Bills of Quantities (BQ) Quiz

What is the purpose of a Bill of Quantities (BQ)?

• To calculate stage payments

• To provide a list of quantities for each work in a specific order

• To prepare the interim certificate

• To reduce disputes arising from measurement discrepancies

What are the functions of a Bill of Quantities (BQ)?

• Risk analysis & value engineering

• Basis for engineers to cross check their working designs

• Costing pattern in relation to Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

• Material, plant and labor scheduling

Why is standardized BQ needed?

• Efficiency in project implementation

• Uniformity of documents produced

• Helps contractors produce more accurate tenders

• Increases tender preparation time for contractors

What are the types of BQ?

• Operation bills

• Annotation bills

• Working bills

• Elemental bills

What are the stages involved in the 'Working-up' method of preparing a BQ?

• Taking off, squaring dimension, abstracting, billing

• Measuring, calculating, transferring, summarizing

• Analyzing, evaluating, summarizing, concluding

• Listing, organizing, calculating, finalizing

What is the purpose of the 'Collection' sheet in the billing process?

• To calculate the total amount of each element

• To provide a list of quantities for each work in a specific order

• To transfer items and quantities from abstract sheet to billing paper

• To prepare the interim certificate

What is the 'Billing-direct' method most applicable for?

• Projects with a high level of uncertainty

• Projects with a large number of contractors

• Limited number of similar items and non-complex work

• Complex and varied work

What is the main advantage of Elemental Bills in a BQ?

• Post-contracting made easy as all elements are gathered in one place

• Ease of reference for interim payment as work progress are usually assessed and valued according to the progress of each work element

• As a source for cost data for future projects as preliminary cost analysis is in elemental form

• All of the above

What is the purpose of the 'Abstracting' stage in preparing a BQ?

• To measure the quantities of items according to the drawings

• To calculate the numbers, lengths, areas and volumes and their entry in the third or squaring column

• To transfer all items and quantities from dimension papers to abstract sheets

• To prepare the interim certificate

What is the main criticism of Bills of Quantities (BQ) in modern procurement environment?

• Declined sharply over the past 20 years

• Remains a much sought after skill

• Outdated and unnecessary

• Unsurpassed as a model for obtaining bids