a range of professional activities such as cost analyses of previous projects, cost planning/estimating, cost studies of various constructional options, cost checking during the design stage, cost reconciliation during the tendering stage, and cost monitoring during the construction stage.The cost estimates and financial reports which are regularly produced by QUINTIN form an important aspect of the financial management of capital projects. These periodic financial reports enable clients to anticipate and control their future financial commitments.