Dart is offering a professional quantity surveyor apprenticeship to a young Caymanian. To show what a typical day at the job might look like, Dart's Quantity Surveyor Richard Hooper described one of his days recently.
Driving into work at Camana Bay, I am immediately reminded of the progress on our multiple live projects — we've come a long way since the first concept design estimates 18 months ago.
Arriving at the office, I'll grab a coffee and sift through emails — I see there's a much deserved team building event next Friday.
Early in construction, we spend a lot of time reviewing the computerised 3D model and developing documents to identify the amount of work needed for a construction project. I put the final touches on a Bill of Quantities for one project and confirm the budget with our estimating team. A Bill of Quantities is an essential piece in the construction puzzle because it's what contractors will use to prepare quotes for carrying out the work.
I spend a couple of hours working on the commercial management software platform and then head out to a project site with the construction team to conduct a valuation while checking to see if everything is on schedule and budget. This takes an hour as we assess the progress of a project and agree to the amount we will pay our contractor.
On my way back to the office, I grab lunch and enjoy a wander through the Town Centre. It's satisfying to see how tangible our work is as Camana Bay continues to grow.
I need to address some potential change orders that we identified at the site visit. This is crucial as it might increase the contract price, but I confirm it is already included in the scope of work and drop a note to the team.
A quick call with the project manager to a U.S. vendor confirms the conditions for specialists arriving at the site next month.
I then discuss a specific risk item with my manager — it is the quantity surveyor's responsibility to provide professional recommendations on how best to manage commercial issues.
The monthly report presentation is a week away, so I check in with project accounts and update the forecast. Understanding and communicating evolving project cost forecasts is a vital aspect of our job.
I have a little spare time this day, so I spend it on my professional development doing some reading and making sure I'm up to speed with the latest developments affecting the markets and our industry today.
Our job is multi-faceted, fast-paced and no two days are the same, which is something I like. And despite the name of our profession, it's about so much more than counting stuff!
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This article appears in print in the August 2021 edition of Camana Bay Times.
