Founder of James Nisbet & Partners developed the elemental cost plan as a QS

The father of cost planning, James Nisbet, has died at the age of 89.

Nisbet, who founded James Nisbet & Partners in 1968, is best known for developing the elemental cost plan in the fifties as a QS at Hetfordshire council after being tasked with cutting costs of its school building plan by 50%.

In spite of initial uproar, his idea to calculate the cost of various elements of a building before the architect started work soon caught on and, in time, became standard practice.

His firm was bought by fellow consultant Cyril Sweett in March 2008.

Nisbet’s funeral will be held in Leatherhead on Monday.