Quantity takeoffs and liability

[Michelle Gibson]

Our firm is considering getting into detailed scheduling of materials to assist cost consultants by providing "real values". Since our cost consultant does not use REVIT, we are providing quantities and including a percentage increase for waste or cutting etc... My big question is that our licensing body does not like us to quantify materials - when we review shop drawings we must avoid confirming # of items.

We are an architectural and structural firm - not a contractor or design/builder. I wonder if anyone has an opinion on the pros and cons of getting into quantity surveying because REVIT can do the calculations. As well, I am wondering if anyone has a cost consultant that is using REVIT?

We appreciate your comments!

[tim.101799]

If you are going to do material takes offs in Revit just to give to an estimating consultant that seems like a fairly harmless thing. But I would never include that information in the CD package that gets issued to the contractor

[rberliner]

A word of caution on this: If you do take-offs of wall area, there is no schedulable parameter for wall height, no automatic schedule parameter for what level the wall is on, and the parameter of wall area SUBTRACTS openings - and no contractor is going to refund the drywall 'not used' for window openings, especially when cutting a hole can be more work.

Any takeoffs you provide to your estimating consultant should have the basis of the calculation understood by the estimator, e.g. openings are subtracted from area, whether total length of walls includes curtain wall, etc.

[Henry D]

Hi Michelle,

I am asked to do material take-offs quite often. I resist doing it for the very reason you bring up...liability.
From an Architect's perspective, there are details involved with material take-offs that I may not be aware of, and it is the supplier's responsibility to do take-offs from the drawings. If they still want me to do a take-off I note it that the supplier must verify the quantities.

If I was hiring myself out as a Design-Build firm then I should provide take-offs.