The RICS is in talks with international construction bodies to create a worldwide standard of measurement

Construction faculty chairman Michael Byng said the organisation was in discussions with groups such as the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering in the US, the European Committee for Construction Economics (CEEC), the International Federation of Consulting Engineers and an Irish body called the Society of Chartered Surveyors.

Byng said the groups were working on a two-part measurement document 鈥� the first part would be the basic standard and the second part would be relevant to the particular region. Byng stressed it was 鈥渘ot a one size fits all document鈥�.

Byng said the Irish standard (ARM3) was more in common usage than the SMM7 method of measurement in the UK.

He said an international standard would have significant benefits for the UK. He said: 鈥淥ne of the biggest supermarkets over here is US-owned and there are massive Australian developers such as Multiplex coming over here. It would be a good idea to translate this information across countries.鈥�

Byng said the idea had stemmed from a conference he attended earlier in the year in New Orleans. He said: 鈥淯S clients saw what we did over in the UK with the BCIS and were keen to get one in the States as well. It was obviously clear that there needed to be a standard method for them to start from.鈥�

Source

QS News