5/3/2015

Whatisthetakingoffprocess?ConstructionChat

AboutUs
Login
Register
Contact
Twitter
Facebook
Linkedin

Topics
CivilEngineering
ProjectManagement
BuildingSurveying
QuantitySurveying
Architecture
News
Library
Articles
Jobs
Universities
C.V.Builder
ConstructionChat/Articles/Whatisthetakingoffprocess?

Whatisthetakingoffprocess?
Thequantitysurveyingprofessionhasbeenongoingformanyyears:Theearliestquantitysurveying
practiceonrecordisaReadingfirm,(HenryCooperandSons),whichwasoperatingin1785(Seeley&
Winfield,1999).Predominantly,quantitysurveyorsdealwiththecostsandcontractsofaconstruction
project.
Therearearound75,000professionalquantitysurveyorsworkingintheUKalone(RICS,2010).The
RoyalInstitutionofCharteredSurveyors(RICS)wassetupin1881,andisanindependentprofessional
bodywhichregulatespropertyprofessionalsandsurveyorsintheUKandworldwide.TheRICSprovide
educationandtrainingstandardstoallmembersandprotectsconsumerswithstrictcodesofpractice.The
mottooftheRICSisEstmodusinrebus(whichtranslatesintoEnglishas:Thereismeasureinall
things).TheRICSisrepresentedinover146countriesandhasmorethan159,000members.

BillofQuantities
TheBillofQuantitiesisadocumentwhichisusedforthetenderingprocessinaconstructionproject,in
whichmaterials,parts,andlabourareitemized.Italsodetailsthetermsandconditionsofthe
http://www.constructionchat.co.uk/articles/takingoffprocess/

1/10

5/3/2015

Whatisthetakingoffprocess?ConstructionChat

constructioncontractanditemisesalltheworkforasubcontractortoprice.
TheBillofQuantitiesispreparedbyaquantitysurveyor.Thepreparationdividesitselfintotwodistinct
stages,thefirstbeingthe
TheessaywilllookintotheTakingOffprocessrepresentedinaBillofQuantitiesandalsolookinto
wheretheTakingOffprocesscanbeused.IwillstartbylookingintowhatTakingOffactually
is.measurementofdimensions,andthecompilationofdescriptionsfromthedrawingandspecification.
ThisisknownasTakingOffwhichisthetopicthatIwilldiscussinthissectionoftheessay.
ThesecondstageisthepreparationoftheBillthisinvolvescalculationsofvolumesandareas(squaring
thedimensions),followedbyenteringthedescriptionsandthedimensiononanabstract(abstracting)and
finallycollecttheitemstogetherandpresenttheminabillorder(billing)(Lee&Trench&Willis,2005).

TheTakingOffProcess
TheTakingOfflistisaprocessofanalysingtechnicaldrawingsandspecificationstoidentifyelements.
Listsshouldincludeeverybuildingelementfromthesmallesttothelargestcomponent.Thedevelopment
ofcomputerisedmeasurementandbillingsystemshavemadethetraditionalmethodlesscommon
nowadayshowever,itisstillusedinpractice(Lee&Trench&Willis,2005).
TheTakingOfflistissymbioticwithRICSNewRulesofMeasurement.TheRICSNewRulesof
MeasurementThisdocumentprovidesfundamentalguidanceonthequantificationofbuildingworksfor
thepurposeofpreparingcostestimatesandcostplans(www.rics.org/uk).TheRICSNewRulesof
Measurementisacodebookwhichdetailsthespecificationandalsomethodofhoweachiteminthe
constructionindustryistobemeasured.Itcoversabsolutelyallphasesofaproposedbuildingproject.
Thepresentationoftheinformationisdoneinclassificationtableswhichprovideinformationonthe
givenitemtobetakenoff.TheuseoftheRICSNewRulesofMeasurementmeansthatallconstruction
projectsaretakenoffinthesamestandardorderandensuresconsistencyacrosstheindustry.Quantity
surveyinghasbecomeincreasinglyinvolvedwithprojectFINANCING ,thustakingoffisavaluable
processtounderstandwhenestablishingprojectfeasibility.FromagoodTakingOfflistaquantity
surveyorcanquantifydimensionsandlatercreateabillofquantities.(Seeley,1999)
Ifthedrawingsareunclear,thenaquantitysurveyorwillenteranyqueriesonaquerysheetforthe
architect.Atypicalquerysheethasthequantitysurveyorsquestionsononesideandthearchitects
answersontheother.

