What qualifications are necessary to become a Professional Quantity Surveyor?

The Quantity Surveyor is qualified to undertake this work by education and training in:

1. building economics,
2. construction law and administration,
3. the measurement of building and civil engineering works,
4. and knowledge of market prices in the industry.

How do I qualify for this profession?

1. What type of Secondary Education do I require?
2. What type of Tertiary Education do I require?

What is Continued Professional Development (CPD)?

What qualities do I need to be a Quantity Surveyor?

The Professional Quantity Surveyor has four main skills -

1. managerial
2. technical
3. economic
4. legal

The Quantity Surveyor must also have an aptitude for figures and the ability to communicate as effectively on the building site as in the boardroom. The capacity to influence and lead others is also vital, as is a creative but practical approach to solving problems.

What are the prospects for employment?

Professional Quantity Surveyors can expect to find employment in the following areas:

1. In private practice, with specialist Quantity Surveyor firms; or with multi-disciplinary organizations alongside architects, engineers and landscape architects.


2. In the public sector


3. In building and civil engineering companies


4. In industrial or commercial organizations with large property departments such as banks


5. In teaching or research

What type of salary/income can I expect to earn?

The salaries of Professional Quantity Surveyors vary widely, depending upon experience and responsibility, but they are comparable with those of other professions such as architects, lawyers or accountants.

How do I become a member of the JIQS?
Direct membership examinations are held annually or as the need arises for persons wishing to become members of the Institute. These examinations are open to graduates of the University of Technology (UTECH) and other approved academic institutions.

Corporate members of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (R.I.C.S.) and other professional organizations in the Commonwealth with at least two years working experience in Jamaica are exempted from these examinations.

Why is registration important?

Currently there are no restrictions on who may market themselves as Quantity Surveyors and offer services to the public. Registration is not exclusive, but rather its intention is to ensure that persons providing the services of a Quantity Surveyor are those who have the necessary qualifications, and therefore protect their clients from the adverse consequences which often arise in an unregulated environment.

For some twenty years or so, the JIQS has been lobbying Government for the compulsory registration of Quantity Surveyors to:

1. Protect the public who may otherwise engage the services of unqualified persons who promote themselves as Quantity Surveyors bearing in mind the level of education and training necessary to properly undertake the necessary roles.


2. Avoid or minimize the adverse consequences which arise when payment recommendations are not made by professionals who can be held accountable should there be any shortcomings in the exercise of their roles.


3. Ensure the maintenance of acceptable levels of professional conduct.