Elemental bill of quantities
A bill of quantities (sometimes referred to as a 'BoQ' or 'BQ') is a document, typically prepared by a cost consultant (often a quantity surveyor), that provides measured quantities of the items of work identified by the drawings and specifications in the tender documentation for a project. It is issued to tenderers to allow them to prepare a price for carrying out the works.
According to NRM2, RICS new rules of measurement, Detailed measurement for building work, there are three main breakdown structures for bill of quantities:
- Elemental bill of quantities.
- Work package bill of quantities.
- Work section bill of quantities.
The elemental breakdown structure undertakes measurement and description by group elements, with each group element forming a separate section of the bill of quantities, irrespective of the order of work sections in NRM 2. Group elements are sub-divided through the use of elements, which are further sub-divided by sub-elements, as defined by NRM 1: Order of cost estimating and cost planning for capital building works.
This structure can make it easier for the cost consultant to analyse contractors' tender prices and collect real-time cost data.
NRM 2 suggests that an elemental breakdown structure for a simple project might be:
- Bill No. 1: Preliminaries (main contract).
- Bill No. 2: Facilitating works.
- Bill No. 3: Substructure.
- Bill No. 4: Superstructure.
- Bill No. 5: Internal finishes.
- Bill No. 6: Fittings, furnishings and equipment.
- Bill No. 7: Services.
- Bill No. 8: External works.
- Bill No. 9: Risks.
- Bill No. 10: Provisional sums.
- Bill No. 11: Credits.
- Bill No. 12: Daywork (provisional).
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Advantages of a bill of quantities.
- Approximate bill of quantities.
- Bill of quantities.
- Bill of quantities breakdown structures.
- Common Arrangement of Work Sections (CAWS).
- Common mistakes in bill of quantities.
- Comparison of SMM7 with NRM2.
- Elemental cost plan.
- Firm bill of quantities.
- How to take off construction works.
- Measurement.
- NRM1.
- NRM2.
- NRM3.
- Schedule of rates.
- Standard Method of Measurement (SMM7).
- Taking off.
- Tender.
- Tender documentation.
- Tender pricing document.
- Types of bill of quantities.
- Uniclass.
- Unpriced bill.
- Work package bill of quantities.
- Work section bill of quantities.
Featured articles and news
Homes, landlords. tenants and the new housing standards
What will it all mean?
The Architectural Technology podcast: Where it's AT
Catch-up on the latest episodes.
Edmundson Apprentice of the Year award 2026
Entries now open for this Electrical Contractors' Association award.
Traditional blue-grey slate from one of the oldest and largest UK slate quarries down in Cornwall.
There are plenty of sources with the potential to be redeveloped.
Change of use legislation breaths new life into buildings
A run down on Class MA of the General Permitted Development Order.
Solar generation in the historic environment
Success requires understanding each site in detail.
Level 6 Design, Construction and Management BSc
CIOB launches first-ever degree programme to develop the next generation of construction leaders.
Open for business as of April, with its 2026 prospectus and new pipeline of housing schemes.
The operational value of workforce health
Keeping projects moving. Incorporating unplanned absence and the importance of health, in operations.
A carbon case for indigenous slate
UK slate can offer clear embodied carbon advantages.
Costs and insolvencies mount for SMEs, despite growth
Construction sector under insolvency and wage bill pressure in part linked to National Insurance, says report.
The place for vitrified clay pipes in modern infrastructure
Why vitrified clay pipes are reclaiming their role in built projects.
Research by construction PR consultancy LMC published.
Roles and responsibilities of domestic clients
ACA Safety in Construction guide for domestic clients.
Fire door compliance in UK commercial buildings
Architect and manufacturer gives their low down.
Comments