20/05/2015

Whatisthetakingoffprocess?ConstructionChat

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ConstructionChat/Articles/Whatisthetakingoffprocess?

Whatisthetakingoffprocess?
Thequantitysurveyingprofessionhasbeenongoingformanyyears:Theearliestquantitysurveying
practiceonrecordisaReadingfirm,(HenryCooperandSons),whichwasoperatingin1785(Seeley
&Winfield,1999).Predominantly,quantitysurveyorsdealwiththecostsandcontractsofa
constructionproject.
Therearearound75,000professionalquantitysurveyorsworkingintheUKalone(RICS,2010).The
RoyalInstitutionofCharteredSurveyors(RICS)wassetupin1881,andisanindependent
professionalbodywhichregulatespropertyprofessionalsandsurveyorsintheUKandworldwide.
TheRICSprovideeducationandtrainingstandardstoallmembersandprotectsconsumerswithstrict
codesofpractice.ThemottooftheRICSisEstmodusinrebus(whichtranslatesintoEnglishas:
Thereismeasureinallthings).TheRICSisrepresentedinover146countriesandhasmorethan
159,000members.

BillofQuantities
TheBillofQuantitiesisadocumentwhichisusedforthetenderingprocessinaconstructionproject,
inwhichmaterials,parts,andlabourareitemized.Italsodetailsthetermsandconditionsofthe
constructioncontractanditemisesalltheworkforasubcontractortoprice.
TheBillofQuantitiesispreparedbyaquantitysurveyor.Thepreparationdividesitselfintotwo
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distinctstages,thefirstbeingthe
TheessaywilllookintotheTakingOffprocessrepresentedinaBillofQuantitiesandalsolookinto
wheretheTakingOffprocesscanbeused.IwillstartbylookingintowhatTakingOffactually
is.measurementofdimensions,andthecompilationofdescriptionsfromthedrawingand
specification.ThisisknownasTakingOffwhichisthetopicthatIwilldiscussinthissectionofthe
essay.
ThesecondstageisthepreparationoftheBillthisinvolvescalculationsofvolumesandareas
(squaringthedimensions),followedbyenteringthedescriptionsandthedimensiononanabstract
(abstracting)andfinallycollecttheitemstogetherandpresenttheminabillorder(billing)(Lee&
Trench&Willis,2005).

TheTakingOffProcess
TheTakingOfflistisaprocessofanalysingtechnicaldrawingsandspecificationstoidentify
elements.Listsshouldincludeeverybuildingelementfromthesmallesttothelargestcomponent.The
developmentofcomputerisedmeasurementandbillingsystemshavemadethetraditionalmethodless
commonnowadayshowever,itisstillusedinpractice(Lee&Trench&Willis,2005).
TheTakingOfflistissymbioticwithRICSNewRulesofMeasurement.TheRICSNewRulesof
MeasurementThisdocumentprovidesfundamentalguidanceonthequantificationofbuildingworks
forthepurposeofpreparingcostestimatesandcostplans(www.rics.org/uk).TheRICSNewRules
ofMeasurementisacodebookwhichdetailsthespecificationandalsomethodofhoweachitemin
theconstructionindustryistobemeasured.Itcoversabsolutelyallphasesofaproposedbuilding
project.Thepresentationoftheinformationisdoneinclassificationtableswhichprovideinformation
onthegivenitemtobetakenoff.TheuseoftheRICSNewRulesofMeasurementmeansthatall
constructionprojectsaretakenoffinthesamestandardorderandensuresconsistencyacrossthe
industry.Quantitysurveyinghasbecomeincreasinglyinvolvedwithprojectfinancing,thustakingoff
isavaluableprocesstounderstandwhenestablishingprojectfeasibility.FromagoodTakingOfflist
aquantitysurveyorcanquantifydimensionsandlatercreateabillofquantities.(Seeley,1999)
Ifthedrawingsareunclear,thenaquantitysurveyorwillenteranyqueriesonaquerysheetforthe
architect.Atypicalquerysheethasthequantitysurveyorsquestionsononesideandthearchitects
answersontheother.

