Why Infrastructure Quantity Surveyors are Hard to Replace 

A Quantity Surveyor leaves halfway through a project. The team still has budgets to manage, subcontractors to pay and changes to agree. On paper, another experienced QS should be able to step in. In practice, replacing them can take more thought. 

The person leaving may know the contract, the client’s reporting habits and the history behind every unsettled package. That knowledge takes time to build. With skills shortages already affecting capacity in quantity surveying and infrastructure, as RICS’ 2025 surveying skills research found, employers have good reason to think carefully about the brief. 

The contract changes the working day

A QS from a building background may be used to JCT contracts, while an infrastructure programme may use NEC. Both call for sound commercial judgement, but the way teams manage changes differs. 

Under NEC, teams use an early warning to flag certain potential problems. If an event happens that qualifies as a compensation event, a separate process assesses its effect on cost and time. These steps are related, but they are not interchangeable. NEC explains the distinction in its guidance on managing contracts. 

Consider a utility diversion that takes longer than expected. The QS may need to work with the site team to establish what changed, check the contract position, assemble the records and keep the forecast current. A late or incomplete record can make an already difficult conversation harder to resolve. 

A capable QS can learn a new form of contract. What matters is the role they are walking into. A Project Quantity Surveyor with an experienced Commercial Manager nearby may have room to learn the client’s NEC processes. A Senior Quantity Surveyor taking immediate ownership of several live packages may need more direct experience from the outset. 

Knowing the sector gives someone a head start

Infrastructure work has its own practical constraints. On a water project, for example, the team might be working around operational assets, specialist subcontractors and a client with detailed reporting requirements. A QS who has handled similar work is likely to know the questions to ask early. 

Yet the sector name on a CV only tells part of the story. A Cost Manager from a different setting may have dealt with complex change and demanding stakeholders. A building QS may have managed difficult subcontract accounts and produced reliable forecasts under pressure. Those examples deserve a closer look, even if the project type is new to them. 

It also helps to be precise about titles. “Quantity Surveyor” can describe very different levels of responsibility. One person may support measurement and reporting; another may lead procurement, manage change, mentor colleagues and advise the client. Before asking for a replacement, look at what the outgoing person actually did. 

What employers can do before starting the search

Start with the first three months of work, rather than a wish list of past projects. Which packages need an owner immediately? Who will prepare forecasts and manage compensation events? How much client contact is involved? What decisions can the new hire take independently? 

The answers may point to a Senior Quantity Surveyor, a Project Quantity Surveyor or a broader Commercial Manager remit. They will also show where adjacent experience could work. If the team can offer a handover, an NEC mentor and time to learn the client’s systems, the shortlist can be wider without ignoring the project’s risks. 

Capture the knowledge before it walks out of the door where possible: open changes, key dates, disputed accounts, reporting routines and the people who make decisions. Even a short, well-organised handover can make the new person’s first weeks much more productive. 

What candidates can show beyond the job title

If you already work in infrastructure, describe the scale and nature of the packages you have owned. Explain the contract form, your role in managing change and how you kept forecasts accurate. Specific examples are much stronger than a list of schemes. 

If you are looking to move into infrastructure, connect your experience to the work. Perhaps you spotted a cost risk early, negotiated a difficult subcontract account or improved reporting for a project team. Explain what you did and what happened as a result. Be open about the contract or sector knowledge you would still need to build. 

A move does not have to depend on ticking every box. It does depend on an honest conversation about the support available and the responsibility the employer needs you to take on. 

Replacing an infrastructure QS is easier when everyone understands the work behind the title. Employers can distinguish the knowledge they need immediately from what can be learnt; candidates can show where their commercial skills already apply. 

If you are building a commercial team or considering your next move, speak to Hunter Dunning about the experience the role calls for.