Clients’ Views On Quantity Surveying Competencies
GJ Crafford & JJ SmallwoodClients’ views on quantity surveyingcompetenciesPeer reviewedAbstractTraditionally, quantity surveyors have fulfilled the function of financial andcontract controller of projects and therefore proficiency in the relatedcompetencies is important. However, the quantity surveying profession hasendeavoured to broaden the role of Quantity Surveyors to include inter alia,project management, and facilities management in recent years.The article reports on the quantity surveying component of a study relative tothe competencies of five built environment practitioners conducted amongprivate and public sector clients. The focus of the study was to determine theimportance of competencies, and the extent to which they manifestthemselves. Based upon inter alia, principal component analysis, findingsinclude that the top two of five factors, namely ‘Financial planning andcontrol’ and ‘Contract administration’, include the traditional quantitysurveying competencies.Recommendations include inter alia, tertiary institutions, the South AfricanCouncil of Quantity Surveying Profession (SACQSP) and the Association ofSouth African Quantity Surveyors (ASAQS) should address the perceiveddeficiency relative to the competencies identified by the gap analysis,particularly those competencies that achieved evidence scores below that ofthe overall average evidence score.Keywords: clients, competencies, quantity surveyorsGerrit Crafford, Department of Building and Quantity Surveying, Nelson MandelaMetropolitan University, PO Box 77000, Port Elizabeth, 6013, South Africa. (DrCrafford is currently working as Quantity Surveyor, Rogerson Reddan &Associates, 78 Haddington Road, Dublin 4. Ireland), Tel: 00353 1 6609155 Fax:00353 1 6609694, Email: Gerrit.Crafford@rra.ie Prof. John Smallwood, Department of Construction Management, NelsonMandela Metropolitan University, PO Box 77000, Port Elizabeth, 6013, South Africa.Tel: (041) 504 2790 Fax: (041) 504 2345 E-mail: john.smallwood@nmmu.ac.za 33
Acta Structilia 2007: 14(1)AbstrakTradisioneel het bourekenaars die funksie van finansiële- en kontrak beheervan projekte vervul. Daarom is bekwaamheid van hierdie persone belangrik.Die bourekenaars-professie het daarna gestrewe om die rol van Bourekenaarste verbreed deur onder andere deesdae ook as projekbestuurders en fasiliteitbestuurders op te tree.Die artikel lewer verslag oor die bourekenaars komponent van ’n studie watgedoen is onder privaat- en openbare sektor kliente om die bekwaamheidvan vyf praktyke in die bou-industrie vas te stel. Die fokus van die studie wasom die belangrikheid van bekwaamheid te bepaal. Die studie het bevind datdie twee mees uitstaande faktore naamlik Financial planning and control enContract administration deel vorm van die tradisionele bourekenaarsbekwaamheid.Aanbevelings sluit onder andere in dat tersiêre instansies, die Suid-AfrikaanseRaad vir bourekenaars en die Vereniging van Suid-Afrikaanse BourekenaarsProfessie (VSABP) die tekortkominge soos uiteengesit in die analise en veraldaardie tekortkominge wat laer as die gemiddelde telling was, aandag moetgeniet.Sleutelwoorde: kliente, bekwaamheid, bourekenaars34
Crafford & Smallwood Clients’ views on quantity surveyingcompetencies1.BIntroductionuilt environment professionals are charged with the responsibilityof assessing clients’ needs and realising a productive designthrough added value engineering. This requires the continuingdevelopment of skill, application and experience in the knowledgeintensifying cycle (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research,2004). The following quotation included in the South AfricanConstruction Industry Status Report — 2004, published by theConstruction Industry Development Board (CIDB) (2004), providesinsight relative to the performance of the design team: “The quality ofdelivery varies and clients expressed dissatisfaction particularly withregard to timely preparation of designs, handling of variations,invoicing and final settlement of accounts.”This article is based upon a component of a Doctoral study, andreports on the competencies of quantity surveyors based uponresponses emanating from private and public sector clients. The inputgathered from clients is invaluable as they in essence constitute theprimary customers of quantity surveyors, and therefore their input caninform the practice of quantity surveying. The Johari window can beFigure 1:Johari windowSource: Robbins, 199835
