Foreword

The use of bills of quantities is a well-established means of enabling the financial control and
management of building
works. The key to the success of the use of bills of quantities is a clear understanding by all parties to the
contract of
what is included, or excluded, in the measurement. It is this that gives rise to the requirement for clearly
defined
standard methods of measurement.

Since these principles of measurement were first issued in 1979, A recent survey of its international membership carried out for
the RICS Construction
Faculty by the Building Cost Information Service (BCIS)

These principles require a detailed specification and tender drawings to be provided.

SECTION GP - GENERAL PRINCIPLES

GP1 Principles of measurement

GP2 Bills of quantities

GP2.1 The objects of bills of quantities are:

1. To assist in the accurate preparation of tenders, by providing for measurement of quantities on a uniform
basis
2. To provide a basis for the financial control of a project, in accordance with the conditions of contract.

GP3 Measurement

GP3.1 Work shall be measured net as fixed in position and each measurement shall be taken to the nearest 10
Millimetres

GP3.2 Unless otherwise stated, no deduction shall be made from items required to be measured by area for voids of
less than 1.00 m2.

GP4 Items to be fully inclusive

All items shall be fully inclusive of all that is necessary to fulfill the Items to be fully
liabilities and obligations arising out of the contract and shall include:
1. Labour and all associated costs
2. Materials, goods and all associated costs
3. Provision of plant
4. Temporary works
5. Establishment charges, overheads and profit.

GP5 Description of items

Items which are to be measured by length or depth shall state the cross-sectional size and shape, girth or
ranges of girths or such other information as may be appropriate; for items of pipework it shall be stated
whether the diameter is internal or external.

GP6 Work to be executed by a specialist nominated by the employer

Work which is required to be executed by a specialist

nominated by the employer shall be given as a sum; such sum shall be exclusive of contractor's profit and in
each case an item shall be given for the addition of profit.

GP7 Goods, materials or services to be provided by a merchant or tradesman nominated by the employer

Goods, materials or services which are required to be

provided by a merchant or tradesman nominated by the employer shall be given as a sum; such sum shall be
exclusive of contractor's profit and in each case an item shall be given for the addition of profit.

GP8 Work to be executed by a government or public authority

GP9 Dayworks

GP9.2 The cost of labour included in a sum or schedule shall include wages, bonuses and all allowances paid to
operatives directly engaged on dayworks (including those operating mechanical plant and transport)

GP9.4 The cost of materials included in a sum or schedule shall be the net invoiced price, including delivery to site.

GP9.6 The cost of constructional plant included in a sum or schedule shall include fuel, consumable stores, repairs,
maintenance and insurance of plant.

GP9.8 Establishment charges, overheads and profit shall include:

1. Costs related to the employment of labour
2. Costs related to the storage of materials, including handling and waste in storage
3. Contractor's administrative arrangements
4. Constructional plant, except plant employed exclusively on dayworks
5. Contractor's facilities
6. Temporary works
7. Sundry items.

SECTION A - GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

A1 Conditions of contract

A2 Specification

A3 Restrictions

A3.1 Particulars shall be given of any restrictions, which shall include:

1. Access to and possession or use of the site
2. Limitations of working space
3. Limitations of working hours
4. The maintenance of existing services on, under or over the site
5. The execution or completion of the work in any specific order, sections or phases
6. Items of a like nature.

A4 Contractor's administrative arrangements

A4.l An item shall be given for contractor's administrative arrangements, which shall include:
1. Site administration
2. Supervision
3. Security
4. Safety, health and welfare of workpeople
5. Transport of workpeople

A5 Constructional plant
A5.1 An item shall be given for constructional plant, which shall include:
1. Small plant and tools
2. Scaffolding
3. Cranes and lifting plant
4. Site transport
5. Plant required for specific trades.
A6.1 Particulars shall be given of any facilities required for the employer or the employer's representatives, which
shall include:
A6 Employer's facilities

1. Temporary accommodation (for example, offices, laboratories, living accommodation), including heating,
cooling, lighting, furnishing, attendance or related facilities
2. Telephones, including costs of calls; alternatively, the cost of calls may be given as a sum
3. Vehicles
4. Attendance of staff (for example, drivers, laboratory assistants)
5. Equipment (for example, surveyor laboratory equipment)
6. Special requirements for programmes or progress charts
7. Any other facilities (for example, progress photographs, signboards).

A 7 Contractor's facilities
A 7.1 An item shall be given for facilities required by the contractor, which shall include:
1. Accommodation and buildings, including offices, laboratories, compounds, stores, messrooms and living
accommodation
2. Temporary fencing, including hoardings, screens, roofs and guardrails
3. Temporary roads, including hardstandings and crossings
4. Water for the works; particulars shall be given if water will be supplied to the contractor
5. Lighting and power for the works; particulars shall be given if current will be supplied to the contractor
6. Temporary telephones.

