Harry Hussey FCIOB on a new framework for measuring construction work, bridging the gap between client-side budgeting and the realities of the workface
For over a century, the construction industry has relied on a fundamentally flawed premise: that measuring materials is the same as costing actual physical work.
In reality, the traditional Standard Method of Measurement (SMM) and New Rules of Measurement (NRM2) routinely omit crucial labour, plant, and structural complexity costs, leaving contractors to gamble on contractually binding bids.
By analysing the strict evolution of UK measurement rules across 12 milestone documents since 1922, this groundbreaking research exposes a widening gap between client-side budgeting and the harsh realities of the workface.
Because modern quantity surveyors work directly for clients, they have lost touch with contractor cost structures. Consequently, standard bills of quantities ignore the labour required for intricate tasks like cutting, jointing, or navigating wall openings – deeming them completely invisible for pricing.
This information deficit severely compromises modern digital innovation. Because building information modelling (BIM) systems are forced to conform to these outdated UK standard rules, they remain just as poor as the SMM at generating accurate project pricing.
To bridge this divide, the paper establishes a superior, universally applicable system built around site ‘workpieces’. It introduces a robust checklist of 23 distinct work categories – ranging from access limits to net measurement adjustments – to eliminate arbitrary ‘blanket clauses’ and hidden risks.
By reforming how work is defined, this framework directly addresses themes of professional skills, project quality and economic efficiency, paving the way for advanced software-based estimating models.
To download the full research, please complete the form below.
The construction industry must abandon an obsolete, century-old measurement philosophy. Download the full paper to discover how adopting a workpiece-based methodology can eliminate site friction, enhance BIM accuracy, and finally secure financial transparency for all project stakeholders.
Harry Hussey FCIOB is a PhD student at Northumbria University.