Acta Structilia 2007: 14(1)used to explain the importance of input gathered from others andfrom self-disclosure. The combination of disclosure and feedbackcan enlarge the congruence area of the Johari window (Figure 1) aswell as help to identify areas of focus for relevant future educationand training of quantity surveyors (Nkado, 1999).According to Robbins (1998), proponents of the Johari window implythat perceptual accuracy and communication would be improvedif the size of the Public area were expanded by increasing selfdisclosure and by acceptance of feedback from others even if suchfeedback is unflattering.Nkado (1999) and Crafford (2002) conducted research relative tothe competencies required by quantity surveyors using quantitysurveyors, architects and engineers as the target population. Thus, itcan be argued that self-disclosure did take place and that the JohariPublic area was widened.The aim of this research is to: obtain feedback from the clients on the competenciesrequired by quantity surveyors; reveal the extent to which quantity surveyors realise clientrequirements as per client perception, and develop a meaningful model of the competencies.The research broadly follows the approach adopted by Nkado(1999) and Crafford (2002). Upon completion of the research theJohari Public area should be even larger, yielding vital feedback forthe quantity surveying profession.A justification for a study of competencies required by the designand construction team is that the ability of the design and construction team to meet the differing and changing client needsdepends on the knowledge base of each discipline. Prokesch (1997)advocates that building and leveraging knowledge is the key tosuccess in this age of globablisation, while Male (1990) opines thatknowledge is an important power base for professions generally.2.Quantity surveying competenciesThe quantity surveyor is essentially a building economist, advisingclients and architects on costs of alternative designs to ensure thatthe project is kept within the agreed budget (Seeley, 1997). Leveson(1996) indicates that quantity surveying competencies lie in the36
Crafford & Smallwood Clients’ views on quantity surveyingcompetenciesfinancial and contractual control of the building project, but advisesquantity surveyors to pay attention to developing interpersonal skills.The RICS Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) is primarilycompetency-based. It requires candidates to demonstrate that theyhave the skills and abilities needed to perform specific tasks orfunctions. These are based on attitudes and behaviours as well asskills and knowledge. The specific competencies candidates mustachieve depend on the APC pathway being taken. There is an APCpathway for each of the discipline areas in which quantity surveyorswork. As competence can be demonstrated on the basis of actualwork experience, the pathway will be determined by the candidate’s employment. The candidate’s supervisor and counsellor willadvise the candidate on which pathway to follow. The APC pathways are as follows (RICS, 2006): Art and antiques; Building control; Building surveying; Commercial property practice; Environment; Facilities management; Geomatics; Housing management and development; Machinery and business assets; Management consultancy; Minerals and waste management; Planning and development; Project management; Property finance and investment; Quantity surveying and construction; Research; Residential property practice; Residential survey and construction; Rural; Taxation allowances, and Valuation.37
Acta Structilia 2007: 14(1)Each APC pathway requires a period of structured training duringwhich the candidate completes the mandatory and technicalcompetencies that make up the minimum requirements for the APC(RICS, 2006). The competencies have three levels of attainmentwhich are progressive in terms of skills and abilities (RICS, 2006): Level 1 — knowledge and understanding; Level 2 — application of knowledge and understanding; and Level 3 — reasoned advice and depth of technicalknowledge.The candidate must satisfy three types of competency (RICS, 2006): Mandatory competencies — personal, interpersonal andbusiness skills common to all pathways; Core competencies — primary skills of the chosen APCpathway; and Optional competencies — selected by the candidate withthe supervisor and counsellor from the list for the chosenpathway.2.1Mandatory competenciesThese competencies are a mix of professional practice, interpersonal, business and management skills that are considered commonto, and necessary for, all surveyors. These competencies are compulsory for all candidates. Candidates must achieve the followingminimum standards (RICS, 2006):To level 3: Conduct rules; Ethics; and Professional practice.To level 2: Client care; Communication and negotiation; and Health and safety.To level 1: Accounting principles and procedures; Business planning;38
