core qs services

Core QS ServicesPast Questions

Up to November 1999

What happens if there is a mistake in the tender returns?

What is the tenderer deemed to have included for in respect of a defined Provisional Sum?

1. Allowance in programme

2. Allowance in preliminaries

A term that has come up to public notice recently is “contractors inspired variations”. Do you know what it means?

Why might the contractor inspire variations?

If we were procuring a building using a two stage tender, what sort of information would you include in the first stage document?

1. Drawings

2. Specification

3. Bills of Approx Quants

4. Pre-tender H&S plan

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Up to November 1999

How would you choose a list of tenderers?

1. Companies’ reputation in general

2. The type and value of work they normally undertake

3. Their experience in the field

4. Their mgt and other resources avail.

5. Their H&S record

How would you establish a contractor’s credit rating?

1. Get them to send their financial statements, accounts, and send those to an accountant

Why would you be bothered by their credit-worthiness?

1. In case they are in debt and go insolvent

Describe the provisions within the building contract for two major contractors on the same site.

1. There must be a principal contractor and the other contractor must follow his H&S regs

2


Up to November 1999

Are cost monitoring and cost control the same thing?

Give us an idea on the differences when preparing a cost plan for specification regarding an owner occupier and a speculative developer.

Would life cycle cost be of interest to the employer?

How much would the fit out of a speculative office be, per square meter/foot?

What criteria do you use to evaluate tenders?

How do you determine in a bid under Health and Safety / CDM terms whether they are good?

What should they be asked to submit?

Tenders are returned with fully priced bills, method statements etc, how do you assess them?

3


Up to November 1999

How do you recommend?

Is a programme a contract document?

Could it be?

Is there the means under JCT for inclusion?

How about ICE?

Have you heard of Clause 14?

If a programme becomes a contract document, what value does it have?

Can the contractor change it around?

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Up to November 1999

What if a contractor takes the Architects advice to change the programme?

What is a logic link?

What is a resource link?

How do produce a preliminary estimate

What about unforeseen items?

How much contingency do you allow

What is an appropriate number of tenderers

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Up to November 1999

What is the right way of assessing number of tenderers

Tendering - Alternative 1 - what does it say

Why do we have these alternatives and which is fairer

How would you go about estimating demolition works

Are demolition works based on m³ rates

What is the difference between building cost and tender price index

Does a tender always represent actual cost

What are the 3 main items within a rate build

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Up to November 1999

What cost checks would you be doing during the feasibility stage

What cost checks on materials would you be doing

What do you understand by the terms of GEA, GIA and NIA

Give some examples of when performance specified works may be required and when they might not?

What are the key criteria for the selection of tenders?

Are QS designers under the CDM regs?

What has to be provided by the QS to the planning supervisor?

What are the general parameters for the CDM regs to apply?

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Up to November 1999

What do you understand by the term Planning Supervisor?

Is the QS able to provide litigation/arbitration support?

What is a development appraisal?

What can it be used for?

What role does the QS have in a development appraisal?

What procedures do you as a QS carry out during the tender stage?

What do you include in an insurance valuation?

Why and when would you carry out an insurance exercise?

8


Up to November 1999

Describe prime cost sums?

Describe provisional sums?

What is his incentive for keeping costs down?

Under the NJCC single stage selective tendering how many tenders do you assess?

What are dayworks for?

How would dayworks be included within a BQ?

If a contractor returns a rate of £20/hour what would be your response?

What would you ask for in a first stage tender?

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Up to November 1999

What happens with errors in a first stage tender?

How would you go about producing a preliminary estimate for a leisure complex?

Where would you get the rates for such an estimate?

What level of contingency would you include at this stage?

What level of contingency would you include at a more developed stage?

Why would you not include contingency fund of 50%?

Supposing your contingency fund was not sufficient and the project ran over budget, the client is angry with your estimate, what remedy would he have?

Describe the purpose of retention and the process for release of retention monies?

