By :Sushant Sharma

Lecturer - Sushant Sharma

sushant_sharma1@yahoo.com
09910039373

ESTIMATION AND
QUANTITY
SURVEYING

CONTENTS

1)
2)
3)
4)

DEFINITION
WHY QUANTITY SURVEYING IS REQUIRED
SCOPE OF WORK
QUANTITY SURVEYING SERVICES

5)
6)

TAKING OFF QUANTITIES-PROCESS AND PRINCIPLE

TAKING OFF QUANTITIES

7)
8)
9)

a)
b)

1)

PRE-TENDER PHASE
POST-TENDER PHASE

METHOD OF MEASUREMENT FOR BUILDING PROJECT

ABSTRACTING AND ITS APPLICATION

BILLING & ROLE OF BOQ

METHODS OF MEASUREMENT OF WORKS

IN ACCORDANCE TO IS:1200
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

EARTHWORK
CONCRETE
FORMWORK
STEEL REINFORCEMENT
BRICKWORK

10) DETAILED SPECIFICATIONS

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

EXCAVATION/ EARTHWORKS
CEMENT CONCRETE WORKS
BRICKWORKS
PLASTERING
PAINTING

11) ANALYSIS OF RATES , USE OF COST DATA

IN ESTIMATION

Quantity Surveying

1. DEFINE

Estimation of quantities &cost of different items of work to be executed in a

Project.
At the conceptual stage such estimation is done on the basis of conceptual
drawings or in case of any non-availability of such drawings, it is done on
thumb-rule basis utilizing expertise and experience of specialists.
At the execution stage the quantities are calculated based on the construction
drawings.
In general we can describe quantity survey as follows:
1. Description and preparation of the bill of quantities and its items required for
the tender.
2. Preparation of the site material, material types, and material distribution
Accuracy ,thoroughness and ability to reconcile quantity and cost at every
point of time are the important qualities of a Good Quantity Surveyor.

2. WHY QUANTITY SURVEYING IS REQUIRED

CONSTRUCTION PROJECT

To ascertain the
Commercial
Viability of such
project
if implemented

Preparation of
Initial
Estimated Cost
of Project

Certification of
Execution
Cost of
Project

Comparison of Estimated
vis--vis
Executed Cost
Data bank for future
similar Project

Analysis of reasons
for Variation

Derivation of the
Final Project
Cost

3. SCOPE OF WORK
Project Viability Study / Evaluation Stage
Owner / Employer
Architects
Financers
Engineers / Consultants

Quantity Surveyors

Contractors / Subcontractors
Insurers
Solicitors
Nodal Agencies
Statutory Authorities

Role of quantity surveyors during various stages of Project

Infrastructures
Coverage.
This could be a
call out area.

Stage 1 Consultant office

:During the preparation of
bidding documents :
Preparation of the BOQ from the
design drawing -Part of bidding
documents.
Preparation of cost estimate for
items listed in BOQ
Review and check the bids
submitted from bidders.
Preparation of the lists of the
contents of bids received.
Sharing in evaluation and
preparation of t recommendation
to award the contract to be
submitted to owner.

Stage 2 :
During the supervision of the construction
Review and checking the payments submitted from the
contractor.
Preparation of the reports about the conformity of the
quantities items with contract documents.
During the implementation :
Review and checking the BOQ at the starting of the work.
Prepare the eng. Measurement for the quantities of the finished
works.
Prepare lists of the site needs (material, workers, technicians)
Calculate the remuneration of the subcontractors, workers,
equipments,etc.
Prepare the payment statements
Prepare the detailed reports describing the situation of the items
quantities, (plus or minus the contract BOQ)

Stage 3 :
Review and
check the
financial
payments.

Required Skills of a Quantity Surveyor

Ability to understand the drawings details, design drawings,
shop drawings, as built ).
Excellent knowledge of the calculation of the areas and
volumes, knowledge of fees of workers e /technicians/ , rules
and law of the contracts,
In addition to the knowledge of related financial issues/ taxes,
banks transactions, insurances and its implication.
Knowledge of the productivity of the workers and technicians.