Crafford & Smallwood Clients’ views on quantity surveyingcompetencies Conflict avoidance, management and dispute resolutionprocedures; Data management; Sustainability; and Team working.2.2Technical competenciesFor each APC pathway, specific technical competencies must beachieved. The competencies are divided into core and optional. Forsome pathways there will be an element of choice in the corecompetencies. For the optional competencies a choice must bemade from the APC pathway list. For some pathways one optionalcompetency can be taken from the full list of technical competencies. Some pathways allow candidates to select a mandatorycompetency as an optional and take it to a higher level (RICS, 2006).For the purposes of this research the quantity surveying route waschosen and the core and optional competencies are discussedbelow (RICS, 2006).Core competencies — a minimum of (RICS, 2006): Conflict avoidance, management and dispute resolution— to level 2; Construction technology and environmental services — tolevel 2; Contract practice — to level 3; Design economics and cost planning — to level 3; and Health and safety — to level 2.Optional competencies — from the full list of competencies, aminimum of (RICS, 2006): Two competencies — to level 3; and Two competencies — to level 2.The full list of competencies is presented in Table 1 below.39
Acta Structilia 2007: 14(1)Table 1: List of APC competencies (RICS, 2006) Access and easements for power,water and communicationsinfrastructure, including way leaves Accounting principles and procedures Information technology Inspection Agriculture Insurance and risk management Analysis of client requirements Landlord and tenant Asset and investment planning Land use and diversification Auctioneering Law Building pathology Leadership Business management Local taxation / assessment Cadastre and land management Maintenance management Capital allowances and grants Management of the built environment Management of the naturalenvironment Capital taxation Collection, retrieval and analysis ofinformation and data Commercial management ofconstruction Compulsory acquisition andcompensation Conflict avoidance, managementand dispute resolution procedures Conservation and restorationmanagement Construction technology andenvironmental services Consultancy skills Measurement and costing ofconstruction works Minerals management Contaminated land Negotiating skills Contract administration Object identification Contract practice Corporate and publiccommunications Corporate finance Planning Managing people Managing resources Mapping Marketing Measurement Option appraisal Procurement Corporate real estate management Project audit Corporate recovery and insolvency Project cost and financial control Customer care Project evaluation Design and specification Project process and procedures Design economics and cost planning Project strategy and control Development appraisals Purchase disposal and leasing Development / project briefs Real estate finance and funding Economic development Real estate management Engineering surveying Real estate management accounting Environmental assessment Real estate records Environmental audit Recruitment and selection40
Crafford & Smallwood Clients’ views on quantity surveyingcompetencies Access and easements for power,water and communicationsinfrastructure, including way leaves Environmental awareness Information technology Remote sensing and photogrammetry Environmental management Research methodologies Environmental sustainability Ethics, professional identity andaccountability Financial risk management Risk management Securitisation Selecting the project team Forestry and woodland management Self management Geodesy Spatial data capture and presentation GIS Specification preparation Ground engineering and subsidence Strategic real estate consultancy Health and safety Surveying land and sea Housing aid or advise Housing maintenance, repair andimprovements Housing management and policy Team working Housing strategy and provision Hydrographic surveying Information integration andassimilation3.Research3.1Methodology Use of the marine environment Valuation Verbal communication Works progress and qualitymanagement Written and graphic communicationThe descriptive survey method was employed to process the dataobtained through observation. This type of research involves eitheridentifying the characteristics of an observed phenomenon, orexploring possible correlations among two or more phenomena. Inevery case, descriptive research examines a situation as it is. It doesnot involve changing or modifying the situation under investigation,nor does it intend to determine cause-and-effect relationships (Leedy& Ormond, 2005). Thus, it observes existing conditions artificially, and islimited to ascertaining and describing the characteristics of thevariables of interest in a given situation (Cropley & Harris, 2004).An exploratory study was conducted to enable the development ofan optimum list of competencies. A qualitative approach wasadopted during this phase which entailed the interviewing of tenArchitects, Construction Managers, Engineers, Project Managers,and quantity surveyors in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape. The41
