The digital challenge continues for quantity surveyors, according to the latest Digitalisation in construction report from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
The report reveals that just 32% of quantity surveyors who responded to the RICS survey are using digital tools on most or all of their projects across six key processes, a modest two percentage point increase year-on-year.
Of the six key processes, enhancing progress monitoring and health, safety and wellbeing had the highest digital adoption with 41% of respondents using digital tools on most or all of their projects for this.
Cost estimation, prediction, planning and control was a close second with 38%. The adoption rates fall away thereafter:
- incorporating environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles – 31%;
- implementing whole-of-life and whole-of-asset thinking – 28%;
- designing and measuring social value – 27%; and
- carbon footprint calculation, benchmarking, and reporting – 25%
Perhaps of most concern, the proportion of respondents not using digital technologies on any of their projects across the six listed functional areas showed a slight increase year-on-year over the last three years, from 40% to 42% to 43%.
Challenges and opportunities
The report authors noted the following challenges:
- areas like whole-life thinking and carbon calculations show stagnant adoption rates. “This suggests barriers to adoption that include complexity, lack of training or integration challenges,” RICS said;
- ESG and social value have the lowest adoption rates, “reflecting a gap between their importance and the available tools or frameworks for implementation”; and
- “designing social value may lack effective digital solutions. There is a need for real-time tools that are easy to integrate into workflows.”
However, the report authors suggest that:
- the increasing focus on sustainability offers growth potential in carbon reporting and ESG adoption – aligned with regulatory trends and offering competitive advantages;
- social value has untapped potential. Standardising metrics and demonstrating benefits can drive wider adoption, especially for companies focused on ESG; and
- easier, more accessible tools, combined with education and a clear return on investment could boost adoption in areas like carbon calculations, ESG and social value.
Biggest blockers
The report highlighted the biggest blockers to digital adoption: the cost, effort and changes needed as cited by more than half of the respondents (53%). This was closely followed by shortage of skilled persons (46%), no clear demand from clients or stakeholders (45%), and inconsistent approaches adopted by supply chain partners (44%)
The difficulty in realising benefits was also cited (42%), as was the lack of data standards (32%).
Data sharing
Analysis of responses to the question on ‘sharing data and information with other project team members regarding materials, products, and systems via digital models’ indicates no significant changes over the surveyed period. Data sharing remains consistently higher in established functions such as quantity take-off and cost estimating and health, safety and wellbeing. However, the level of data sharing for sustainability-related functions continues to lag.
Time for the digital QS to step up
RICS president elect Justin Sullivan said: “It is striking that more than half of respondents do not apply digital tools to whole-life or whole-asset approaches. In fact, we see a digital divide opening. The number of respondents using these tools on all projects is slowly increasing, but there remains a significant group not adopting digital technologies.
“This is not simple intransigence: only a small proportion deny that digitalisation offers improvements, but many remain on the fence. It is also noticeable that it is newer areas of measurement and reporting – carbon, ESG and social value – that show the highest proportion of those unconvinced by digitalisation’s promised improvements.
“This may reflect a broader lack of understanding of these areas. Ironically, good digital tools may actually help us tackle any knowledge gap and deliver the services demanded in these areas, but there is a clear role for RICS in supporting professionals to develop their understanding.
“Overall, as companies and individuals get used to having, leveraging and using more data and information across business and society, expectations of what we can and should deliver will increase. The digitally-empowered surveyor will be in demand.”
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