4. QUANTITY SURVEYING SERVICES

Quantity Surveying services are availed

two phases namely :
Pre-Tender Phase
Post-Tender Phase

into

Pre-Tender Phase
Feasibility and market studies.
Preliminary cost planning.
Procurement advice at concept design stage.
Cost management during design development.
Value Engineering.
Life cycle costing.
Preparation of tender documents.
Schedule of materials.
Contract administration.

Post-Tender Phase
Soliciting of competitive bids and offers with technical proposal.
Optimization of superior technical proposal, capability of bidders and price
evaluation.
Preparation of selected panel of preferred bidders.
Negotiation with preferred bidders.
Clients benefit from accurate interim valuations of the work in progress.
Settlement of rational interim payments to contracts for progress of work.
Projection of Timely financial statements.
Estimation of final revised cost to completion.
Settlement of the final account of contractors.

The process

5. Taking Off Quantities

Taking off is the process of measuring dimensions from

working drawings and recording them in a systematic and
concise manner along with the description of each item.

Booking of Dimensions
The golden rule of booking dimensions is to record length first,
the breadth or width second and height / depth or thickness
third and last.

12

CENTRE LINE

2430

4030

TRENCH

3230

TRENCH

5430

6230

7030
6000

3000

BRICKWORK
IN CEMENT MORTAR (1:6)

1000

230

PCC (1:5:10)
200
800

SECTION

13

Taking Off Quantities

Item
Number

Description of Item

Unit No.

Length

Breadth /
Width

Height /
Depth

Quantity

BY CENTRE LINE METHOD

Total Length

1
2
3

Excavation in Trench
PCC (1:5:10)
Brickwork in CM 1:6

RM
RM
RM

2
2

6.23
3.23

12.46
6.46
18.92

Cum
Cum
Cum

1
1
1

18.92
18.92
18.92

0.80
0.80
0.23

1.00
0.20
0.80

15.14
3.03
3.48

11.25
3.89
15.14
2.25
0.78
3.03
2.38
1.10
3.48

IN and OUT METHOD

1

Excavation in Trench

Cum
Cum

2
2

7.03
2.43

0.80
0.80

1.00
1.00

PCC (1:5:10)

Cum
Cum

2
2

7.03
2.43

0.80
0.80

0.20
0.20

Brickwork in CM 1:6

Cum
Cum

2
2

6.46
3.00

0.23
0.23

0.80
0.80

14

The Process (contd.)

There are as may as six distinct forms of measurements :
Cubic items
0.32 Cum RCC 1:2:4 with 20mm graded stone aggregate in column below ground level.
Square items
30.00 Sqm half brick wall in cement mortar 1:4 in super-structure in ground floor.
Lineal or run items
90.00 Running Meter 900 mm dia NP3 RCC hume pipe.
Numbers or enumerated items
10 Nos. Telephone connections with STD facility.
Or 3840 Vehicle Days of hard top cars ambassador.
Or providing 1 wireless system.
Or 32 Months for maintenance of wireless system.
Provisional sum
Allow provisional sum of Rs 2,000/= for site clearance.
Prime cost sum
Provide prime cost sum of Rs 2,000/= for electrical tube light fittings to be provided by
specialist firm. Add for overhead and profit.
15

Principles and Procedure of Taking Off

The taker off should look on the drawing when received from
Employer / Consultant / Architect and visualize the work entailed for
clear understanding of the job and drawings.
After looking over the drawings and checking plans, elevations,
sections and details if any are in agreement with one another. It
should be checked that each overall dimensions agrees with the total
room dimensions.
If the discrepancy is clearly the result of some slight clerical error, the
drawing should be corrected and in case serious error is discovered,
the architect should be informed and correct drawings obtained.
After having done the above preliminary work the taker off will be in
a position to start the actual operation of taking off quantities in
definite order.
16

Methods of Taking off quantities

1.

English Method:
1. Taking off (dimension from the drawings)
2. Grouping them
3. Billing or Bill of quantities
Timesing

2.

