Employment Agreement for Quantity Surveyors

What a good one includes

• A detailed scope of services that clearly outlines responsibilities for feasibility studies, bills of quantities, tendering, and final account negotiations.
• Explicit financial delegation limits defining the exact monetary threshold the surveyor can authorize for variations or subcontractor payments without director approval.
• Strict confidentiality clauses that protect your proprietary pricing databases, estimating models, and sensitive subcontractor rate structures.
• Ownership rights clauses ensuring that all custom estimation spreadsheets, cost-monitoring templates, and project data created during employment remain your company's intellectual property.
• Professional standards and licensing requirements, mandating active membership in relevant professional bodies like the RICS and the maintenance of continuous professional development.
• A clear conflict of interest clause preventing the surveyor from engaging in external consulting or receiving undisclosed commissions from suppliers or subcontractors.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Using a generic employment contract that fails to address the specific financial risks, cost-management duties, and professional liabilities unique to quantity surveying.
• Failing to define clear limits on the surveyor’s authority to approve material changes or sign off on subcontractor progress claims, leading to unauthorized project spending.
• Leaving intellectual property rights ambiguous, allowing the employee to take proprietary cost-estimating templates, databases, or pricing models with them when they leave.
• Omitting a robust non-solicitation clause, which leaves your trusted subcontractor network and client list vulnerable to being poached for competing projects.

Frequently asked questions