Quantity Surveyor

Company Description

United Living Group is a collection of four businesses dedicated to creating a connected, sustainable future:

• United Living Property Services: Revitalizing homes and communities through the regeneration of living spaces.
• United Living Infrastructure Services: Delivering resilient infrastructure for a stable and functional future.
• United Living New Homes: Providing build-to-rent and affordable housing solutions to address community housing challenges.
• United Living Connected: Connecting people through fixed-line and mobile infrastructure, enabling seamless communication in today's digital age.

Job Description

To manage the financial and contractual administration of projects carried out by the Company, ensuring that general quantity surveying duties are performed to the highest standard and ensuring full contractual and monetary entitlement in the most advantageous terms to the Company.

• Ensure that United Living’s SHEQ standards, operating processes and company policies are understood and adhered to at all times and that, as far as is reasonably practicable, legislative requirements are complied with
• Learn and understand the United Way of working ensuring that the processes are complied with and adopted into your daily disciplines.
• Act in a professional manner in everything you do such that the Company’s reputation is enhanced.

Under supervision of your line manager:

Pre-contract

• Assist in the preparation of tenders as directed including checking of quantities for major elements
• Analyse tender quotations for exclusions and conditions and report to estimator

Project delivery

• Ensure that you have full understanding of all bid allowances and that a detailed handover has been completed with the estimating team and you have clarity over the bid strategy and profit plan areas
• Co-operate and work in partnership with the project team to ensure consistent delivery of successful projects in order to support the achievement of business unit objectives and to deliver target margins.
• Support the Operations Manager to ensure that all significant project issues and correspondence and all necessary contractual processes have been observed, notices issued, records kept and documents stored by the team to protect the company’s position, seeking advice from the Commercial Manager where necessary
• Provide advice to the management team on contractual, valuation and measurement matters.

Procurement

• Prepare and implement the project procurement strategy with Operations Manager
• Support the Group Procurement Department buying deals by ensuring they are communicated to subcontractors at tender stage and applied at order stage
• Chair subcontract interview meetings in association with Operations team
• Prepare subcontract enquiries including taking off quantities from drawings and formulating the tender list in consultation with the wider management team along with subsequent analysis and assessment of subcontract quotations.
• Negotiate sub-contract packages to deliver the most favourable outcome for the company.
• Draft and place sub-contract orders as and when authorised and ensure no subcontractors commence on site without a subcontract order fully completed.

Main Contract

• Support the Operations Manager in providing monthly reports to the customer, ensuring that such reports contain accurate forecasts of our rolling draft final account, full information concerning variations and record contractual notices
• Develop & maintain close relationships with customers, consultants & subcontractors to continuously improve customer experience, improve our Company position and obtain repeat & negotiated business
• Evaluate submit and agree the price of C.V.I's and contract Instructions provisional sums, VE etc
• Prepare and agree monthly valuations with the clients representative and ensure same are invoiced, paid, in full and on time
• Ensure that any agreement with client representatives is documented
• Ensure that adequate records are kept in respect of any future claims
• Prepare and submit alternative proposals for material and specifications to the client for approval
• Prepare and agree the final account with the clients representative
• Prepare and once approved by line manager submit all necessary contractual claims

Subcontract

• Prepare and negotiate interim valuations and final accounts including all necessary measurement as well as making sure that any agreement of variations with supply chain is documented.
• Measure, value, negotiate and check as necessary all subcontract interim and final account applications and process all associated payments in accordance with the Construction Act and/or other prevailing legislation
• Inform the Commercial Manager of any possible claims by subcontractors and prepare and/or seek direction in preparing any necessary documentation/correspondence to protect the Company’s interests.
• Prepare response to any claim for loss and expense, after liaison with their line manager

Financial

• Having full project(s) profit and loss accountability
• Competent use of company cost system
• Manage the CVR process, in conjunction with the Operations Manager, understanding and accurately forecasting project values, costs & margins against the target margin and profit plan, and agreeing changes and solutions with the Contracts / Project Manager prior to implementation
• Forecast cash on an accurate and timely basis, ensuring that the cash position of the project is maximised without compromising our contractual arrangements and relationships with either customers or subcontractors & suppliers
• Ensure profit plans are understood for each scheme/project and monitor and deliver on agreed areas and work on identifying further areas for recovery.
• Raise alarm signals to the Commercial Manager when the contract is straying outside the cost and profit parameters. Use best endeavours and seek to maximise margins  in co-operation with the Operations Manager.
• Monitor preliminaries / site management costs and advise the Operations Manager on action to be taken to remedy over-expenditure.
• Prepare and present commercial elements at the site Monthly Contract Review Meeting

Legal / Dispute

• Assist in the preparation of ‘claims’ or other means of dispute management to correct an imbalance of cost and value. To include drafting and sending contractual letters.
• Study contract documents and advise on onerous conditions therein including the preparation of briefing notes for Operations Manager.
• Upon receipt of contract, ensure that comparison of contract documents with tender documents is carried out and advise on any anomalies as well as ensuring that terms are in line with House Rules.

Qualifications

• 3 - 7 Years’ experience
• BSc in Quantity Surveying or similar commercial related course
• Professional qualification MRICS or MCIOB desirable
• Good data interrogation skills
• Line Management experience
• Commercial Awareness with good legal/contractual knowledge and experience
• Experience of Management accounts
• Proficient  in Microsoft office particularly Excel, Access and keen to extend knowledge on software packages
• Commercial contracting experience
• Re-measurement skills
• Previous experience in construction or similar sector
• Valid driving licence
• CSCS card at appropriate level
• Take responsibility for own development