Construction general contractor to quantity surveyor
A construction general contractor already meets 37% of what the quantity surveyor role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.
63.4/ 100
1 How much of what a quantity surveyor is expected to do is already part of a construction general contractor’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the quantity surveyor role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A quantity surveyor role treats 6 of its required skills as things a construction general contractor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- building codes
- communicate with construction crews
- identify customer objectives
- keep records of work progress
- manage contracts
- quantity surveying
What stands in the way is 13 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 17 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A quantity surveyor role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a construction general contractor background worth leading with.
- already held identify customer objectives communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held audit contractors information skills
- already held monitor construction site information skills
- already held monitor parameters' compliance in construction projects information skills
- already held communicate with construction crews communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held check construction compliance assisting and caring
All 17 carried skills, including the 6 the quantity surveyor role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 24 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn finish project within budget required
- still to learn manage budgets required
- still to learn oversee construction project required
- still to learn perform cost accounting activities required
- optional, not held carry out tendering optional
- still to learn calculate needs for construction supplies required
- still to learn control of expenses required
- still to learn prepare construction documents required
- optional, not held advise on risk management optional
- optional, not held estimate profitability optional
- optional, not held provide cost benefit analysis reports optional
- still to learn cost management required
- still to learn urban planning law required
- optional, not held project management optional
- optional, not held civil law optional
- optional, not held quality standards optional
- still to learn advise on construction materials required
- still to learn order construction supplies required
- optional, not held liaise with financiers optional
- still to learn building construction principles required
- still to learn construction industry required
- optional, not held civil engineering optional
- optional, not held follow the statutory obligations optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a quantity surveyor role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 cost management study this
- 02 advise on construction materials practise this
- 03 building construction principles study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 17 skills that carry over
- already held building codes knowledge
- already held communicate with construction crews skill
- already held identify customer objectives skill
- already held keep records of work progress skill
- already held manage contracts skill
- already held quantity surveying knowledge
- already held advise architects skill
- already held audit contractors skill
- already held check construction compliance skill
- already held communicate with customers skill
- already held contract law knowledge
- already held coordinate construction activities skill
- already held ensure compliance with construction project deadline skill
- already held monitor construction site skill
- already held monitor contractor performance skill
- already held monitor parameters' compliance in construction projects skill
- already held real estate market knowledge
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held Monte Carlo simulation optional
11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held project management optional
- optional, not held Monte Carlo simulation optional
- optional, not held advise on risk management optional
- optional, not held carry out tendering optional
- optional, not held civil engineering optional
- optional, not held civil law optional
- optional, not held estimate profitability optional
- optional, not held follow the statutory obligations optional
- optional, not held liaise with financiers optional
- optional, not held provide cost benefit analysis reports optional
- optional, not held quality standards optional
22 held skills the quantity surveyor role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role construction product regulation knowledge
- not needed by the target role coordinate marketing plan actions skill
- not needed by the target role decommissioning knowledge
- not needed by the target role design principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role energy efficiency knowledge
- not needed by the target role energy performance of buildings knowledge
- not needed by the target role envelope systems for buildings knowledge
- not needed by the target role follow health and safety procedures in construction skill
- not needed by the target role green building practices knowledge
- not needed by the target role inspect construction supplies skill
- not needed by the target role manage health and safety standards skill
- not needed by the target role perform project management skill
- not needed by the target role perform quality control of design during a run skill
- not needed by the target role plan allocation of space skill
- not needed by the target role plan shifts of employees skill
- not needed by the target role project commissioning knowledge
- not needed by the target role quality assurance methodologies knowledge
- not needed by the target role read standard blueprints skill
- not needed by the target role renewable energy knowledge
- not needed by the target role review construction projects skill
- not needed by the target role use safety equipment in construction skill
- not needed by the target role zero-energy building design knowledge
9 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn cost management required
- still to learn building construction principles required
- still to learn construction industry required
- still to learn urban planning law required
- optional, not held project management optional
- optional, not held Monte Carlo simulation optional
- optional, not held civil engineering optional
- optional, not held civil law optional
- optional, not held quality standards optional
Other moves recorded from construction general contractor
Common questions about this move
Can a construction general contractor become a quantity surveyor?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A construction general contractor already covers 37% of what a quantity surveyor is expected to do: 17 skills carry over, 6 of which the quantity surveyor role treats as required.
What skills does a construction general contractor need to become a quantity surveyor?
13 required skills are missing, plus 11 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is cost management.
How hard is the move from construction general contractor to quantity surveyor?
Its learning distance is 63.4 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.