Prowse Quantity Surveyors – A Great Success Story of RIB CostX & RMIT University

Prowse Quantity Surveyors offer a complete range of professional consulting quantity surveying services, with specialist capacity in cost planning, client representation, bills of quantities, post-contract services, tender analysis, taxation advise and insurance advice, valuations and claims. They have assisted in projects with a total value in excess of $4.0 billion. 

RMIT University

Client: RMIT University 
Product used: CostX 
Project: Advanced Manufactory Precinct 
Value: A$13.6m 
Programme: 2008 – 2010 

Client’s Requirements 

After five years of industry consultations, RMIT established the need to create an Advanced Manufacturing Precinct to deliver practical industry skills training for the design, development, production, marketing and management processes of the advanced manufacturing sectors. 
 
The George Thompson Building on 58 Cardigan Street, Carlton was the chosen site. The requirement was to refurbish this 1968 school of foundry technology into a new precinct that delivers cross-disciplinary training to meet industry needs by incorporating teaching in engineering and advanced manufacturing technologies, applied design, development, production, marketing and management. Originally designed as a four star solution, strategic cost engineering and cost planning allowed the facility to be designed and certified with a five star rating. 
 
Prowse Quantity Surveyors was awarded the 2010 Building Efficiency Award from the Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors for the Advanced Manufacturing Precinct Project. 

Prowse Quantity Surveyors Contributions 

The role of Prowse Quantity Surveyors was to ensure that the project was delivered with the best architectural design solution and building efficiency outcomes, while remaining within the funding restraints of the project. 
 
The process included full cost planning; from concept design through to tender documentation, to working with the design team and client. Various design solutions and feasibilities were undertaken so that informed financial decisions could be made on the affordability, functionality and aesthetics of the project. 
 
An environmentally efficient solution was high on the agenda for this project, and allocating sufficient funds to undertake these works was critical to its inclusion. Constant dialogue between Prowse Quantity Surveyors and consultants enabled the successful recycling of materials, an efficient layout, reduced PVC and new raw materials. 
 
Prowse Quantity Surveyors also assisted with the tendering process by producing a schedule of quantities for this project, shortlisting builders, reviewing tenders, assessment of progress claims and variations, and financial reporting which identifies expenditure and risks that may impeded on a successful financial conclusion of the project. 
 
CostX was the software of choice for electronic measurement and preparation of cost reports. The software allowed paperless electronic take-off, monitoring of the design as documentation progressed, and the production of cost plans and schedules of quantities for financial reporting and tendering purposes. During construction, CostX was used extensively to quantify works yet to be completed for progress claim and variation purposes.

Making the Difference

Quantity Surveyors must have orderly and analytical minds and be prepared to work to very rigid time schedules. Decisions involving large sums of money are often made using information produced by them, and reports must be accurate in all aspects of their works. 
 
Finding the right tools are part of the challenge for a Quantity Surveyor and CostX fitted this role perfectly. CostX fulfilled the need to provide technical data in the form of quantities in a fast and efficient manner. Its simplistic methods of obtaining accurate quantities enhance our roles as industry leading construction cost consultants to our valued clients.