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

PreparationoftheBill
ThissectionwilldescribethesecondsectionoftheBillofQuantitieswhichisthepreparationofthe
bill.Thisisalsosometimesknownasworkingup.Thisissplitintothreesections.
1.Calculationofvolumes,areasetc.(Squaringanddimensions)Squaringthedimensionsand
enteringtheresultinglengths,areas,andvolumesinthethird(orsquaring)columnofthe
dimensionpaper.
2.Enteringthedescriptionsandsquareddimensionsonanabstract(Abstracting)Transferringthe
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squareddimensionstotheabstract,wheretheyarewritteninarecognisedorder,readyforbilling
underthecorrectworkheading.
3.Collectingitemstogetherandpresentinginarecognisedbillorder(Billing)Theitemsofwork
whichmakeupthetotalbuildingarelistedintheappropriateworksectionheadingwhichgives
thedescriptionoftheitemandtherecognisedunitsofmeasurement,asperthelayoutinRICS
NewRulesofMeasurement.Thebillalsocontainsanemptyrateandpricecolumn.Theclient
givestheBillofQuantitiestothecontractor,andthecontractorthencanaddshisrateandprice
whentenderingfortheproject.(Lee&Trench&Willis,2005)
Themostrecognisedpurposeofthebillisthatitcanbesenttocontractorswhomaywanttotender
fortheconstructioncontract,andenablesthemtobasetheirpriceonthesameinformation.Takingoff
isveryimportantbecauseitprovidesanaccuratemeasurementoftheconstructionworkneededtobe
carriedout.

Constructioncosts
TheTakingOffprocesscanbeveryusefulinestimatingtheconstructioncostsofaprojectbecauseas
mentionedpreviouslythecontractorbasesthepricingoftheworkontheBillofQuantities.Thebillis
createdbytheclientsquantitysurveyor,whoistraditionallyreferredtoasaProfessionalQuantity
SurveyororPrivatePracticeQuantitysurveyor,andcompletedbythecontractorsquantitysurveyor.
Partofthebillisthetakingoffprocesswhichneedstobeaccurate,sothecorrectpricingcantake
place.TheBillofQuantitiesisusedtoassistthecontractorwhenpreparinganestimateforthetender.
Thepricedbillthenbecomespartofthecontractdocuments,providingthebasisforthevaluationof
thework.
TheTakingOfflistisaveryimportantpartoftheBillofQuantitiesbecauseitallowsthequantity
surveyortousethebillforthevaluationoftheworkcompleted,whichallowshimtoworkoutthe
stagepaymentsneededinagivencontract.Thecontractorsquantitysurveyorcanalsoworkoutthe
priceforeachstagepaymentofaprojectforeachindividualsubcontractor.

Clientsperspective
Theclientsmainconcernistoseetheprojectcompletedontime,onbudget,andtotherequired
quality.However,theclientalsowantsbetterinformationontheprojectandthiscanbeprovidedby
thetakingoffprocess.ThefinancialinformationintheBillsofQuantitycanbetranslatedintoother
informationsuchascashflows,periodicprojectaccounts,andcostvariations.Theinformationcan
thenbeeasilycommunicatedtotheclienttokeephiminformedoftheprogressandfinancialstatusof
theproject(Rashid&Mustapa&Wahid,2006).

Consultantsperspective
Theconsultantrepresentstheclienthehastoensuretheclientgetsvalueformoney.Theconsultant
concentratesonmakingsuretheclientreceiveahighqualityproduct,abuildingwhichiscompleted
ontime,andmoreimportantly,withintheestimatedbudget.Thepricedbillbythecontractorprovides
usefulinformationtoaconsultantbecauseitidentifiesthetotalcostoftheprojectandalsothemarket
conditions.Qualitativeandquantitative(includingfinancial)informationpresentedinthetakingoff
processandthustheBillofQuantitiesprovidestheconsultancywithusefultenderevaluationand
selectionofcontractorforagivenproject.Thepricedbillcanbetranslatedintoaworkprogramme,
costplanandprojectcashflowandbudget.Thiscanhelptomakemoreeffectiveprojectsupervision
andcostcontrolling.Thebillalsoprovideseffectivelyashoppinglistofitemsrequired(Rashid&
Mustapa&Wahid,2006).

