Quantity surveyor to construction general contractor
A quantity surveyor already meets 57% of what the construction general contractor role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.
47.5/ 100
1 How much of what a construction general contractor is expected to do is already part of a quantity surveyor’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 construction general contractor role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A construction general contractor role treats 13 of its required skills as things a quantity surveyor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- audit contractors
- check construction compliance
- communicate with customers
- contract law
- coordinate construction activities
- ensure compliance with construction project deadline
What stands in the way is 5 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 construction general contractor role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a quantity surveyor 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 check construction compliance assisting and caring
- already held monitor contractor performance management skills
All 17 carried skills, including the 13 the construction general contractor role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 22 missing skills fall into 6 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 perform quality control of design during a run required
- still to learn read standard blueprints required
- optional, not held inspect construction supplies optional
- optional, not held review construction projects optional
- still to learn green building practices required
- optional, not held decommissioning optional
- optional, not held energy efficiency optional
- optional, not held envelope systems for buildings optional
- optional, not held zero-energy building design optional
- optional, not held energy performance of buildings optional
- optional, not held renewable energy optional
- still to learn follow health and safety procedures in construction required
- optional, not held manage health and safety standards optional
- optional, not held use safety equipment in construction optional
- still to learn construction product regulation required
- optional, not held project commissioning optional
- optional, not held quality assurance methodologies optional
- optional, not held plan allocation of space optional
- optional, not held coordinate marketing plan actions optional
- optional, not held perform project management optional
- optional, not held plan shifts of employees optional
- optional, not held design principles optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a construction general contractor role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 construction product regulation study this
- 02 green building practices study this
- 03 perform quality control of design during a run practise 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 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 identify customer objectives skill
- already held keep records of work progress skill
- already held manage contracts 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
- already held advise architects skill
- already held building codes knowledge
- already held communicate with construction crews skill
- already held quantity surveying knowledge
17 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held decommissioning optional
- optional, not held energy efficiency optional
- optional, not held envelope systems for buildings optional
- optional, not held plan allocation of space optional
- optional, not held project commissioning optional
- optional, not held zero-energy building design optional
- optional, not held coordinate marketing plan actions optional
- optional, not held design principles optional
- optional, not held energy performance of buildings optional
- optional, not held inspect construction supplies optional
- optional, not held manage health and safety standards optional
- optional, not held perform project management optional
- optional, not held plan shifts of employees optional
- optional, not held quality assurance methodologies optional
- optional, not held renewable energy optional
- optional, not held review construction projects optional
- optional, not held use safety equipment in construction optional
24 held skills the construction general contractor role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role Monte Carlo simulation knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise on construction materials skill
- not needed by the target role advise on risk management skill
- not needed by the target role building construction principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role calculate needs for construction supplies skill
- not needed by the target role carry out tendering skill
- not needed by the target role civil engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role civil law knowledge
- not needed by the target role construction industry knowledge
- not needed by the target role control of expenses skill
- not needed by the target role cost management knowledge
- not needed by the target role estimate profitability skill
- not needed by the target role finish project within budget skill
- not needed by the target role follow the statutory obligations skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with financiers skill
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role order construction supplies skill
- not needed by the target role oversee construction project skill
- not needed by the target role perform cost accounting activities skill
- not needed by the target role prepare construction documents skill
- not needed by the target role project management knowledge
- not needed by the target role provide cost benefit analysis reports skill
- not needed by the target role quality standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role urban planning law knowledge
11 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 construction product regulation required
- still to learn green building practices required
- optional, not held decommissioning optional
- optional, not held energy efficiency optional
- optional, not held envelope systems for buildings optional
- optional, not held project commissioning optional
- optional, not held zero-energy building design optional
- optional, not held design principles optional
- optional, not held energy performance of buildings optional
- optional, not held quality assurance methodologies optional
- optional, not held renewable energy optional
Other moves recorded from quantity surveyor
- construction manager 43% covered · substantial
- property developer 33% covered · substantial
- installation engineer 25% covered · substantial
- contract engineer 25% covered · substantial
- construction general supervisor 24% covered · career change
- cost analyst 24% covered · substantial
- civil engineering technician 22% covered · career change
- construction engineer 20% covered · career change
Common questions about this move
Can a quantity surveyor become a construction general contractor?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A quantity surveyor already covers 57% of what a construction general contractor is expected to do: 17 skills carry over, 13 of which the construction general contractor role treats as required.
What skills does a quantity surveyor need to become a construction general contractor?
5 required skills are missing, plus 17 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is construction product regulation.
How hard is the move from quantity surveyor to construction general contractor?
Its learning distance is 47.5 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.