The Impact of BIM ON Quantity Surveyor’s Role

Purpose - This paper aims to identify the impact of Building Information Modeling (BIM) on contractors’ Quantity Surveyor (QS)’s role and how the latest BIM tools affect QS functions in construction projects in Hong Kong.
Design/methodology/Approach - First, a comprehensive literature review was carried out to explore the antecedents of BIM and identify contractors’ QS functions both in traditional and BIM-based environments. Latest BIM tools, which are adopted in performing QS functions, were then investigated. By conducting a questionnaire survey, types of BIM tools currently used for each QS function and learning sources of BIM were identified in the context of Hong Kong (HK) construction industry. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive and frequency analysis techniques by SPSS software.
Findings - Findings from the study suggest that QS’s role has been shaped due to BIM implementation in construction. Improvements to current BIM education and the training of BIM tools are necessary. Thus, this research seeks to address the research gap by recommending academic and professional institutions to revamp the undergraduate programs, CPDs, and other relevant QS courses accordingly.
Originality/Value - Limited research has been undertaken regarding the impact of BIM on contractors’ QS’s role in construction. Especially, how project performance can be improved by contractors’ QS’s involvement in BIM-based environment has not been thoroughly examined. Further, contractors in Hong Kong are expected to adopt BIM models in most of the major construction projects as BIM implementation is being considered as a client’s requirement for the award of tender. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the impact of BIM on contractor QS’s role as the QS’s involvement is vital for performing major functions (i.e. quantification of works, cost monitoring and control, payment application preparation) of a construction project.