A8 Temporary works
A8.1 An item shall be given for temporary works, which shall include:
1. Traffic diversion
2. Access roads
3. Bridges
4. Cofferdams
5. Pumping
6. De-watering
7. Compressed air for tunnelling.

A9 Sundry items
A9.1 An item shall be given for sundry items, which shall include:
1. Testing of materials
2. Testing of the works
3. Protecting the works from inclement weather
4. Removing rubbish, protective casings and coverings and cleaning the works at completion
5. Traffic regulations
6. Maintenance of public and private roads '
7. Drying the works
8. Control of noise and pollution
9. All statutory obligations

SECTION B - SITE WORK

B1 Site exploration generally

B2 Trial holes

B3 Boreholes (including pumping test wells)

B3.1 Driving boreholes shall be measured by depth, taken along the centre line, stating the number and the
maximum depth below commencing level; raking boreholes shall be so described.

B4 Site preparation

B4.3 Site clearance, which shall include removing vegetation, undergrowth, bushes, hedges, trees or the like, shall
be measured by area.
B5 Demolitions and alterations

B6 Shoring

B7 Underpinning

B7.4 Excavation shall be measured by volume, taken to the outside line of the projecting foundations or to the
outside line of the new foundations (whichever is the greater), classified as follows:
1. Excavation in preliminary trenches down to the base of the existing foundations
2. Excavation below the base of the existing foundations.

B8 Earthworks generally

B8.1 Any information available concerning the nature of the ground and strata shall be provided with the bills of
quantities.

B9 Excavation

1. Oversite excavation to remove top soil, stating the average depth

2. Excavation to reduce levels
3. Excavation in cuttings
4. Basement excavation
5. Trench excavation to receive foundations, which shall include pile caps and ground beams
6. Pit excavation to receive foundation bases, stating the number
7. Excavation for diaphragm walls, stating the width of the permanent construction and the type of support
fluid.

B11 Disposal

B11.1 Disposal of material arising from excavation, dredging or tunnelling shall be measured by volume as equal to
the volume of excavation, dredging or tunnelling and each shall be classified as follows:
1. Backfilled into excavation
2. Backfilled in making up levels
3. Backfilled oversite to make up levels, giving details of special contouring, embankments or the like
4. Removed, which shall include providing a suitable tip.

B12 Filling

B13 Piling generally

B14 Driven piling

B15 Bored piling

B16 Sheet piling

B16.2 Supplying sheet piling shall be measured by area, taken as the area when in final position.

B16.3 Corner piles or the like shall be measured by length.

B18 Testing piling

B19 Underground drainage

Drain pipes shall be measured by length.

B20 Paving and surfacing

B20.3 Channels, curbs, edgings or the like shall be measured by length

B21 Fencing

B22 Landscaping
B23 Railway work

B23.1 Track, guard rails and conductor rails shall each be measured by length, taken along the centre line over all
fittings;

B23.4 Ballast shall be measured by volume, without deduction for track, classified as follows:
1. Bottom ballast, placed before the track is laid
2. Top ballast, placed after the track is laid

B24 Tunnel excavation

B25 Tunnel linings

B26 Tunnel support and stabilisation

B26.1 Timber supports shall be measured by volume.

B26.2 Sprayed concrete supports and reinforcement shall be measured by area.
B26.3 Rock bolts shall be measured by length.

SECTION C - CONCRETE WORK

C2 Poured concrete

C2.2Poured concrete suspended slabs of special construction, including floors, landings, roofs or the like, shall be
measured by area; coffered and troughed slabs shall be so described, giving details of solid margins or the
like.

C3 Reinforcement

C4 Shuttering

C4.2 Shuttering to edges, which shall include face of curb or upstand or break in upper surface of floor, shall be
measured by length;

C4.3 Grooves, which shall include throats, rebates, chamfers or the like, 2500 mm2 sectional area or over shall be
measured by length; grooves less than 2500 mm2 sectional area shall be understood to be included.

C5 Precast concrete

C6 Prestressed concrete

C7 Sundries

SECTION D – MASONRY
D2 Walls and piers

D3 Sills, etc.

D4 Reinforcement

D5 Sundries

SECTION E – METALWORK
E2 Structural metalwork

E2.1 Unless otherwise stated, structural metalwork shall be measured by weight, classified as follows:
1. Grillages
2. Beams
3. Stanchions
4. Portal frames, stating the number
5. Roof trusses, stating the number
6. Support steelwork, which shall include sheeting rails, braces, struts or the like
7. Other classifications, as may be appropriate.