http://www.constructionchat.co.uk/articles/takingoffprocess/

2/10

5/3/2015

Whatisthetakingoffprocess?ConstructionChat

WillissElementsofQuantitySurveying.ByS.Lee,W.Trench&A.Willis.
Tweet
PreparationoftheBill

ThissectionwilldescribethesecondsectionoftheBillofQuantitieswhichisthepreparationofthebill.
Thisisalsosometimesknownasworkingup.Thisissplitintothreesections.
Share
0

1.Calculationofvolumes,areasetc.(Squaringanddimensions)Squaringthedimensionsand
http://www.constructionchat.co.uk/articles/takingoffprocess/

3/10

5/3/2015

Whatisthetakingoffprocess?ConstructionChat

enteringtheresultinglengths,areas,andvolumesinthethird(orsquaring)columnofthedimension
41
paper.
Like

2.Enteringthedescriptionsandsquareddimensionsonanabstract(Abstracting)Transferringthe
squareddimensionstotheabstract,wheretheyarewritteninarecognisedorder,readyforbilling
underthecorrectworkheading.
3.Collectingitemstogetherandpresentinginarecognisedbillorder(Billing)Theitemsofwork
whichmakeupthetotalbuildingarelistedintheappropriateworksectionheadingwhichgivesthe
descriptionoftheitemandtherecognisedunitsofmeasurement,asperthelayoutinRICSNew
RulesofMeasurement.Thebillalsocontainsanemptyrateandpricecolumn.Theclientgivesthe
BillofQuantitiestothecontractor,andthecontractorthencanaddshisrateandpricewhen
tenderingfortheproject.(Lee&Trench&Willis,2005)
Themostrecognisedpurposeofthebillisthatitcanbesenttocontractorswhomaywanttotenderfor
theconstructioncontract,andenablesthemtobasetheirpriceonthesameinformation.Takingoffis
veryimportantbecauseitprovidesanaccuratemeasurementoftheconstructionworkneededtobe
carriedout.

Constructioncosts
TheTakingOffprocesscanbeveryusefulinestimatingtheconstructioncostsofaprojectbecauseas
mentionedpreviouslythecontractorbasesthepricingoftheworkontheBillofQuantities.Thebillis
createdbytheclientsquantitysurveyor,whoistraditionallyreferredtoasaProfessionalQuantity
SurveyororPrivatePracticeQuantitysurveyor,andcompletedbythecontractorsquantitysurveyor.Part
ofthebillisthetakingoffprocesswhichneedstobeaccurate,sothecorrectpricingcantakeplace.The
BillofQuantitiesisusedtoassistthecontractorwhenpreparinganestimateforthetender.Thepriced
billthenbecomespartofthecontractdocuments,providingthebasisforthevaluationofthework.
TheTakingOfflistisaveryimportantpartoftheBillofQuantitiesbecauseitallowsthequantity
surveyortousethebillforthevaluationoftheworkcompleted,whichallowshimtoworkoutthestage
paymentsneededinagivencontract.Thecontractorsquantitysurveyorcanalsoworkoutthepricefor
eachstagepaymentofaprojectforeachindividualsubcontractor.

Clientsperspective
Theclientsmainconcernistoseetheprojectcompletedontime,onbudget,andtotherequiredquality.
However,theclientalsowantsbetterinformationontheprojectandthiscanbeprovidedbythetaking
offprocess.ThefinancialinformationintheBillsofQuantitycanbetranslatedintootherinformation
suchascashflows,periodicprojectaccounts,andcostvariations.Theinformationcanthenbeeasily
communicatedtotheclienttokeephiminformedoftheprogressandfinancialstatusoftheproject
(Rashid&Mustapa&Wahid,2006).

