RICS launches measurement pyramid

The new measurement initiative is being driven by Gleeds partner Stuart Earl, who is heading a working party on the standard. The group has already created a measurement pyramid on which to base the standard.

Writing in this month's RICS Construction Journal, Earl says: "The starting point was to create a hierarchy that is client-focused and recognises modern procurement and construction techniques." Earl said the group's aim was to create a set of standards for each of the five levels of measurement in the pyramid over the next two years.

The new standard follows one leading QS's description of the industry's use of SMM7 as "anarchy".

Brendan Patchell, an associate at Bucknall Austin, criticised the method during the RICS' ‘Developments in cost planning' seminar last week: "It's not user friendly, it's very vague and it differs from one company to another. There's a lot of anarchy. People are doing their own thing," he said, adding that SMM7 was also being "used and abused".

He has called for the RICS to instigate new national rules of measurement, a central database to hold a new bills of quantities, a description library and a new set of rates, in order to allow QSs to offer more accurate early cost advice.

"You need people to buy into it - so there is true re-use," he said. "A lot of people out there feel the same way. The RICS should look into it."

Patchell said a new prescriptive B of Q library should be created, and then be tied into a cost planning library to allow individual elements "to talk to each other".

• For a fuller report on Patchell's comments, click on the link below.