QS මල්ලී - Quantity Surveyor Life & Tips

15/07/2026

“The cheapest vendor is not always the best vendor.”

This is one of the silent truths that many people underestimate.

A low price may look attractive during procurement, but the real cost often appears later through:
• Poor workmanship
• Delayed deliveries
• Rework and defects
• Variation claims
• Lack of support
• Project delays
• Higher lifecycle costs

A professional buyer or Quantity Surveyor doesn’t choose the lowest price—they choose the best value.

Price is only one factor. Quality, capability, reliability, financial stability, compliance, and commitment determine the true value of a vendor.

Remember:
“Buy cheap once, pay twice. Buy value once, benefit for years.”

Best value always beats the lowest price.

18/05/2026

Fear of failure is keeping more people stuck than lack of skill ever will.

I’ve seen sharp QSs sit on ideas for years.

A business they want to start.

A niche they want to own.

A move they know they should make.

But they wait.

For the “right time.”

For more experience.

For someone to tell them they’re ready.

That moment rarely comes.

Here’s what I’ve learned:

Failure isn’t the opposite of success.

It’s part of the process.

Every senior QS who runs a tight commercial operation they’ve made bad calls. Missed notices. Underpriced scopes. Trusted the wrong people.

They didn’t succeed despite failing.

They succeeded because they kept moving after it.

The real risk isn’t failure.

It’s staying exactly where you are — comfortable, unchallenged, and wondering “what if” five years from now.

Start the thing.
Make the move.
Send the email.
Adjust as you go.

The only failure that truly counts is the one you never learned from.

What’s one thing you’ve been holding back on — and what’s actually stopping you?

20/04/2026

The best QSs I’ve worked with don’t just crunch numbers.

They read patterns.

And that skill more than any software or qualification is what separates a good QS from a great one.
Here’s why patterns matter more than most people realise:

1. CVR patterns tell you where a project is really heading

If your cost is consistently tracking ahead of value, month after month that’s not a bad month. That’s a trend. Catch it early and you can act. Ignore it and you’re explaining a loss at final account.

2. Contractor payment behaviour is a pattern

When a subcontractor starts submitting inflated applications, delays their programme updates, or suddenly raises variation claims out of nowhere something is wrong. Financially distressed contractors follow a recognisable pattern. Learn it. Watch for it.

3. Delays have a signature

Programme slippage doesn’t appear overnight. It builds. Missed milestones, resource gaps, procurement delays they compound. A QS who spots the pattern early can build the EOT narrative before it becomes a dispute.

4. Variation creep follows a pattern too

Small scope changes, poorly defined instructions, verbal approvals. Then suddenly the client disputes a AED 2M variation claim because “there was no formal instruction.” That sequence is predictable. So is the fix.

5. Your own project history is a pattern library

Every project you work on is data. Cost overruns, dispute triggers, procurement risks if you’re paying attention, you’re building a reference set that no textbook can give you.

The QS who recognises patterns early doesn’t just react.

They predict.

And that’s where real commercial value lives.
Are you actively looking for patterns on your projects or just reporting what’s already happened?

12/04/2026

08/04/2026

Smart QS vs Traditional QS 🙈

🔄 Smart QS vs Traditional QS The Shift That’s Reshaping Commercial Teams Most QS professionals are still operating in 2005. Manual take-offs. Static rate books. Monthly CVRs nobody reads until it’s too late. That’s not a criticism it’s how the profession was built. But the game has change...

03/04/2026

Under budget

“Under budget” is the most dangerous lie in construction. And the worst part? It’s usually celebrated by senior management. Today I watched a ###.xx million gypsum & GRG subcontract get pushed forward just because it sits below budget. Looks good on paper. Feels like a win in meetings. But at ...

28/03/2026

How Quantity surveyors can integrate with AI?

