Book review: Quantity surveying precontract administration by Fanie Buys

Abstract

Following on the success of Prof. Fanie Buys’s first book that provided worked examples to the measuring of building work of a single residential building, this book entitled Quantity surveying, precontract administration builds on his previous work by utilising a three-storey reinforced concrete structure building as the basis for the worked examples. Prof. Buys takes the reader through the key components of the quantity surveyor’s cost advice roles at pre-contract stages, including: establishing early estimates of project cost, assessing the feasibility of the project, refining the estimate through elemental analysis as more design and specification information becomes available, and producing and pricing the full Bills of Quantities for project procurement. It takes one through the whole thought process of coming up with a cost of proposed building works from inception to completion. It has very detailed drawings, including window, door and finishes schedules that give more details and facilitate the job of the estimator to provide a better estimate. The book will serve as an extremely useful resource for quantity surveying students, lecturers and candidate quantity surveyors needing to develop and/or enhance their fundamental understanding of the process of measurement and the associated standard documentation processes in estimates, feasibility studies and Bills of Quantities.

Keywords

• book review
• building contracts