Dimensions

Squaring

Descriptions on
of items

PWD Method
1. Taking out (dimensions from the relevant drawings )
2. Squaring the dimensions
3. Abstracting

17

Comparison between English Method& PWD Method

PWD Method

English Method

The quantities of items of work

are worked out in the order of
their execution
Grouping of items are not
carried out
Chances of omitting any
measurement of items of work
are very less
Method is tedious &time
consuming
Followed by MES of GOI
Computation carried out in duo
decimals

The quantities of items of works

are determined in the sequence
of measurement.
Grouping of items are carried
out
Possibilities of missing some of
the items of work
Method is simple , easy &takes
less time
Followed by PWD &CPWD
Computations are in decimals

6. Method of Taking off for Residential Building

Drg. register Architect &structural
Checking of architectural drg w.r.t building dimensions & correlated to
structural drg.
Site visit- GLs , Measurement of compound wall.- Marking of cmpd wall/
Location of Permanent benchmark, Main drain location, Important bldg,
road position , Cutting /filling reqd, Trial pit details , Cutting of trees
shifting of services.
Major elements in the building
Drgs list required
Material specifications
Measurement as per sequence of work.
Measurement as per fixed direction
Wastage
Dimension in measurement to be checked as per drawing.
19

6. Method of Taking off for Residential Building

BUILDING WORKS

Structural
Works

Substructure
Superstructure

Civil Works

Envelope/
Enclosures
Internal/Extern
al Finishes
Water Proofing
Joinery
Architectural
Elements

External
Works

Land
development/Site
Grading
Landscaping/
Horticulture
Storm Water
Drainage/ Harvesting
Roads/Pavements
Water Supply
Sewer Network
Area Lighting
Boundary Protection

MEP

Mechanical
System
Electrical
System
Plumbing
System
Fire System
Security
System
(LV) Systems

HVAC

Heating
Ventilation
Air
Conditioning
Air Cooling

Interiors

Internal
Furnishing
Suspended
Ceiling
Acoustics
Illumination

Taking off for Residential Building

All dimensions specified are outer to outer dimensions of the wall

Perform Quantity take off for

(i) Excavation Works
(ii) PCC (150mm thck , 1:3:6 in foundation )

Taking off for Residential Building

Perform Quantity take off for

(i) Half brick thick wall

PRINCIPLES & PROCEDURE OF TAKING OFF

OWNER / CONSULTANT / ARCHITECTS

Decision
Issued Drawings from Owner / Consultant / Architect
Incorporate
in drawings

Discuss in
Clients
local
office

Discrepancies of
minor nature

Study of Issued Drawings

Review

Evaluation of nature of job

Refer to
Owner /

Tallying of dimensions from various drawings

Note discrepancies, if any, in various drawings

No Discrepancy
Ready for Quantity
take off

Discrepancies of
serious nature
Take off of Quantity from
corrected drawings

Consultant /
Architect

The Process (contd.)

7. Abstracting

The process by means of which the quantities of

items of identical character and description are
collected from take off sheets, totaled and
deduction made in order to arrive at the net total
quantities of respective items and in trade-wise
order is called abstracting.

Forms the basis for preparation of BOQ

Trade wise Trade divided in subsection
Concrete/ Brickwork /Plastering
24

7. Abstracting

Item
Description of Item
Unit No. Length
Number
1
Excavation .
For Office Building
In Foundation
Cum
For Septic Tank
Cum
For Soak Pit
Cum
Total
Cum
2
PCC (1:5:10)
For Office Building
In Foundation
Cum
For Septic Tank
Cum
For Soak Pit
Cum
Total
Cum
3
Brickwork in CM 1:6 upto Ground Level
For Office Building
In Foundation
Cum
For Septic Tank
Cum
For Soak Pit
Cum
Total
Cum
4
Backfilling
For Office Building
Excavation quantity
Cum
Less for PCC 1:5:10
Cum
Less for Brickwork
Cum
Total
Cum

Breadth /
Width

Height /
Depth

Quantity

Remarks

15.25
12.23
4.65
32.13

From Sheet # 1
From Sheet # 7
From Sheet # 8

3.05
2.45
0.93
6.43

From Sheet # 1
From Sheet # 7
From Sheet # 8

3.39
2.72
1.03
7.14

From Sheet # 2
From Sheet # 8
From Sheet # 9

32.13
6.43
7.14
18.56

From Item # 1
From Item # 2
From Item # 3

25

The Process (contd.)

