Estimating & Take-offs
AMS Quantity Surveying provides estimating services for builders and subcontractors. We measure the quantities from your plans and can price them for your tender. We work with clients anywhere in New Zealand.
Overview
When you need estimating services
Estimating services cover two tasks: the take-off and the estimate. A take-off measures the quantities of work the drawings and specification show, and an estimate puts a price on them. AMS Quantity Surveying does both from the drawings and documents you send, as part of our measurement and estimating work. Builders and subcontractors use the service to price a tender or a job.
Tendering can be time consuming for contractors, particularly on bigger jobs. This service helps builders who have a closing date coming up and a large set of documents to work through before pricing. It also helps subcontractors who have one trade package to price and nobody in the business to measure it. Another case is tender documents that don't include quantities, where each item has to be measured from the drawings and specification.
What we handle
Take-off services and estimating, from your drawings
The work depends on whether a builder or a subcontractor is pricing the job.
Estimating for builders
A builder pricing a whole job can have us measure it and put a price on it.
Estimating for subcontractors
Subcontractors price their own trade package rather than the whole job. We measure and price that package from the documents.
In New Zealand
Pricing from drawings, or from a schedule of quantities
Government construction procurement guidance describes two ways to price a tender. The first is pricing from drawings and specifications. The contractor has to review that information in detail to interpret the scope and quantity of work. The contractor also breaks the information down into packages to get prices from sub-trade contractors. A risk allowance goes into the tender to cover possible errors or omissions in pricing.
The second is pricing from a schedule of quantities, which describes the items of work and their quantities. The contractor inserts its rates for those items, based on the stated quantities. With drawings alone, the quantities have to be worked out first, in a take-off. The guidance is written for government agencies, so check which approach your own tender documents take.
What you get
Quantities, and a price if you want one
You get the measured quantities for the job. If you also ask for an estimate, we price those quantities as well.
Measured from what the documents show
A take-off can only cover what's drawn and specified, so anything the documents leave out can't be measured.
Who this is for
This service suits builders who need tender estimating on residential, commercial, healthcare, refurbishment, shopfitting and civil work. It also suits trade subcontractors who are pricing their own package.
Owners, developers and architects who want the likely cost of a project, rather than a contractor's price, should look at cost estimation instead.
How it works
How an estimating and take-off job runs
- 01
Send the documents
Include the drawings, the specification, any tender documents and the closing date.
- 02
We look it over
Once we've seen what you've sent, we tell you whether we can help with the job.
- 03
We measure, and price if asked
The quantities come from the documents you sent.
- 04
You carry on with the tender
You add what we send back to the rest of your tender.
Why AMS
Why builders and subcontractors use us for estimating
Measuring and pricing in one place
Quantity surveyor take-offs and estimating come from the same practice. You don't have to pass quantities from one provider to another.
Less of your own time on measuring
With the measuring done for you, you can spend your own time on the rest of the tender.
Gaps found before you price
Measuring shows where the documents are silent, so you can raise those gaps before the tender closes.
Frequently asked questions
What is a take-off in construction?
A take-off is the measuring step in pricing a construction job. It lists what the drawings and specification call for, set out as quantities. Each kind of work is measured in the unit that suits it, such as square metres, metres or a count. You may also see it called a quantity take-off or a construction take-off. Pricing comes after the take-off.
What do estimating services cover beyond the take-off?
They also cover the pricing. Each measured item gets a rate, and the priced items are added up to give a total price.
Do I need a take-off when a schedule of quantities is supplied?
You may not need one, because a supplied schedule already sets out the quantities. The government guidance also says the tender and contract documents should clearly state who carries the risk of errors in a schedule. Check who carries that risk before you rely on the schedule. How a client prepares a schedule is covered on our tender documentation page.
What are provisional sums and prime cost sums?
A provisional sum sets aside money for specific building work when there isn't enough detail to provide a fixed price. This can happen when an item hasn't been chosen yet and its installation cost isn't known. A prime cost sum sets aside a fixed amount for a certain item. It doesn't include any installation costs unless this is stated.
Need a quantity surveyor for your next project?
Send through your plans or a short description of the project and we will come back to you.