montecristo

gc100, I accept that the QS estimate of cost won't be very accurate. I don't need one, or want to pay for one, just to forecast the budget. As you say, it will cost what it costs. But is it useful to have the QS make a list of what items are required? i.e. even if the QS gave no prices at all, does it help the contractors to have an itemized list, leading to lower quotes from contractors, or quotes that don't get raised during construction when contractors find out they had underestimated the requirements?

Would that 'twere so simple - QSes don't see cost reduction as their job. The best explanation I've had from a QS of what they do is that someone needs to list the 500 items you'll need for construction, and that's what they do. Without that list, builders will price inaccurately because they're guessing (and prefer to use their time building than quoting). I get that, it seems like that would lead to possibly lower and probably more predictable quotes. But the builders will price however they want, and any negotiating is down to the client or PM. What the QS does is give you a detailed shopping list.

I am building a small house and am struggling to understand the value of a QS. Some of the people I need are easy to justify (e.g. structural engineer) but even QSes themselves can't tell me concisely what their purpose is. I would prefer not to pay for an estimate that is just informational. And it doesn't seem, including from other threads on this forum, that the estimates guarantee lower costs - they don't have a magic downward effect on builders' quotes. And the QSes I've talked to are not keen, or non-committal, on managing tender negotiations. Even if they did, I can’t afford to pay someone to just do the admin part of tendering. How does a QS provide value? Can I do without one?