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

TheTakingOfflistisofmostimportancetothecontractorwhenestimatingcosts,becauseitcanbe
usedtocalculatethecostsforpreparationofthetender.ThebillisbasedontheTakingOfflist.Each
companyusesitsowntablesofstandardworkoutputsfordifferenttypesofconstructionoperation
work,whichtheyenterintotheunpricedbill.Whenthisiscompletedthebillcanbesaidtohave
beenpriced,andcanbesentbacktotheclient.TheTakingOfflistintheBillofQuantitiescanbe
usedbythecontractorwhenpreparingpricingfornewprojectsasanestimateoftheconstruction
costs.Thisshouldbereviewedoftenwhenconstructionstarts(Ashworth,2002).
TheTakingOfflistisessentialinworkingoutthetargetcosts.Theestimatedcostsareadoptedasa
basisoftheconstructionoperationscostsonsite.Thetargetorbudgetcoststrytorelatetotheactual
taskshappeningonsite.Inthebilltheestimatorusesanaverageoutputforthewholeofagivenitem.
Thesecostsarethenanalysedseparately,dependingonthetypeorworkandthedifficultly.Thetarget
costsusetheaverageestimatorsrateasbasisbutwillvarythisinrelationtotheactualachievement
expected.Targetcostsareoftenslightlylowerthantheestimatedcostbecauseofacontractors
incentiveschemeandtheunforeseenriskwhichisinvolved(Ashworth,2002).
Thefinaltypeofcostistheactualcostpreviouslythebasisofworkingouttheestimatedcostsand
targetcostwastheTakingOfflistandthebillintheBillofQuantities.Theactualcostuserecorded
dataonsite.Actuallabouroutputsfromthesitearecomparedwiththebudgetoutputs.When
comparingtheestimatedcostsandactualcosts,thismayshowahugedifferencehowever,comparing
theactualandtargetcostsshouldshowonlyasmallamountofdifference(Ashworth,2002).
Subcontractors
ThemaincontractorcanusetheTakingOffprocesstoassistwiththeseparationoftheBillof
Quantitiesintotradesectionsfordifferentsubcontractors.Theseparatedestimatedpricedsections
willbesentofftoseveralsubcontractorsfortheirownpricing,andthensentbacktothemain
contractorforcomparison.Notjustthelowestpricewinstheworkthemaincontractorwilltakeinto
accountitemssuchaspreviousexperience,reputation,flexibility,time,qualityofworketc
(Ashworth,2002).
Materials
Whenobtainingquotationsformaterialstobeusedonsite,theTakingOffprocesscanbeused.The
billsaresenttosuppliersandtheysendbackapriceforthematerials.Commonmaterialsthatthe
contractormayrequirecanbepurchasedthrougharegularlocalsupplier.Thepricingofthematerial
canbeaffectedbyanumberoffactorssuchasordersize,deliverycostsandexchangerates.TheBill
ofQuantitiesissplitintoorderedsectionsaccordingtoRICSNewRulesofMeasurement.Thisallows
thematerialorderingtobeeasilyidentifiedandcarriedout(Ashworth,2002).
Informationsenttothesupplierwillinclude:
1. Specificationofthematerial(whichisusuallyfoundinthepreambleoftheBillofQuantities).
2. Quantityofthematerialrequired(whichisusuallyfoundinthebillsectionoftheBillof
Quantities.)
3. Theaddressofthesite.
4. Thedeliverydatesrequiredbythecontractor.Thisisveryimportanttoallowstoragespaceon
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site,storagecosts,extraspacefordeliveriesandaforemantobepresentwhenunloadingthe
materials,ifrequired.
(Ashworth,2002)
Plant
TheTakingOffProcesscanbeveryusefulinaproposeddevelopmentprojectwhenobtaining
quotationsforhire,lease,orpurchaseofplantandequipment.Thechoicebetweenrentingand
purchasingplantisnormallycalculatedfinanciallytoseeifitisviable.Thisisbaseduponthe
expecteduseofthegivenplant.TheTakingOffprocesshastobecorrect,andthecorrectinformation
hastobesent.
Labour
TheTakingOffprocesscanalsohelpwithforecastingthelabourcosts.Thesecostsareusually
calculatedusinganallinlabourrate,includesthebasicrateandguaranteedbonusplusitemssuchas
weather,sickpay,tradesupervisions,andextrapayments(forexampleskillorresponsibilityforrisk).
Themostcommonmethodofestimatingthecostsoftheconstructionworkisunitratesthiscanbe
usedtomeasuretheBillofQuantitiesbythecontractor.Suchitemsaslabour,materials,
subcontractors,andplantcanallbemeasuredthisway.

