Commercial management reflects the change in working practice of the traditional civil engineering surveyor, who now, more than ever, is responsible for all aspects of the financial administration and settlement of construction contracts.
Retained by consulting engineers or corporate developers, the quantity surveyor (QS) is able to advise on both cost and contractual aspects of schemes ahead of the tender process.
The QS will be closely involved in preparing the contract documents (such as bills of quantities), upon which tenderers can bid. With the return of bids the QS is involved in their evaluation, the resolution of ambiguities and the consideration of alternative offers so that a clearly defined contract can be awarded.
During the course of construction the engineer will regularly seek advice from the QS who closely monitors the financial stability of the project, evaluates and recommends certification of the contractor's interim valuations for payment, advises on contractual matters and negotiates and deals with variations and other changes that occur during construction.
The Institution now also embraces the work undertaken by estimators, who formulate the cost estimate for a project through the submission of a tender document to a client; procurement engineers who select and purchase services for clients, estimators and construction staff; project managers, who provide the overall management skills necessary to develop and prepare documentation, analyse bids and manage a civil engineering project; planners, who formulate the construction programme and monitor the 'as-built' works project; construction economists, who provide the statistical data on civil engineering projects; cost engineers who control the budgeted or agreed costs on a project; and construction law professionals, either lawyers or construction practitioners who primarily work with civil engineering contracts and in the settlement of claims and disputes.
See also the joint Commercial Management Board with the Institution of Civil Engineers.