AI is not replacing Quantity Surveyors. It’s replacing the ones who refuse to adapt. Here’s how smart QSs are already using it: 1) Automating BOQ production Tools like ChatGPT + Excel macros can cut take off time significantly. Not perfect but fast. You review, you refine, you move on. 2) Drafti...

25/03/2026

Still measuring from 2D drawings? So is most of the industry. But that’s changing fast. 👇
If you work in construction — whether you’re a QS, Project Manager, Engineer, or Client — you need to understand what 5D BIM is doing to the way projects are costed and managed.
Let me explain it simply.

🔷 BIM dimensions, quickly:
∙ 3D = The visual model (geometry)
∙ 4D = Add time = construction programme
∙ 5D = Add cost = every element carries a quantity, a rate, and a price
That’s it. The model becomes a live, intelligent cost plan.

💡 So what does this actually mean on site and in the office?
✅ Quantities come straight from the model — no more manual takeoff from drawings that change every week
✅ When the design changes, the cost plan updates automatically — no more chasing revisions
✅ Variations are backed by model data — auditable, traceable, and far harder to dispute
✅ Cashflow forecasting becomes sharper when cost is linked to the construction programme
✅ The QS stops reacting to design and starts influencing it — in real time

🔑 The biggest misconception about 5D BIM?
People think it threatens the QS profession.
It doesn’t.
It threatens the QS who ONLY measures. The professional who brings cost strategy, commercial judgment, and procurement expertise to the table? They become more powerful — not less.
The tools are there. CostX. RIB iTWO. Navisworks.
The gap isn’t technology. It’s commercial understanding. And that’s exactly where Quantity Surveyors have the edge.

🚀 If you haven’t explored 5D yet — start small.
Get a Revit model. Run a takeoff in CostX. Compare it to your manual measurement.
The results will speak for themselves.

The construction industry is moving. The QS professionals who move with it won’t just survive the shift — they’ll lead it.

💬 Are you seeing 5D BIM used on your projects? Or does it still feel like a buzzword where you work? Share your experience below — would love to hear what’s happening on the ground.

16/03/2026

Most Quantity Surveyors think AI will replace them.

I believe the opposite.

Click below link fore more 👇👇

Most Quantity Surveyors think AI will replace them. I believe the opposite. AI will expose the difference between a “measurer” and a “commercial strategist.” For decades, QS work focused on: • Manual quantity take-offs • Spreadsheet cost plans • Endless BOQ revisions • Reactive cost ...

15/03/2026

Your project hits a war zone. Pandemic. Natural disaster. Who pays?

Most contractors don't know the answer until it's too late.

Clause 19 of the FIDIC Red Book 1999 is the Force Majeure clause — and it's one of the most misunderstood provisions in international construction contracts.

Here's what it covers:
→ War & Hostilities
→ Terrorism
→ Natural Catastrophe (earthquake, hurricane, typhoon)
→ Riot & Civil Commotion
→ Munitions & Ionising Radiation
→ Acts of Government affecting the contract

3 things most people miss:

1. Notice is a condition precedent — not a formality
You must notify the Engineer within 14 days of the event. Miss that window and you almost certainly lose your entitlement to an EOT. The contract doesn't forgive late notice.

2. You get time. You don't automatically get money.
Sub-clause 19.4 grants EOT for all Force Majeure events. But additional cost is only recoverable for Sub-Clauses (i) to (iv) — war, terrorism, riot, and munitions. Earthquakes? Time only.

3. Prolonged Force Majeure triggers a termination right
If the event continues for 84 days continuously — or 140 days in total — either party can issue a 7-day termination notice. This is a mutual right.

"Force Majeure is not a blanket excuse. It's a carefully defined mechanism with strict procedural requirements — and most claims fail on procedure, not merit."

💬 What's the most complex Force Majeure scenario you've dealt with on a project?
Drop it in the comments. And if this helped you, repost it — there's a QS or PM in your network who needs to see this before their next FIDIC contract lands on their desk.