8. Billing

Purpose Prepare BOQ for Contractors to quote

It is a claim for the amount of work done or materials supplied. It
consists of
a) Work Order or Agreement No.
b) Item No.
c) Complete Description of Item.
d) Unit of Item.
e) Quantities of Item executed.
f) Rate of Item (as per BOQ).
g) Total Amount of Individual Item.
h) Total Billed Amount.
i) Standard Deduction, as applicable.
26

ABSTRACT SHEET OF BILL

Item Decsription of Item Unit
BOQ
No.
Quantity

Rate
In Rs

Quantity
Total
Upto
Upto-Date Previous
Bill

This Bill

Amount (In Rs)

Total
Upto
This Bill
Upto-Date Previous
Bill

PAYMENT CALCULATION SHEET

Bill No. and Date / Period :
Name of the Contractor :
Contractor Address :
Name of the Work :
Work Order / Agreement No. and Date :
Original Contract Value :
Executed Value of Contract :
Particulars
Total
Upto-Date
Total Value of Work Done
Secured Advance
Recoveries / Deductions
Secured Advance
Work Tax @ . %
Income Tax @ . %
Education Cess Tax @ . % of TDS Amount
Water Charges @ . %
Recovery of Crane Charges
Recovery of Electricity Charges
Recovery against Penalty for Safety Violation
Total Recoveries / Deductions
Simplex Concrete Piles (India) Limited
Net Amount Payable

Amount (In Rs)

Upto
Previous Bill

This Bill

27

The Process (contd.)

8. Billing

Purpose of BOQ
1.

Tender Pricing Common information with min. effort

2.

Risk reduction by contractor for rates entered in bill

3.

Prompts customer to freeze project particulars

4.

Basis for valuation of variations

5.

Basis for ordering material &assessing labour requirement .

6.

Useful for cost planning works in future contracts .

Principles and Procedure of Billing

While transferring the quantities from abstract to bill
the total of quantities of the respective items shall
be ticked, so as to ensure that quantities of all items
are transferred to bills.

29

9. METHOD OF MEASUREMENT OF WORKS IN ACCORDANCE TO IS:1200

1. EARTHWORK
Each dimension shall be measured to nearest 0.01 mtr, where any
dimension is more than 25 mtr it should be measured to the nearest 0.1
mtr.
The measurement of earthwork shall be done in cubic metres, unless
otherwise mentioned.
Dead men or tell-tales may be left at suitable intervals to determine the
average depth of excavation, where the excavation is in trenches or from
borrow pits is being done in fairly uniform ground.
Where the ground is not uniform, levels shall be taken before the start,
after site clearance and after the completion of the work and the quantity
of excavation in cutting computed from these levels.
30

EARTHWORK (contd.)

a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)

The materials to be excavated shall be classified as follows, unless

otherwise specified :
Soft / Loose Soil.
Hard / Dense Soil.
Mud.
Soft / Disintegrated Rock.
Hard Rock (Requiring Blasting).
Hard Rock (Blasting Prohibited).

Where soft soil and hard rock are mixed, the measurement for the total
quantity shall be made. The hard rock excavated shall be stacked and
measured in stack. The quantity of the hard rock excavated shall be
arrived at by applying pre-accepted deductions for voids. From the total
quantity of the mixture, the quantity of hard rock excavated shall be
deducted to work out the quantity of soft soil.
31

EARTHWORK (contd.)
In case of the following works, authorized quantities (calculated on the
basis of authorized working space) or those actually excavated,
whichever are less, shall be measured :

a) in work which requires form work;

b) in work which will be covered externally with a damp proof covering or
protective masonry work of brick, stone etc.;
c) trenches which are to receive post tensioned concrete ground beams;
d) special works like guniting etc.; And
e) In work which required workmen to operate from the outside.
32

EARTHWORK (contd.)
Authorized working space shall be specified in each case. Where
authorized space is not so specified the following shall apply :
o 60 cm measured from the face of structure (including protective
measures, if any) at lowest level. In addition for item c above the
extra length at each end shall be 1.50 mtr.

