Civil engineering bills of quantities (R34)

There has, for some considerable time, been an awareness of the short-comings in the present practice and use of bills of quantities and methods of measurement within the civil engineering industry. Report 34 gives the results of a CIRIA project, begun in 1968, which has attempted to improve contract procedure.

The performance of experimental features of bills of quantities has been assessed for 14 civil engineering contracts, six of these involving the contractual use of experimental bills. The study has shown that the bill of quantities should not be a simple price list of components, but should also contain charges related to method and timing of the contractors operations.

This Method-Related Bill would divide tender charges into those related to quantities of permanent work to be produced, and those related to methods and timing of construction. The latter would be entered by the tenderer against items listed and described by him, while the former charges need less detailed itemisation than is generated by the I.CE. Standard Method of Measurement. The proposed form of bill could be used with existing I.C.E. Conditions of Contract.

The advantages of the new bill are: improved financial control of civil engineering activity with reduced administrative costs, payment for work done more equitable to both parties, and less contention and delay in agreeing payments.

ISBN: 978-0-86017-016-7

Author: N M L Barnes and P A Thompson

Number of pages: 34 (paperback)

Publisher: CIRIA

Date of Publication: January 1971