[1] Todd Fleming, a Trainee Quantity Surveyor said: “Hopefully not too long after qualifying I’ll be able to be the lead Quantity Surveyor in a team.” And: “Studying at Fife College helped me improve my knowledge of Quantity Surveying and the construction industry as a whole, which played a crucial part in me securing a job as a trainee in the industry. Similarly, working as a Quantity Surveyor in the construction industry has improved my work at college and made it a lot more understandable, and with the course taking up just two and a half days a week it meant I was able to secure my Traineeship.” UK. [NZBE Link]
[2] Timber prices rise 5%, fuelling inflation in construction costs. Tackling licence backlog for tree-felling and planting one of the key aims of Government’s strategy for forestry. Figures issued this week by multinational quantity surveyor Linesight show that timber prices are rising by 4 per cent to 5 per cent, making it one of several building materials whose costs are increasing ahead of construction inflation. Ireland. [NZBE Link]
[3] Lee Carpenter died at Beachy Head on November 29 last year, an inquest heard Mr Carpenter, a quantity surveyor from Walsall in the West Midlands, had a history of severe depressive episodes. Norman Carpenter, Mr Carpenter’s father, said, “He was a kind and friendly person, he would help anyone.” UK. [NZBE Link]
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[4] QS Ap Entrepreneur. A new home-grown app, PharmaGo, was launched on March 1 to facilitate free same-day and next-day deliveries for essential and over-the-counter medication. Created by Raees Carim, now 22, while he was a student at Wits. He was 20 at the time, doing a BSc in construction. He has since done his honours in quantity surveying and graduated in 2020. South Africa. [NZBE Link]
[5] Working from Home. Long-serving employee Joanne Sew, 49, said that while it took a lot of effort to get used to working from home, staff were able to adapt and perform to the expected standard due to mutual trust. Over her 25 years with the firm, she has risen from a junior quantity surveyor to associate contract director. "Sunray does not pigeonhole us, and gives us many opportunities to experiment and excel at every task. While it is not easy, I am grateful for new learning opportunities every day," she said. Singapore. [NZBE Link]
[6] The final Design and Building Practitioners Regulations 2021 (NSW) have now been released and will operate from 1 July 2021. Financiers must Consider whether a quantity surveyor should assess compliance declarations and variations regime. The Act requires declarations to be provided to clients and certifiers. Variations to Regulated Designs must be re-declared and lodged in the NSW Planning Portal no later than 1 day after the building work in respect of that variation is commenced by the builder. This ensures that builders must build in accordance with the designs that have been declared. Australia. [NZBE Link]
[7] Quantity surveyor Paul Morrell to co-chair review following shocking evidence at Grenfell Inquiry. Paul Morrell has been announced as the co-chair of a government review into the testing of construction products following shocking disclosures from materials manufacturers at the Grenfell Inquiry. Morrell, who was the government’s first chief construction advisor under Gordon Brown and David Cameron, will lead the independent review alongside legal expert in construction Anneliese Day QC. UK. [NZBE Link]
[8] 5 minutes with Laura Collins at Stanhope. The firm’s project developer on starting out at Davis Langdon as an apprentice QS, working compressed hours and the women who have inspired her. I had no idea what a quantity surveyor was but I’m so glad I walked through those doors of Mid City Place in 2006 as I genuinely enjoy my job. Who would have thought that 15 years later I’d be working for the developer responsible for that building? UK. [NZBE Link]
[9] Homeowners Joel and Kathryn Giddy believe fully in letting the professionals do what they do best and have built up a team around them that they now call friends. That includes quantity surveyor Brad Dalzell. “Without him we’d be stuffed,” says Joel in his forthright fashion. “He costs everything – down to the bolt for the letterbox.” New Zealand [NZBE Link]
[10] A senior officer from a government agency has been arrested, the eighth so far, for alleged involvement in a "project cartel" syndicate being investigated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). The 38-year-old suspect, a quantity surveyor with a Grade 48 position, is believed to have prepared bills of quantity for projects offered by a government agency. Sources with knowledge of MACC's investigation into the case said the suspect allegedly leaked information on project specifications to allow the syndicate gain an advantage to secure tenders. The suspect was arrested late Monday (April 5) at his house in Ampang. "Investigations showed that the suspect was paid RM300,000 each time he provided information to syndicate leaders. Malaysia [NZBE Link]
Somewhere around the world a Quantity Surveyor is in the News. Good QS news or Bad, we will bring you regular links to their stories. Join the NZBE Blog
By Matthew Ensoll
Life Member NZIQS. Reg.QS.
Editor New Zealand Building Economist.