ACTUAL
EXCAVATION
LINE IN
SLOPE

EXCAVATION
PAY LINE

FOUNDATION

33

CONCRETE WORKS
Dimensions shall be measured to nearest 0.01 mtr except for the
thickness of slab which shall be measured to nearest 0.005 mtr.
Unless otherwise stated all concrete work shall be measured in cubic
metres.
Unless otherwise stated formwork shall be measured separately.
Unless otherwise stated reinforcement shall be measured separately.
Columns shall be measured from top of column base to underside of first
floor slab and subsequently from top of floor slab to underside of floor
slab above.

34

CONCRETE WORKS (contd.)

Beam shall be measured from face to face of columns and shall include
haunches, if any, between columns and beams. The depth of beams shall
be measured from bottom of slab to bottom of the beam except in case of
inverted beam where it shall be measured from top of slab to top of
beam.
No deductions shall be made for the following :
a) Opening up to 0.1 m2 or as specified;
b) Volume occupied by reinforcement;

c) Volume occupied by pipes, conduits, sheathing etc. Not exceeding

100 cm2 each in cross-sectional area or as specified;
35

FORMWORK
Formwork shall be measured in square meters
as the actual surfaces in contact with the
concrete or any other material requiring
formwork.
No deductions shall be made for opening up
to 0.4 m2. No deduction shall be made for any
opening / cut-outs when slip form technique is
used.
Formwork to secondary beams shall be
measured up to the sides of main beams, but
no deduction shall be made from the formwork
of the main beam, where the secondary beam
intersects it.
Formwork to beam shall be measured up to
sides of column, but no deductions shall be
made from the formwork to stanchion or
column casings at intersections of beam.
36

STEEL REINFORCEMENT
Bar reinforcement shall be measured by weight in kilogram and shall
include cutting to lengths, hooked ends, cranking or bending (straight or
spiral). Authorized overlaps, chairs / separators shall be measured.
When welding of joints is authorized it shall be described; Joints butt
welded shall be measured in numbers and lap welded shall be measured
in running metres of the length welded.
Binding wire for fixing reinforcement shall not be measured, but shall be
included in description of item.
No deduction shall be made for opening not exceeding 1m2

37

BRICKWORK
Shall be measured in sqm
Brickwork 1 brick thick (20 cm) or less shall be measured separately in
sqm
No deduction shall be made if

a) opening upto 0.1 sqm in area

b) CC blocks for holdfast and holding down bolt
Deduction shall be made for
a) Doors, Windows Opening
b) Lintels or arches above doors/ opening
c) Deduction for diff. shapes
-Cornice shall be measured in RM
- Partition wall measured in sqm
-Reinforced brickwork shall be measured in cum under separate item the
steel reinforcement shall be taken in tonnes.
38

Abstracting
The process by means of which the quantities of items of identical character and description are
collected from take off sheets, totaled and deduction made in order to arrive at the net total
quantities of respective items and in trade-wise order is called abstracting.

Billing
It is a claim for the amount of work done or supply. It consists of :a) Work Order or Agreement Number.

b) Item Number.

c) Complete Description of Item.

d) Unit of Item.

e) Quantities of Item executed.

f) Rate of Item (as per BOQ).

g) Total Amount of Individual Item.

h) Total Billed Amount.

i) Standard Deduction, as applicable.

