Clients’ views on quantity surveying competencies

Traditionally, quantity surveyors have fulfilled the function of financial and contract controller of projects and therefore proficiency in the related competencies is important. However, the quantity surveying profession has endeavoured to broaden the role of Quantity Surveyors to include inter alia, project management, and facilities management in recent years. The article reports on the quantity surveying component of a study relative to the competencies of five built environment practitioners conducted among private and public sector clients. The focus of the study was to determine the importance of competencies, and the extent to which they manifest themselves. Based upon inter alia, principal component analysis, findings include that the top two of five factors, namely ‘Financial planning and control’ and ‘Contract administration’, include the traditional quantity surveying competencies. Recommendations include inter alia, tertiary institutions, the South African Council of Quantity Surveying Profession (SACQSP) and the Association of South African Quantity Surveyors (ASAQS) should address the perceived deficiency relative to the competencies identified by the gap analysis, particularly those competencies that achieved evidence scores below that of the overall average evidence score.