Choosing a quantity surveyor is not a spreadsheet purchase. You are selecting the people and controls that will shape cost decisions from the first estimate through tendering, change management, payment assessment, and final account.
A polished proposal can hide a weak delivery model. Test whether the consultant can name the delivery team, explain its checks, define the outputs, and keep decisions traceable as the project changes.
Indonesia has a national competency standard specifically for the Quantity Surveyor job role. The Ministry of Manpower lists KEP.06/MEN/I/2011 as active. That standard is a useful reference point, but its existence does not prove that a particular firm or person is right for your project. Procurement teams still need to verify current, scope-relevant evidence.
Use the following ten questions before comparing fees. Give every shortlisted consultant the same brief, requested evidence, and scoring rules.
1. What decision will each deliverable help us make?
Ask the consultant to turn its scope into a deliverable matrix. Each output should name its purpose, inputs, author, reviewer, issue date, and approval point.
Watch for broad phrases such as “full quantity surveying services” without defined outputs. A good scope also states what is excluded. This prevents gaps between the QS, designer, project manager, contractor, and owner from appearing after appointment.
2. Has the proposed team handled our type of project at the relevant stage?
Firm history is less important than the experience of the assigned people. Ask for comparable examples matching the project’s sector, scale, procurement route, location, and stage.
Request the problem handled, the team member’s role, the outputs, and a verifiable result. Accept anonymised evidence where confidentiality applies, but not a logo sheet as proof of individual experience.
3. Who will actually perform and review the work?
Obtain a named team chart with roles, availability, experience, and planned time. Confirm who measures, prices, attends site, handles commercial matters, and signs off outputs.
Request current, role-relevant competency evidence and verify it with the issuing body or official system where possible. Confirm how key-person continuity will be handled.
4. How will estimates and quantities remain auditable?
Ask for a redacted cost plan or bill of quantities showing the measurement basis, rate source dates, assumptions, risk allowances, design status, revisions, and reconciliation.
Another competent reviewer should be able to trace source information through quantity, rate, allowance, and total. Ask how arithmetic checks, peer review, and approval are recorded.
5. How will you support our procurement and tender process?
The answer should fit the owner’s procurement route. Ask how the QS will prepare pricing documents, control queries, compare bids consistently, identify qualifications, test unusual prices, and document recommendations.
RICS practice material lists pre-qualification, tender document management, commercial compliance, price examination, clarifications, and reporting as relevant procedures. Tailor them to the contract strategy and Indonesian context.
6. How will changes, claims, and forecast cost be controlled?
Ask for a variation log and forecast structure recording the instruction, scope, contractual basis, submitted and assessed amounts, status, owner, and expected final-cost effect.
Ask how confirmed commitments, pending exposure, disputes, and owner contingency are separated, and how double counting is prevented.
7. What will our monthly commercial report show?
Request a redacted report showing budget, commitments, payments, changes, risk allowances, forecast final cost, monthly movements, and decisions required.
Agree the cut-off date, source systems, cadence, data ownership, and escalation thresholds. Every number should trace to an approved source.
8. How will you work with our documents, systems, and project team?
List the owner’s document platform, cost codes, finance system, model requirements, and reporting formats. Ask how revisions and quantities will align with the work breakdown structure.
For model-based measurement, request information requirements and checks for incomplete or changed model data. Technology should not hide assumptions or strand the owner’s data.
9. What conflicts, dependencies, and governance risks should we know?
Ask for a conflict declaration covering the firm, team, contractors, bidders, and other relevant parties, including the proposed management and approval process.
Also ask about subcontractors, data access, confidentiality, insurance, and independent review. RICS guidance recommends defining responsible people, conflicts, limitations, assumptions, supplied information, deliverables, fees, and liability arrangements.
10. Is the fee aligned with a complete, workable scope?
Compare fees after normalising scope, staff input, programme, expenses, assumptions, and exclusions. A low fee can hide limited attendance, tender support, or change assessment.
Require the same base scope, optional-service rates, change-control process, milestones, and mobilisation timing. Evaluate gaps and rework, not only the proposal total.