10. DETAILED SPECIFICATION

Specification -document attached with a tender form / contract agreement,

Controls the quality of materials and works.
What it contains
Details on nature of work
Materials involved
Material specifications
Work procedure &Workmanship Method of mixing / proportion
/method of laying /preparation of base or surface/ compaction
/finishing &curing etc.
Tolerance permitted for materials & work
Tools &plants
Method of measurement
Units for payment
Purpose
Cost of unit quantity
Basis for Material Procurement schedule &Labour deployment , P&M
deployment &rate analysis
Contractual Change in Specs lead to change in cost w.r.t Tendered
cost .
Acts as guide for supervising staff to execute work as per satisfaction
Basis for verifying &checking the strength of material for work involved in
project.
Useful for Arbitration &court cases

DETAILED SPECIFICATIONS

Nature of work
Gives description of work in a detailed manner
signifying type /category of work.
At different levels places structures buildings
etc
Eg. Masonry in ..., plaster., Flooring...,
Cladding... Etc for the material used.

DETAILED SPECIFICATIONS

Materials involved
Lists out various materials which are used in work
specifying
Name,
Class or grade,
Type,
Category.
Tolerances

Gives limit measured from true level /dimension up to which

material / workmanship could be accepted.
This is in reference to the provisions under standard I.S. Codes of
practice or other references as per contract.

DETAILED SPECIFICATIONS

Material specification

Gives physical and chemical composition of the material, its

properties according to relevant standards and also extent of
performance required of material viz. Acceptable limits.

Work procedure

Gives a detailed description of various steps involved in

execution of work including necessary pre-cautions as
required.

Method of measurement

Specifies mode of measurements for various kinds of

work.
This is based on the procedures given in contract
/standard I.S. Codes and others as the case may be.

METHOD OF PAYMENTS
Specifies procedures /rules governing terms of payments, stages
of payments, and modus - operandi for payments of various kinds
of works.

11. RATE ANALYSIS

It is to determine the current rate per unit of an item at the locality.
PURPOSE OF RATE ANALYSIS
To examine the Viability of Rates offered by / to Client /
Contractor.
To fix up the Agency / labor Contractor to do

the job.

To fix the Cost Targets towards labour, material, equipment &

others heads and to measure the performance of Project in
Financial Terms.

What are the components in rate analysis ?

It can be classified under 3 major heads, they are :

Direct Expenses,
Indirect Expenses,
Profit (on the above).

ANALYSIS OF RATES, USE OF COST DATA IN ESTIMATION

Estimation

Quantity

As per
drawing

Rate

Amount

Actual as
per Site
Material

Least of the
two
or as per
Contract
condition

Equipment,
Plant &
Tools

Labour

Others

Piece rate
basis

Supply
basis

Overhead,
Profit &
Contingency

Agency
Commission
Misc. Expenses

Material
Ingradient A

Ingradient B

Ingradient C

Coefficient / Unit

Equipment

Quantity / Unit
+

Wastage as visualized / Unit

Cost of
Hire
Charges /
Depreciation

Cost of
Operator
& Helper

Cost of
P.O.L.
+

Requirement of Quantity / Unit

X

Rate / Unit

+
X

Duration of Deployment
+

Basic rate + Packing

Forwarding Charges +
Taxes, Duties etc

Cost of
Maintenance
& Spares

Cost of
Foundation and
Mobilization &
Demobilization

PURPOSE OF RATE ANALYSIS

Main purpose of rate analysis are the followings :a) To determine the current rate per unit of an item at the locality.
b) To examine the viability or rates offered by the contractors .
c) To calculate the quantity of materials and labour strength required
for project planning .
d) To fix up labour contract rates.

HOW TO FIX UP RATE PER UNIT OF AN ITEMS

The following sub-heads are estimated and a summation of these is
the rate per unit of an item
a)

Quantity of materials and costs,

b)

Labour costs,

c)

Cost of equipments or tools and plant (T & P),

d)

Contingencies,

e)

Different heads of indirect Expenses to be considered in

estimation,

f)

Profit.

HOW TO FIX UP RATE PER UNIT OF AN ITEMS

The following sub-heads are estimated and a summation of these is
the rate per unit of an item
a)

Quantity of materials and costs,

b)

Labour costs,

c)

Cost of equipments or tools and plant (T & P),

d)

Contingencies,

e)

Different heads of indirect Expenses to be considered in

estimation,

f)

Profit.