星空传媒

William McKee, chairman at regeneration developer Tilfen Land, said QSs needed to tailor their service more closely to experienced clients in order create a more efficient product.

Speaking at last week鈥檚 annual dinner of the RICS鈥檚 construction faculty, McKee said: 鈥淭here is too much one-size-fits all in the profession. Professional clients want QSs who specialise, not generalists.

鈥淲e build sheds and cost control is crucial. On one occasion we left the design of the structural steel to be overseen by a QS. What we got was an over-engineered solution, which seriously cut into the profitability of the project.

It was a building that would probably stand up for 100 years when it would most likely be pulled down in three years.鈥�

McKee also suggested, 鈥淲e want less passing on of risk to other people in the form of adversarial contract conditions. You have useful skills and if you can bind them more closely to our business objectives, we will get more value out of you.鈥�

McKee also admitted that clients needed to improve their performance in relation to the construction industry. He said that clients needed to properly prepare the procurement of schemes and a route through the planning system.

We don鈥檛 ask enough open questions from QSs

William McKee, Tilfen Land

鈥淭ake Crossrail,鈥� he continues. 鈥淚f that is ever to succeed it needs a strong client that can resist the temptation to tamper with the project.鈥�

鈥淲e don't ask enough open questions from QSs, which may offer us better answers and more value.鈥�

McKee did add that major figures, such as Sir John Egan, thought QSs were offering clients a better service in general. He said: 鈥淚 was talking to John about the profession and he said he thought they had done well and had reinvented themselves to meet the needs of clients.鈥�

McKee was made chairman of Tilfen Land, which specialises in housing developments in the Thames Gateway region, in 2001 and received a CBE in 2002. In 2003 he was made chair of the Thurrock Urban Development Corporation.