Abstract:
This paper examines the challenges facing the Australian Quantity Surveying profession in the use of automated
quantities technology. The paper is based on research by a team from the University of Technology Sydney
involving a series of six national surveys of the profession spanning 1995 to 2005 and interviews conducted
in 2005/06 by the author with a range of Quantity Surveying practices in Australia. The survey results since
1995 show that the uptake of automated quantities systems by firms has been surprisingly slow but that this has
begun to change in the past two years. The paper will examine the current systems being used by firms and will
highlight case examples of two firms who have developed their automated quantities systems over many years
to the point where they are achieving significant competitive advantage and have achieved dramatic improvements
in productivity, efficiency and providing value to their clients. These case examples will demonstrate the
benefits that can be achieved from the effective utilisation of automated quantities technology and the strategies
that have been used for effective implementation.
