Liability of a Quantity Surveyor: What happens when the numbers go wrong?

Rachel Ansell QC and Lynne McCafferty

June 2017

A paper presented to the Society of Construction Law at meetings in London on 7th March and Manchester on 19th September 2016

This paper reviews a number of cases involving quantity surveyors and considers four recent lines of authority dealing with pre-construction and construction phase services (cost estimates); construction; construction phase services (valuation and cost monitoring) and services provided away from or outside the project.

I.Introduction - II.Pre-construction phase services: procurement - Introduction - Ampleforth Abbey Trust v Turner & Townsend - William Clark v Dock Street -III. Pre-construction and construction phase services: costs estimating and reporting - IV. Construction phase services: valuation and cost monitoring - Dhamija v Sunningdale - Lloyds Bank v McBains Cooper Consulting - Meanwhile in Australia: LM Investment Management v BMT - V. Other quantity surveying services - Quantity surveyor as surveyor-advocate - Quantity surveyor as expert witness - VI. Conclusion

The authors: Rachel Ansell QC and Lynne McCafferty are barristers practising at 4 Pump Court, Temple, London.

Text: 38 pages