Consultantsperspective
Theconsultantrepresentstheclienthehastoensuretheclientgetsvalueformoney.Theconsultant
concentratesonmakingsuretheclientreceiveahighqualityproduct,abuildingwhichiscompletedon
time,andmoreimportantly,withintheestimatedbudget.Thepricedbillbythecontractorprovides
usefulinformationtoaconsultantbecauseitidentifiesthetotalcostoftheprojectandalsothemarket
conditions.Qualitativeandquantitative(includingfinancial)informationpresentedinthetakingoff
http://www.constructionchat.co.uk/articles/takingoffprocess/

4/10

5/3/2015

Whatisthetakingoffprocess?ConstructionChat

processandthustheBillofQuantitiesprovidestheconsultancywithusefultenderevaluationand
selectionofcontractorforagivenproject.Thepricedbillcanbetranslatedintoaworkprogramme,cost
planandprojectcashflowandbudget.Thiscanhelptomakemoreeffectiveprojectsupervisionandcost
controlling.Thebillalsoprovideseffectivelyashoppinglistofitemsrequired(Rashid&Mustapa&
Wahid,2006).

Contractorsperspective
WhentenderingforaconstructionprojectthecontractorisgiventheBillofQuantitiesbytheclient.Thisincludesthe
TakingOfflist,whichisassociatedwithestimatingasittakesplacepriortotheconstructionprocess.Theestimating
departmentofthecontractorthencalculatesasaccuratelyaspossiblethecostsofthegivenconstructionproject.The
estimatorusescurrentpricinginformationfordifferentaspectsoftheproposedconstruction(Ashworth,2002).

TheTakingOfflistisofmostimportancetothecontractorwhenestimatingcosts,becauseitcanbeused
tocalculatethecostsforpreparationofthetender.ThebillisbasedontheTakingOfflist.Eachcompany
usesitsowntablesofstandardworkoutputsfordifferenttypesofconstructionoperationwork,which
theyenterintotheunpricedbill.Whenthisiscompletedthebillcanbesaidtohavebeenpriced,andcan
besentbacktotheclient.TheTakingOfflistintheBillofQuantitiescanbeusedbythecontractorwhen
preparingpricingfornewprojectsasanestimateoftheconstructioncosts.Thisshouldbereviewedoften
whenconstructionstarts(Ashworth,2002).
TheTakingOfflistisessentialinworkingoutthetargetcosts.Theestimatedcostsareadoptedasa
basisoftheconstructionoperationscostsonsite.Thetargetorbudgetcoststrytorelatetotheactualtasks
happeningonsite.Inthebilltheestimatorusesanaverageoutputforthewholeofagivenitem.These
costsarethenanalysedseparately,dependingonthetypeorworkandthedifficultly.Thetargetcostsuse
theaverageestimatorsrateasbasisbutwillvarythisinrelationtotheactualachievementexpected.
Targetcostsareoftenslightlylowerthantheestimatedcostbecauseofacontractorsincentivescheme
andtheunforeseenriskwhichisinvolved(Ashworth,2002).
Thefinaltypeofcostistheactualcostpreviouslythebasisofworkingouttheestimatedcostsand
targetcostwastheTakingOfflistandthebillintheBillofQuantities.Theactualcostuserecordeddata
onsite.Actuallabouroutputsfromthesitearecomparedwiththebudgetoutputs.Whencomparingthe
estimatedcostsandactualcosts,thismayshowahugedifferencehowever,comparingtheactualand
targetcostsshouldshowonlyasmallamountofdifference(Ashworth,2002).
Subcontractors
ThemaincontractorcanusetheTakingOffprocesstoassistwiththeseparationoftheBillofQuantities
intotradesectionsfordifferentsubcontractors.Theseparatedestimatedpricedsectionswillbesentoff
toseveralsubcontractorsfortheirownpricing,andthensentbacktothemaincontractorforcomparison.
Notjustthelowestpricewinstheworkthemaincontractorwilltakeintoaccountitemssuchasprevious
experience,reputation,flexibility,time,qualityofworketc(Ashworth,2002).
Materials
Whenobtainingquotationsformaterialstobeusedonsite,theTakingOffprocesscanbeused.Thebills
aresenttosuppliersandtheysendbackapriceforthematerials.Commonmaterialsthatthecontractor
mayrequirecanbepurchasedthrougharegularlocalsupplier.Thepricingofthematerialcanbeaffected
byanumberoffactorssuchasordersize,deliverycostsandexchangerates.TheBillofQuantitiesis
splitintoorderedsectionsaccordingtoRICSNewRulesofMeasurement.Thisallowsthematerial
http://www.constructionchat.co.uk/articles/takingoffprocess/