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Up to November 1999

Is there a certificate which releases retention monies?

Who determines PC, and what are the effects of this certificate?

How long is the defects liability period?

What happens if defects appear in 3 years time?

Wouldn’t warranties have expired by then?

Is it possible for overheads and profit to be a head of claim?

Do you know of any formulas to calculate this claim?

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Up to November 1999

Are costs associated with producing a claim included?

If I incur additional finance charges as a result of a delay can I include these?

Can you name 10 relevant events which would give rise to an extension of time award?

What would you consider in preparing a valuation?

What options are available under JCT 1981 for interim payments?

Suppose the design was faulty?

Suppose the defect arose 15 years after PC?

If the contractors QS comes to you and says that he has found some errors in the BQ. How would you deal with them?

12


Up to November 1999

Apart from construction cost, what would you include in a cost plan?

Do you know what Life Cycle Costing is?

Explain what is V.M. & V.E.?

What would you do if you found errors in a contractors tender?

What are the essential items, statements etc. required on a form of tender to be returned by a tenderer?

What do you do, or what do you look for when evaluating a tender?

What additional documents / information would you normally want returned to evaluate tenders?

13


Up to November 1999

When preparing contract documents, what are some typical ER’s or restrictions imposed by the employer on the contractor?

Would you have any idea what percentage of the total cost of M&E installations might be in an office project?

When preparing an estimate for reinforced concrete in an RC framed building, what sort of allowance would you think of including if you had no help from an Engineer (Kg / m³)?

When would you allow for petrol interceptors?

VE workshops; are they better carried out by third parties?

Is VE something you would do in the normal course of your work?

How are VE reports presented?

Did you work in selection of main contractor?

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Up to November 1999

Had the contractor worked with the client before?

Have you carried out estimating?

How much does it cost to build something?

What differences in the form of a building from one that is air-conditioned to one that is not?

What is the point of the interview?

You could be impressed by the team leader, but what happens if he leaves?

How do you control the possibility of him leaving to go to another job?

If he leaves the company?

15


Up to November 1999

Experience with the rest of the design team? Is this a factor?

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Up to November 1999

What are the advantages of working with the team you know?

Why is the experience of the M/C important?

What would you look for?

Why would you need experience in refurbishment?

Are there more risks in refurbishment than new build?

If M/C is paid on % additions is it in his interest to escalate the cost?

Is there an incentive to keep the cost down?

If there are variations does his % increase or is it non-adjustable?

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Up to November 1999

What if the work cost more? (i.e. £40/m² carpet to £50/m² carpet)

How would you procure the M/C? You have appointed design team- design developing.

What is the process? Who does what in terms of trade contractors.

Where do prelims fit in? Who produced them, who priced them?

What element is the pricing? What would he pass on to the trade contractors?

The M/C would pass on a certain element, is it a fixed sum or is it an estimate?

Assist firm in bench marking for office building what would you do?

Do we concentrate on one or a number of buildings?

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Up to November 1999

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Up to November 1999

What would be the % for an air-conditioned building?

What is the % build up from?

What is the process to arrive at 4% TPI per year?

Is it going to be constant?

How would you price a specialised piece of work in an estimate, such as tunnelling?

How would you price a brick wall?

Where would you start initially?

What is the best source of information?

20


Up to November 1999

What is the TPI, what does it mean, where do you get it from?

I want to build an office, I have been told that is better than steel, discuss.

What would you consider other than cost?

Is cost sufficient for him to proceed?

What is the approximate value of an office building per SF.

What is the additional cost of fitting out?

If the works are valued at £3m, how long would it take to produce a BQ?

How much time would without quants take?

21


Up to November 1999

What tender documents would you send out?

What would you expect back from a contractor?

What would a Contract Sum Analysis consist of?

Quality - how would this be controlled?

How easy is it to compare contractors’ tenders?

If the lowest tenderer was sent to you by fax on time, is it OK?

If there is an error?

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