Acta Structilia 2007: 14(1)interviews investigated the various disciplines’ understanding of theirown competencies, and the competencies of the other disciplines’,with the possibility of adding additional competencies to the pilotquestionnaire. Subsequently, during the primary study, a quantitativemethod of data production using a questionnaire was followed.The populations of respondents in the primary study can be dividedinto two categories: Public sector clients — a mailing list of all the MunicipalManagers in South Africa was obtained from theDepartment of Water Affairs and Forestry; and Private sector clients — a mailing list of all the propertydevelopers in South Africa was obtained from the SouthAfrican Property Owners Association (SAPOA).The total number of property developers or private sector clients onthe SAPOA mailing list totalled 74 members. The total number ofMunicipality managers or public sector clients on the mailing listobtained from the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry totalled284.3.2Questionnaire designThe questionnaire consisted of three sections. Section one consistedof demographic questions, which were later used to test if any of thevariables had a significant influence on the rating of thecompetencies.In section two each disciplines’ competencies were listed inalphabetical order with two accompanying scales, namely level ofimportance and evidence of competencies. The questionnaire wasdesigned to include all the competencies which were gatheredduring the survey of the literature and during the exploratory phaseinterviews. The method of presenting all the competencies and thenasking the respondents to rate the competencies according tocurrent importance and evidence on the Likert scale was adoptedfrom Nkado (1999). The two scales were: The level of importance of a competency for a career in aspecific discipline at present, from 1 (not important) to 5(very important); and How evident that competency is in the specific disciplinein South Africa, from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent).42
Crafford & Smallwood Clients’ views on quantity surveyingcompetenciesSection three included a scale in which the respondents had to ratethe level of importance of the performance parameters to clients,from 1 (not important) to 5 (very important).3.3Sample size and response rateKrejcie & Morgan (1970) suggest appropriate sample sizes foreffective representation of the target population. However, theauthors deemed it erudite to conduct a census of the target population due to the poor response rate in construction relatedquestionnaires.Of the 358 questionnaires posted, 59 were returned twelve weeksafter the initial mailing — this equates to a response rate of 16.8%.However, 8 of the returned responses could not be included in theanalysis of the data as not a single response had been recordedthereon. No reasons were given for returning the questionnairesblank. Therefore, the effective response rate was 14.5% as shown inTable 2. However, when comparing the amount of completedquestionnaires to sample size recommended by Krejcie & Morgan(1970), it represents a 22.8% response rate. This response rate is not farbelow the 25% response rate recommended by Nkado (1999) forconstruction research.Table 2:Analysis of respondent sampleUsefulRequiredResponse rate ofQuestionnairesResponse rateSector questionnairessample sizerequired sampleposted (No.)of census (%)(No.)(No.)size 5822814.522.83.423.0Rescaling dataRe-scaling is an explanatory, rather than causal analysis as therescaled values are for the full set of observations over all theconstructs that are rated. This limitation means that rescaling doesnot indicate how each respondent used the scale for each statement that was rated. According to Bendixen & Sandler (1995) “insome instances, the subsequent analyses produce results that arealmost identical to those obtained when the assumption that the43
Acta Structilia 2007: 14(1)original ordinal data behaved in an interval fashion was made or thatthe analytic techniques used were sufficiently robust. However, inequally as many instances, the interpretation of subsequent analyseswas ‘cleaner’, easier and more precise.”Bendixen & Sandler (1995) and Nkado & Meyer (2001) argue that thisprocedure is essential for parametric manipulation and interpretationof the raw data. The conversion of the Likert scale was performedseparately for each of the three sets of ratings of importantcompetencies, evidence of the competencies and futureimportance of the competencies. Table 3 illustrates the conversionsfor ratings of important competencies based on a correspondenceanalysis of the ratings received for the 25 competencies. Therescaling shows that any assumption that the original ratings intervalin nature would be questionable.Table 3: Re-scaling for rating of important current competenciesEigen ValueCumulative percentretainedAxis 10.2044668.91Axis 20.0493085.52Likert scale of importanceAxis 1 coordinateAxis 2 coordinateEuclideandistanceAdjustedscale1Not important0.818-0.6162Less than 2180.39092.25364Mor
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