5/10

5/3/2015

Whatisthetakingoffprocess?ConstructionChat

orderingtobeeasilyidentifiedandcarriedout(Ashworth,2002).
Informationsenttothesupplierwillinclude:
1. Specificationofthematerial(whichisusuallyfoundinthepreambleoftheBillofQuantities).
2. Quantityofthematerialrequired(whichisusuallyfoundinthebillsectionoftheBillof
Quantities.)
3. Theaddressofthesite.
4. Thedeliverydatesrequiredbythecontractor.Thisisveryimportanttoallowstoragespaceonsite,
storagecosts,extraspacefordeliveriesandaforemantobepresentwhenunloadingthematerials,
ifrequired.
(Ashworth,2002)
Plant
TheTakingOffProcesscanbeveryusefulinaproposeddevelopmentprojectwhenobtainingquotations
forhire,lease,orpurchaseofplantandequipment.Thechoicebetweenrentingandpurchasingplantis
normallycalculatedfinanciallytoseeifitisviable.Thisisbasedupontheexpecteduseofthegiven
plant.TheTakingOffprocesshastobecorrect,andthecorrectinformationhastobesent.
Labour
TheTakingOffprocesscanalsohelpwithforecastingthelabourcosts.Thesecostsareusuallycalculated
usinganallinlabourrate,includesthebasicrateandguaranteedbonusplusitemssuchasweather,sick
pay,tradesupervisions,andextrapayments(forexampleskillorresponsibilityforrisk).
Themostcommonmethodofestimatingthecostsoftheconstructionworkisunitratesthiscanbeused
tomeasuretheBillofQuantitiesbythecontractor.Suchitemsaslabour,materials,subcontractors,and
plantcanallbemeasuredthisway.

BreakdownofMainParties
Belowisabreakdownofwhattheclient(representedbyaconsultancy)andacontractorofferinthe
tenderingprocess.
Providedbytheconsultants:
Theworktobeperformed
Thequalityandstandardsorworkrequired
Thecontractualconditionstobeapplied
Providedbythecontractor:
Thecostofthefinishedworks
Theconstructionprogramme
(Ashworth,2002)

OperationalWorkandProjectManagement
http://www.constructionchat.co.uk/articles/takingoffprocess/

6/10

5/3/2015

Whatisthetakingoffprocess?ConstructionChat

NotonlyistheTakingOffprocessavaluablesourceofinformationinthetenderingprocessbutitcan
alsobeusedthroughouttheoperationalworkofaconstructionproject.Theaccuracyandthewaythe
TakingOfflistisdrawnupisveryimportantinthemanagementoftheproject.Ifthesiteteam
understandexactlywhattheTakingOffprocesssaysitcanleadtomoreeffectivemanagementofthe
projectandthegiventrades.Thelistofworkitemsandtheirquantitiesinthebill,givesthecontractora
detailedWorkBreakdownStructure(WBS)oftheproject.Thisisextremelyusefulinformationbecause
ithelpsinprojectplanningandpreparationoftheworkplanandprogramme.Itcanbeusedtoorganise
activitiesinalogicalsequencefordifferentsubcontractorsandcanbeusedtoestimatetheactivity
duration.Theestimatedcostsinthebillarealsousefultomonitorandcontroltheprojectfinances
(Rashid&Mustapa&Wahid,2006).
ProjectCostManagement,whichisabalancingofdemands,isanessentialpartofprojectmanagement.
Garrison(1998)believedthatinformationisvitaltothesuccessoffinancialmanagement.Inthe
absenceofadequate,accurate,andreliablecostinformation,aprojectcostmanagementexercisewould
beineffective.ThisshowsthattheTakingOffprocessisveryimportant.TheTakingOffprocesscan
alsohelpwiththeprojectdevelopmenthoweverthisalldependsonthetypesandemphasisofthe
project,egifthecostisthebiggestemphasisoftheprojectandthefundislimiteditisappropriatetouse
thebillbecauseitcontainshighlevelsofdetailofprojectcostitems.Thiscanthenbeusedfordetailed
projectaccountingandfinancialreporting(Rashid&Mustapa&Wahid,2006).

(Ashworth,2002)
TheabovediagramshowshowtheTakingOffprocesscanbeusedtohelpwithprojectrelatedcosts.An
estimatorestimatesthecostoftheworktobeperformedwhichisbasedonthebillintheBillof
Quantities.Ifthecontractorissuccessfulinwinningthetenderthentheworkcanbeputintopractice.
Theprojectcostscanbemonitoredbythesitemanagementteamwhichcanthenbecomparedtothe
TakingOffprocess.Finallythecomparisonofthecostcanbesentbackasfeedback,whichcangive
informationontheworkandthetimeexpendedonalltheoperations.Thiscanberecordedandused
throughouttheproject(Rashid&Mustapa&Wahid,2006).

