Where are you in your build?
Two services, two different moments. Pick the one that matches yours.
Know what it should cost.
A full costed breakdown of the whole job from your drawings, priced at current market rates — so every contractor quotes the same scope.
Check what you're being charged.
An independent Quantity Surveyor reviews your contractor's bill against the actual stage of work and today's prices — before you release payment.
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Bill of Quantities or cost report — which do you need?
Both are prepared by an MNIQS-registered Quantity Surveyor, and both exist to keep an independent number in front of you. The difference is when in the build they are useful, and what they measure.
When you use it
Before construction starts, or before you accept a contractor's price.
During construction, before you release the next stage payment.
What it works from
Your drawings — architectural, plus structural and MEP if you have them.
The site as it stands today, and the bill you have been handed.
The question it answers
What should this whole build cost, and what does the job actually involve?
Is this bill fair for the work that has genuinely been done?
What you receive
Measured quantities for the full build, priced line by line, split by phase, with a stated contingency.
An independent verification of the stage reached and a view on whether the amount being asked is reasonable.
Common questions
What is the difference between a Bill of Quantities and a cost report?
A Bill of Quantities is prepared before the work happens. It measures every element of the build from your drawings and prices it, so you have an independent figure for the whole job and a document every contractor can quote against. A cost report is prepared while the work is happening. It checks the stage the site has genuinely reached and whether the amount your contractor is asking for matches it. One tells you what the build should cost; the other tells you whether what you are being charged is fair.
I haven't started building yet — which one do I need?
A Bill of Quantities. It is measured from drawings, so it does not need anyone on site, and it is most valuable before you have committed to a contractor or a price. Hand the same BoQ to every contractor and they all price identical scope, which turns a set of incomparable quotes into a fair tender.
Can I use both?
Yes, and most people building from a distance do. The Bill of Quantities sets the baseline before work starts, then cost reports check each stage against it as the build progresses. The BoQ is what gives those later checks something firm to measure against.