NRM2

The New Rules of Measurement (NRM) are published by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and prepared by the Quantity Surveying and Construction Professional Group. They provide a standard set of measurement rules for estimating, cost planning, procurement and whole-life costing for construction projects. Adopting a standard methodology such as NRM facilitates consistency and benchmarking and helps avoid disputes.

NRM is a suite of documents, comprising three volumes:

• NRM1: Order of cost estimating and cost planning for capital building works.
• NRM2: Detailed measurement for building works (replacing the Standard Method of Measurement, seventh edition SMM7).
• NRM 3: Order of cost estimating and cost planning for building maintenance works.

Together this suite of documents offers a cradle-to-grave approach to cost estimating, works procurement and post-construction procurement.

NRM 1 was initially published in March 2009. It has since been amended and the second edition was launched in 2012 to coincide with the publication of NRM2. The second edition became operative on 1 January 2013.

NRM3 was published in March 2014.

NRM2 was published in April 2012. It became operative on 1 January 2013 and formally replaced the Standard Method of Measurement, seventh edition (SMM7) on 1 July 2013.

NRM2 provides a set of detailed measurement rules for the preparation of bills of quantities or schedules of rates for the purpose of obtaining a tender price. It also deals with the quantification of non-measurable work items, contractor designed works and risks. Guidance is also provided on the content, structure and format of bills of quantities, as well as the benefits and uses of bills of quantities.

NRM2 is divided into three parts with supporting appendices:

• Part 1: General - places the measurement for works procurement in context with the RIBA Plan Of Work and the OGC Gateway Process; and explains the symbols, abbreviations and definitions used in the rules.
• Part 2: Rules for detailed measurement of building works - outlines the benefits of detailed measurement, describes the purpose and uses of NRM2; explains the function of bill of quantities, provides work breakdown structures for bill of quantities, defines the information required to enable the preparation of bill of quantities, describes the key constituents of bill of quantities and explains how to prepare bill of quantities. Considerable space is given over to the codification of bills of quantities and the use of the bills for cost management.
• Part 3: Tabulated rules of measurement for building works - comprises the majority of NRM2 being the tabulated rules for the measurement and description of building works for the purpose of works procurement.

Appendices:

• Appendix A: Guidance on the preparation of bill of quantities
• Appendix B: Template for preliminaries (main contract) pricing schedule (condensed)
• Appendix C: Template for preliminaries (main contract) pricing schedule (expanded)
• Appendix D: Template for pricing summary for elemental bill of quantities (condensed)
• Appendix E: Template for pricing summary for elemental bill of quantities (expanded) Appendix F: Templates for provisional sums, risks and credits
• Appendix G: Example of a work package breakdown structure

Strictly speaking, NRM2 is a set of measurement rules rather than a classification system. However, it does provide a system of indexing. This system is a departure from both the common arrangement of work section (CAWS) and Uniclass, but it can be mapped against the them:

• 1 Preliminaries
• 2 Off-site manufactured materials, components and buildings
• 3 Demolitions
• 4 Alterations, repairs and conservation
• 5 Excavating and filling
• 6 Ground remediation and soil stabilisation
• 7 Piling
• 8 Underpinning
• 9 Diaphragm walls and embedded retaining walls
• 10 Crib walls, gabions and reinforced earth
• 11 In-situ concrete works
• 12 Precast/composite concrete
• 13 Precast concrete
• 14 Masonry
• 15 Structural metalwork
• 16 Carpentry
• 17 Sheet roof coverings
• 18 Tile and slate roof and wall coverings
• 19 Waterproofing
• 20 Proprietary linings and partitions
• 21 Cladding and covering
• 22 General joinery
• 23 Windows, screens and lights
• 24 Doors, shutters and hatches
• 25 Stairs, walkways and balustrades
• 26 Metalwork
• 27 Glazing
• 28 Floor, wall, ceiling and roof finishings
• 29 Decoration
• 30 Suspended ceilings
• 31 Insulation, fire stopping and fire protection
• 32 Furniture, fittings and equipment
• 33 Drainage above ground
• 34 Drainage below ground
• 35 Site works
• 36 Fencing
• 37 Soft landscaping
• 38 Mechanical services
• 39 Electrical services
• 40 Transportation
• 41 Builder’s work in connection with mechanical, electrical and transportation installations

NB: The New Rules of Measurement are accompanied by the 'Black Book', the QS and construction standards. Together they provide a suite of tools to help the construction industry work more collaboratively and consistently.

For a comparison between NRM2 and of the Standard Method of Measurement see: Comparison of SMM7 with NRM2.

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings

• Bill of quantities.
• Classification, an introduction.
• Common Arrangement of Work Sections (CAWS).
• Comparison of SMM7 with NRM2.
• Cost plans.
• Measurement.
• NRM.
• NRM1.
• NRM3.
• Schedule of work.
• Standard Method of Measurement (SMM7).
• Tender.
• Tender documentation.
• Uniclass.

[edit] External references

• http://www.rics.org/uk/shop/NRM-2-Detailed-Measurement-for-Building-19144.aspx