Underutilised Quantity Surveyors key to solving Budget Speech issue

Are we getting value for money from our investment? In other words, how do we ensure that our infrastructure is delivered on time, on budget and to specification? These are key questions raised in a leaked copy of the delayed Budget Speech.

The main issues

• Quantity surveyors ensure infrastructure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and to specification, providing key financial and risk management services.
• Despite their critical role, quantity surveyors are often understaffed and underutilized in public infrastructure projects, affecting overall project success.
• Properly employing quantity surveyors ensures value-for-money, reduces wasteful expenditure, and supports sustainable infrastructure development, benefiting economic growth.

Step-by-Step Breakdown of the Importance of Quantity Surveyors in Infrastructure Projects

1. The Role of Quantity Surveyors
   • The Quantity Surveying profession is integral in ensuring infrastructure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and according to specifications.
   • Nolubabalo Tsolo, Executive Director at the Association of South African Quantity Surveyors (ASAQS), emphasises the need for quantity surveyors to be optimally employed to fully realize their benefits.
2. Why Are Quantity Surveyors Underutilised?
   • Understaffing and Misunderstanding: Tsolo highlights that stakeholders often don’t recognize the value of quantity surveyors, leading to their underutilization in public infrastructure projects.
   • As a result, projects often lack the necessary resources for quantity surveying, reducing their ability to ensure the value-for-money proposition that is vital.
3. Consequences of Insufficient Quantity Surveying
   • Tsolo points out that when quantity surveying is compromised, every other aspect of the project suffers.
   • Without proper oversight, it’s difficult to guarantee that the project meets its financial, timing, and quality goals.
4. Key Functions of Quantity Surveyors
   • Quantity surveyors offer essential services like financial and risk management, ensuring that project costs align with timelines and specifications.
   • They provide valuations for payments by reconciling the quality of completed work with the original specifications.
   • These insights enable stakeholders to take corrective or preventive actions, preventing costly mistakes down the line.
5. The Cross-Checking Mechanism
   • Each party involved in a project – developers, banks, contractors – should have its own quantity surveyor to act as a safeguard, ensuring transparency and honesty.
   • Additionally, quantity surveyors perform an auditing role, where, for example, a bank may release funds only after the quantity surveyor, along with other project teams, confirms the work completed.
6. The Professional Standing of Quantity Surveyors
   • Like lawyers, doctors, and engineers, quantity surveyors are licensed professionals. They must register with the South African Council for the Quantity Surveying Profession (SACQSP) after passing rigorous assessments and continuously pursue professional development to remain current.
7. The Cost vs. Benefits Argument
   • Tsolo cautions that trying to save costs by reducing the number of quantity surveyors is a shortsighted approach. While not every project needs an overwhelming number of them, having an adequate number of qualified surveyors ensures projects are delivered successfully, without unnecessary delays or cost overruns.
8. The Critical Path to Sustainable Growth
   • Properly utilized quantity surveyors are essential for long-term infrastructure development and economic growth. Their work contributes directly to building sustainable, high-quality infrastructure.
9. A Call for Government Action
   • Tsolo urges the government to ensure that projects are adequately staffed with competent quantity surveyors to avoid unnecessary expenditures and ensure the efficient use of resources.

The way forward

By recognising the essential role of quantity surveyors and investing in their services, South Africa can achieve greater efficiency in infrastructure development, reducing waste and boosting economic growth.

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