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

OperationalWorkandProjectManagement
NotonlyistheTakingOffprocessavaluablesourceofinformationinthetenderingprocessbutitcan
alsobeusedthroughouttheoperationalworkofaconstructionproject.Theaccuracyandthewaythe
TakingOfflistisdrawnupisveryimportantinthemanagementoftheproject.Ifthesiteteam
understandexactlywhattheTakingOffprocesssaysitcanleadtomoreeffectivemanagementofthe
projectandthegiventrades.Thelistofworkitemsandtheirquantitiesinthebill,givesthecontractor
adetailedWorkBreakdownStructure(WBS)oftheproject.Thisisextremelyusefulinformation
becauseithelpsinprojectplanningandpreparationoftheworkplanandprogramme.Itcanbeused
toorganiseactivitiesinalogicalsequencefordifferentsubcontractorsandcanbeusedtoestimate
theactivityduration.Theestimatedcostsinthebillarealsousefultomonitorandcontroltheproject
finances(Rashid&Mustapa&Wahid,2006).
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ProjectCostManagement,whichisabalancingofdemands,isanessentialpartofproject
management.Garrison(1998)believedthatinformationisvitaltothesuccessoffinancial
management.Intheabsenceofadequate,accurate,andreliablecostinformation,aprojectcost
managementexercisewouldbeineffective.ThisshowsthattheTakingOffprocessisvery
important.TheTakingOffprocesscanalsohelpwiththeprojectdevelopmenthoweverthisall
dependsonthetypesandemphasisoftheproject,egifthecostisthebiggestemphasisoftheproject
andthefundislimiteditisappropriatetousethebillbecauseitcontainshighlevelsofdetailof
projectcostitems.Thiscanthenbeusedfordetailedprojectaccountingandfinancialreporting
(Rashid&Mustapa&Wahid,2006).

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

Law
TheTakingOffprocessispartofthecontractdocumentsinaconstructionproject.Thuswhensigning
thecontractdocumentyouarewillingtoacceptthatitiscorrectandyouwillbeheld(liable)to
everythinginit.TherearemanystandardformcontractswhichcanbefollowedsuchastheJCT(Joint
ContractsTribunal)2005whichhasasectionfortheBillofQuantitiesandhasitslegalobligationsall
setout.(JCT,2010)

Conclusion
Asshown,theTakingOffprocesscanbeusedinmanyadministrationstagesofaproposed
development/constructionproject.BecausetheBillofQuantitiesisacontractdocumentitisalsovery
usefulforthelegalsideofaproject.However,thebillisnotnecessarilyusefulineverytypeof
procurementmethod.IhavespokenabouttheTakingOffprocessinthetraditionalsensehowever,
modernmethodsofprocurement,(forexamplefasttrackingprocurement,whichinvolvesdesign,
documentationandconstruction)tendtoruninparallel,thusrequiringnoBillofQuantities.However
thecontractorstillmustprepareapropercostdocumentforthebidding.
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Despitetheemergenceofnewgenreofprocurementsintheglobalconstructionindustry,theTaking
Offprocessisstillviabletobeusedasakeycostdocument.(Rashid&Mustapa&Wahid,2006)
References
Seeley,I&Winfield,R1999,BuildingQuantitiesExplained,Edition5,PalgraveMacmillan,UK
Lee,Sandra&TrenchWilliam&WillisAndrew2005,WillisselementsofQuantitySurveying,
Edition10,BlackwellPublishing,UK
Ashworth,A2002.Precontractstudies,developingeconomics,TenderingandEstimating,2nd
Edition,BlackwellPublishing,UK
Websites
RICS2013,RICSUK,availableat<http://www.rics.org/uk>
Journals
Rashid,R&Mustapa,MandWahid,S.(2006).BillsofQuantitiesAreTheyStillUsefuland
RelevantToday?InternationalConferenceonConstructionIndustry.1(1),19.

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AsjathKhan
SOTHANKS/.,/,/.
ReplyLike21Aprilat13:03
KristianHammondOwner/DirectoratPriestleyandTaffsLtd
Thisisveryinteresting,however,Imustadmit,inallmyexperienceinconstructionasa
QuantitySurveyor,CostManagerandnowOwnerIhaveneveractuallyhadtoprepare,nor
receivedfromasubcontractoratakeoffinthisformat.Thisisanextremelytimeconsuming
exercise,whichisdifficulttounderstandwithoutanytraining.Anaccuratetakeoffcanbe
preparedinamuchmoresimplisticwayasanexpansionofascopeofworks.Ihaveto
admit,Ifindthismethodveryoutdated.
ReplyLike

1 6Februaryat06:54
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