E3 Non-structural metalwork

SECTION F – WOODWORK
F2 Structural timbers

F2.1 Structural timbers shall be measured by length, classified as follows:

1. Floors and flat roofs
2. Pitched roofs
3. Walls
4. Kerbs, bearers or the like
5. Cleats, sprockets or the like.

F3 Boarding and flooring

F4 Grounds and battens

F5 Framework

F6 Finishings and fittings

F6.1 Finishings shall be measured by length, classified as follows:

1. Cover fillets, which shall include architraves, skirtings or the like
2. Beads, which shall include stops or the like
3. Edgings, which shall include window boards, nosings or the like.

F6.7 Sheet linings shall be measured by area, classified as follows:

1. Walls, which shall include returns, reveals of openings or recesses and attached and unattached columns
2. Ceilings, which shall include attached and unattached beams and soffits of staircases.

F7 Composite items

F8 Sundry items

F9 Metalwork

F10 Ironmongery

SECTION G - THERMAL AND MOISTURE PROTECTION

G2 Coverings and linings

G2.l Unless otherwise stated, roofing, tanking, waterproof coverings, linings or the like shall be measured by area,

1. Flat coverings
2. Sloping coverings
3. Vertical coverings.

G3 Damp-proof courses

G3.1 Damp-proof courses shall be measured by length.

G4 Insulation

G4.1 Insulation shall be measured by area; alternatively, it may be described with items of composite roofing.
SECTION H - DOORS AND WINDOWS
H1 Doors

H2 Windows

H3 Screens

H3 Screens

H5 Glass

H6 Patent glazing

Patent glazing shall be measured by area, classified as follows:

1. Roofs
2. Skylights, which shall include lantern lights
3. Vertical surfaces.

SECTION J – FINISHES
J2 Backgrounds

J3 Finishings

J4 Sundries

J5 Suspended ceilings

J5.1 Suspended ceilings shall be measured by area, classified as follows:

1. Ceilings stating the drop
2. Sides and soffits of beams or upstands.

J6 Decorations

decorations shall be measured by area, classified as follows:

1. Floors, which shall include landings
2. Walls, which shall include returns, reveals of openings or recesses and attached and unattached columns
3. Ceilings, which shall include attached and unattached beams and soffits of staircases
4. Staircases, which shall include treads, risers, strings and edges of landings but exclude soffits
5. Cornices
6. General surfaces, which shall include doors, close-type fencing or the like; glazed general surfaces
(measured flat over glass) shall be so described
7. Isolated general surfaces, which shall include door frames, linings, sub-frames of a differing material to
the window, skirtings, rails, architraves, bars, posts, balusters or the like
8. Windows (measured flat over glass, frames, mullions, transomes and architraves), which shall include
glazed partitions or the like, but exclude sub-frames of a differing material to the window; edges of sashes
shall be understood to be included
9. Radiators, measured over the area of heating surface
10. Gutters, measured inside and out
11. Large pipes (that is, pipes with an internal diameter exceeding 60mm), including trunking or the like,
unless measured as incidental work; hangers, supports or the like (except common supports to services)
shall be understood to be included
12. Structural metalwork, which shall include roof trusses.

J7 Signwriting

SECTION K – ACCESSORIES
K2 Partitions

K2.1 Partitions shall be measured by length, taken over all doors and glazed units.
K2.2 Doors and glazed units shall be enumerated, stating the partition in which they occur.
K2.3 Cubicles or the like shall be enumerated

SECTION L – EQUIPMENT
SECTION M – FURNISHINGS
SECTION N - SPECIAL CONSTRUCTION
SECTION P - CONVEYING SYSTEMS
P2 Sundries

1. Supports, which shall include fixings, anchors, insulating blocks and anti-vibration devices
2. Identification, which shall include plates, discs,labels, charts and colour coding
3. Testing and commissioning, which shall include operating completed installations and providing fuel and
power
4. Tools and spares, which shall include loose keys and consumable stores
5. Documents, which shall include drawings, operating instructions and maintenance manuals

P3 Work incidental to conveying systems

SECTION Q - MECHANICAL ENGINEERING INSTALLATIONS

Q2 Pipework and gutterwork

Q2.1 Pipes and gutters shall be measured by length

Q3 Ductwork

Q5 Automatic controls

Q6 Connections to supply mains

Q7 Insulation, including linings and protective coverings

SECTION R - ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING INST ALLA TIONS

R2 Main circuits

R3 Sub-main circuits

R4 Final sub-circuits and auxiliary installations

R5 Accessories

R6 Control gear

R8 Connections to supply mains