Use a weighted procurement scorecard
Set the scoring method before proposals are opened. Rate each category from 0 to 5, then calculate rating divided by 5 multiplied by weight. Require evaluators to record evidence for every score.
| Evaluation category | Weight | What earns a high score |
|---|---|---|
| Scope and deliverable fit | 15 | Complete matrix, clear exclusions, decision-linked outputs |
| Relevant project and stage experience | 15 | Comparable evidence tied to the proposed team |
| Team competence and availability | 15 | Named delivery and review roles with credible capacity |
| Measurement, estimating, and quality controls | 15 | Traceable method, assumptions, reconciliation, peer review |
| Procurement and contract controls | 10 | Project-specific tender, change, payment, and close-out method |
| Reporting and data integration | 10 | Clear report, source ownership, cadence, usable formats |
| Governance, conflicts, and continuity | 10 | Transparent declarations, escalation, cover, and succession |
| Commercial proposal and value | 10 | Normalised scope, clear fee basis, controlled additional services |
| Total | 100 |
Keep mandatory requirements outside the weighted score. Legal eligibility, accepted contract terms, required insurance, data-security conditions, and applicable competency evidence should be pass or fail gates reviewed by the owner’s procurement and legal advisers.
Evidence to request from every shortlisted consultant
- Named organisation chart, CVs, availability, and role-specific competency evidence
- Applicable business registrations, licences, insurance, and current verification details
- Two or three comparable assignments with references or other verifiable proof
- Redacted cost plan, bill of quantities, tender report, variation log, and monthly cost report
- Deliverable matrix, mobilisation plan, programme, and review workflow
- Measurement rules, rate sources, assumptions register, and change-control procedure
- Quality plan showing arithmetic checks, peer review, approval, and document revision control
- Conflict declaration, subcontractor details, continuity plan, and data-handling approach
- Fee breakdown, reimbursable expenses, exclusions, optional services, and additional-service rates
Red flags that deserve clarification
- The proposal relies on company experience but does not name the delivery team.
- The scope uses “as required” repeatedly without defining outputs or limits.
- Cost reports show totals without assumptions, source dates, or reconciliation.
- The interview team cannot explain who checks quantities and commercial recommendations.
- Tender comparison is described as choosing the lowest price.
- Pending changes are excluded from the forecast until formally approved.
- Qualifications or registrations are claimed but cannot be independently verified.
- The fee is materially lower, but the bidder will not provide a scope comparison.
One red flag may have a reasonable explanation. A pattern of vague answers usually means the owner will carry more commercial risk than the proposal suggests.
Frequently asked questions
When should an owner appoint a quantity surveyor?
Early involvement gives the QS more opportunity to test the brief, cost options, procurement route, and risk allowances before design decisions become expensive to change. A QS can still add value during tendering or construction, but the initial scope should acknowledge missing history and the time needed to establish a reliable baseline.
Should we choose a local firm or an international firm?
Choose the team that can prove the right project experience, Indonesian delivery capability, contract understanding, capacity, and controls. Ownership or brand origin is not a substitute for the competence and availability of the named people.
Is the lowest fee ever the best choice?
It can be, but only after the owner confirms that scope, staff input, programme, deliverables, exclusions, and risk allocation are comparable. Score quality first, then evaluate the commercial proposal using the procurement method approved for the project.
What should a basic QS appointment cover?
The answer depends on project stage. Common areas include cost planning, measurement, bills of quantities, tender support, payment assessment, change control, cost reporting, and final account. Review the full range of quantity surveying services in Indonesia before defining the appointment.
How can we test methodology rather than presentation skill?
Give every finalist the same short case: a design revision, incomplete quantity information, two tender qualifications, and a pending variation. Ask for a one-page response that identifies assumptions, commercial exposure, required information, and the recommended next decision.
What else should an owner understand before shortlisting?
Read GEMS’ introduction to what a quantity surveyor does, review its current services, and compare the QS role with broader project controls. This makes it easier to separate cost management scope from schedule, risk, and project-management responsibilities.
Make the shortlist evidence-led
A defensible appointment links the project brief to named people, defined outputs, traceable methods, and a commercial proposal that covers the work. Use the ten questions and scorecard above in the request for proposal, then retain the scoring evidence with the procurement record.
Planning a QS appointment? Send GEMS your project brief and ask for a scope mapped to your project stage, decisions, and reporting needs.
Sources
- Indonesia Ministry of Manpower, KEP.06/MEN/I/2011
- RICS, Client relationships and handling data appendices
- RICS, What is a quantity surveyor?
- RICS, Quantity Surveyor Services
This article provides general procurement guidance and is not legal advice. Verify current Indonesian requirements for the specific project and appointment.
