Quantity surveying precontract administration by Fanie Buys

Following on the success of Prof. Fanie Buys’s first book that provided worked examples to the measuring of building work of a single residential building, this book entitled Quantity surveying, precontract administration builds on his previous work by utilising a three-storey reinforced concrete structure building as the basis for the worked examples. Prof. Buys takes the reader through the key components of the quantity  surveyor’s cost advice roles at pre-contract stages, including: establishing early estimates of project cost, assessing the feasibility of the project, refining the estimate through elemental analysis as more design and specification information becomes available, and producing and pricing the full Bills of Quantities for project procurement. It takes one through the whole thought process of coming up with a cost of proposed building works from inception to completion. It has very detailed drawings, including window, door and finishes schedules that give more details and facilitate the job of the estimator to provide a better estimate. The book will serve as an extremely useful resource for quantity surveying students, lecturers and candidate quantity surveyors needing to develop and/or enhance their fundamental understanding of the process of measurement and the associated standard documentation processes in estimates, feasibility studies and Bills of Quantities

Superior Effectiveness of Zidovudine Compared With Tenofovir When Combined With Nevirapine-based Antiretroviral Therapy in a Large Nigerian Cohort

Background. Despite sparse efficacy data, tenofovir–emtricitabine or tenofovir–lamivudine plus nevirapine is used in many resource-constrained settings. Methods. This retrospective cohort study included patients initiating nevirapine-based antiretroviral therapy (ART) with either tenofovir–emtricitabine or lamivudine (tenofovir group) or zidovudine–lamivudine (zidovudine group). Clinical, virologic, and immunologic evaluations were performed at baseline and every 6 months. Virologic failure was defined as 2 consecutive human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-RNA values >1000 copies/mL. Patients were included from ART initiation until time of failure, regimen switch, discontinuation, or last HIV-RNA measurement. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to model factors influencing time to failure. Bias due to dependent censoring was investigated via inverse probability weighted pooled logistic regression. Results. A total of 5547 patients were evaluated; 1484 (26.8%) were in the tenofovir group and 4063 (73.2%) were in the zidovudine group. In the adjusted model, tenofovir regimen (hazard ratio [HR], 1.47; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.21–1.79) and higher baseline log10 HIV-RNA (HR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.03–1.28) were associated with virologic failure. Higher baseline log10 CD4+ cell count (HR, 0.50; 95% CI, .40–.63) and increasing age (HR, 0.98; 95% CI, .97–.99) decreased the risk of virologic failure. Inverse probability weighting results were consistent with the primary analysis. Conclusions. Compared with zidovudine–lamivudine, the use of tenofovir–lamivudine or emtricitabine in combination with nevirapine was a strong predictor of virologic failure in our cohort, which was not explained by other risk factors or criteria for regimen selection

The role of quantity surveyors in public–private partnerships in South Africa

Background: Quantity surveyors play an important role in providing cost and contractual advice in the built environment. This article seeks to investigate the current extent of their involvement in public–private partnerships (PPPs) in South Africa. Aim: The study intends to establish factors that influence quantity surveyors’ participation in PPPs. Methodology: A mixed-methods research approach was followed by firstly conducting a survey amongst South African quantity surveyors in order to determine their level of participation in PPPs. For triangulation purposes, a case study was also conducted. Results: The results of the research show that, although quantity surveyors have the corresponding skills and competencies required in a PPP project, their current involvement in PPPs in South Africa is limited and that there is a greater role they can play in future. Conclusion: Quantity surveyors are uniquely positioned to play a bigger role in the implementation of PPPs in South Africa

A construction time information system for the building industry

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:DX97000 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Competencies of professional quantity surveyors: A South African perspective

A competency-based review of professional quantity surveying is important for service excellence and has continuing relevance in the built environment of the 21st century. A survey of quantity surveyors in professional practice in South Africa has provided a new perspective on the relative importance of competencies required for current and future quantity surveying services, and revealed notable gaps between the important competencies and current proficiency levels among practitioners. The survey was based on a structured questionnaire reflecting 23 defined competencies, which were derived from the literature and from in-depth interviews with selected practitioners. The results indicated that technically orientated competencies were rated of highest importance for current services, while management orientated competencies were rated of higher importance for future services. The profession was rated as deploying below average proficiency levels in marketing, advanced financial management, leadership and general management, and project management, although these received high current and future importance ratings. The findings suggest that initial and continuing education and training of professional quantity surveyors should emphasize the development of management-orientated competencies.Competencies, ranking, quantity surveyors, South Africa,

A survey of maintenance management systems in South African tertiary educational institutions

The implementation of an effective maintenance management system is vital if the maintenance of assets of any organisation or institution is to be managed effectively. A survey was undertaken among tertiary educational institutions in South Africa to identify a list of best practice criteria and to prioritise these in order of importance. The study evaluated the performance of the existing maintenance management systems used by tertiary educational institutions to determine whether there is a need to improve current maintenance management systems. Results showed that existing performance is far below best practice standards and that the use of computerised maintenance management systems is very limited. This led to the development of a model to assist maintenance managers at tertiary educational institutions to evaluate and improve their existing approaches to maintenance management.Maintenance management, modelling, South Africa, universities,

Conceptual framework for assessment of client needs and satisfaction in the building development process

A conceptual framework is developed for assessment of client needs, and the measurement and monitoring of client satisfaction levels in the building development process. Data were obtained from qualitative and quantitative surveys of a target population of clients of commercial buildings in South Africa. Satisfaction levels based on multi-attribute measures were compared with those based on single evaluative responses, using Wilcoxon's matched-pair test. Results showed no significant differences in pairwise comparisons. A strong positive correlation also existed between both equivalent measures of client satisfaction levels. These results validate the conceptual framework. Results of evaluation of client satisfaction levels showed that clients perceived average levels of satisfaction in the building development process. Areas for improvement in the services of contractors and consultants were identified through 'Criticality Index' analyses. Empirical models were developed for proactive measurements of client satisfaction levels at distinct stages of the development process. A dynamic approach to satisfaction measurement is recommended. This contrasts with post-purchase and static views adopted in the consumer services segment and enables consultants to monitor and improve satisfaction levels proactively, as the development process evolves.Building development, criticality index, needs assessment, performance measurement, satisfaction measurement,