Law
TheTakingOffprocessispartofthecontractdocumentsinaconstructionproject.Thuswhensigning
thecontractdocumentyouarewillingtoacceptthatitiscorrectandyouwillbeheld(liable)to
everythinginit.TherearemanystandardformcontractswhichcanbefollowedsuchastheJCT(Joint
http://www.constructionchat.co.uk/articles/takingoffprocess/

7/10

5/3/2015

Whatisthetakingoffprocess?ConstructionChat

ContractsTribunal)2005whichhasasectionfortheBillofQuantitiesandhasitslegalobligationsallset
out.(JCT,2010)

Conclusion
Asshown,theTakingOffprocesscanbeusedinmanyadministrationstagesofaproposeddevelopment/
constructionproject.BecausetheBillofQuantitiesisacontractdocumentitisalsoveryusefulforthe
legalsideofaproject.However,thebillisnotnecessarilyusefulineverytypeofprocurementmethod.I
havespokenabouttheTakingOffprocessinthetraditionalsensehowever,modernmethodsof
procurement,(forexamplefasttrackingprocurement,whichinvolvesdesign,documentationand
construction)tendtoruninparallel,thusrequiringnoBillofQuantities.Howeverthecontractorstill
mustprepareapropercostdocumentforthebidding.
Despitetheemergenceofnewgenreofprocurementsintheglobalconstructionindustry,theTaking
Offprocessisstillviabletobeusedasakeycostdocument.(Rashid&Mustapa&Wahid,2006)
References
Seeley,I&Winfield,R1999,BuildingQuantitiesExplained,Edition5,PalgraveMacmillan,UK
Lee,Sandra&TrenchWilliam&WillisAndrew2005,WillisselementsofQuantitySurveying,Edition
10,BlackwellPublishing,UK
Ashworth,A2002.Precontractstudies,developingeconomics,TenderingandEstimating,2ndEdition,
BlackwellPublishing,UK
Websites
RICS2013,RICSUK,availableat<http://www.rics.org/uk>
Journals
Rashid,R&Mustapa,MandWahid,S.(2006).BillsofQuantitiesAreTheyStillUsefulandRelevant
Today?InternationalConferenceonConstructionIndustry.1(1),19.

Leaveacomment

http://www.constructionchat.co.uk/articles/takingoffprocess/

8/10

5/3/2015

Whatisthetakingoffprocess?ConstructionChat

12comments

Addacomment

AsjathKhan
SOTHANKS/.,/,/.
ReplyLikeFollowPost21Aprilat23:03
KristianHammondOwner/DirectoratPriestleyandTaffsLtd
Thisisveryinteresting,however,Imustadmit,inallmyexperienceinconstructionasa
QuantitySurveyor,CostManagerandnowOwnerIhaveneveractuallyhadtoprepare,nor
receivedfromasubcontractoratakeoffinthisformat.Thisisanextremelytimeconsuming
exercise,whichisdifficulttounderstandwithoutanytraining.Anaccuratetakeoffcanbe
preparedinamuchmoresimplisticwayasanexpansionofascopeofworks.Ihaveto
admit,Ifindthismethodveryoutdated.
ReplyLike

1 FollowPost6Februaryat17:54
View9more

Facebooksocialplugin

FindusonFacebook

ConstructionChat
Like

2,159peoplelikeConstructionChat.

Facebooksocialplugin

http://www.constructionchat.co.uk/articles/takingoffprocess/

9/10

5/3/2015

Whatisthetakingoffprocess?ConstructionChat

Tweets

Follow

China Xinhua
News
@XHNews

12h

"Zerolabor" factory under

construction in Dongguan, S
China to tackle labor shortage
file pic
pic.twitter.com/nMxpdDtNo3
Retweeted by
ConstructionChat

Tweet to @ConstructChat

Instagram

Testimonials
Articles
Contact
TermsandConditions
Privacy
Advertise
2013ConstructionChat.Allrightsreserved.CompanyNo.08605415

http://www.constructionchat.co.uk/articles/takingoffprocess/

10/10