MEP quantity surveyor recruitment

Permanent M&E and MEP quantity surveyors and commercial managers for building services contractors, specialists and consultancies across the UK.

The commercial side of a building services package

An MEP quantity surveyor protects the margin on a services package, and the good ones are rarely looking.

Building services packages are variation-heavy. Design develops, coordination changes the installation and the programme moves around the other trades. The QS is the person who turns all of that into cost that is properly valued, properly recorded and properly recovered.

We recruit QSs for M&E contractors and subcontractors, and for the consultancies that cost the same packages on the client side. We assess familiarity with JCT and NEC4 contracts and with the subcontract forms used on building services.

Two colleagues reviewing project drawings

How we assess an MEP quantity surveyor

Services commercial experience is specific. We test for it directly.

01
Valuations and paymentApplications for payment and valuations on services packages, and how they handle payment and pay less notices under the Construction Act.
02
CVRs and forecastingWhether they run a proper cost value reconciliation, and what theirs looked like at month six, not just at the end. Accuracy of the forecast final account is one of the best tests of a QS.
03
Variations and the final accountHow they pursued variations, instructions and extensions of time, and how far they took a final account to agreement.
04
Supply chainTendering packages to suppliers and subcontractors, negotiating orders and managing the accounts that follow.

Who hires them, and at what level

Permanent commercial roles on the building services side of a project.

Contractor-side M&E QSs work on live packages and are measured on margin. Consultancy-side QSs advise clients on cost and value and are measured on the quality of their advice. They are different careers, and we say so plainly to candidates and clients.

Every role is permanent.

Assistant QSSupporting valuations and cost reporting while building experience on services packages.
Project QSOwning the commercial side of a package or project, from order to final account.
Senior QSRunning larger or more complex packages, and mentoring juniors.
Commercial ManagerLeading the commercial side of a project portfolio or an M&E business unit.
Commercial DirectorSenior commercial leadership, including bids, risk and contract strategy.

Hiring an MEP quantity surveyor?

Brief us and we'll tell you honestly what the market looks like and who we'd approach. You see no more than three people, each of whom we have spoken to.

Brief us on a role

Looking for a new M&E commercial role?

See what's live, or send your CV in confidence. We'll tell you honestly where it sits and only put you forward to roles you'd actually take.

See live roles Send your CV

MEP quantity surveyor recruitment questions

What does an MEP quantity surveyor do?

They manage the cost and commercial side of the mechanical, electrical and public health packages on a project: valuations and applications for payment, variations, forecasting, subcontract and supply chain accounts, and the final account.

What is a CVR?

A cost value reconciliation compares what a project has cost with what it has earned in each period, so the contractor can see the true margin and forecast where it will end up. A QS who can talk through a real CVR, and how it moved, has done the job.

Contractor side or consultancy side?

Both exist and they are different roles. On the contractor side the QS protects margin on live packages. On the consultancy side they advise a client on cost. We recruit for both and help people understand which suits them.

Do you only fill permanent roles?

Yes. Every role we work on is permanent.

I'm an M&E QS. What happens when I send my CV?

We call you, tell you honestly where your CV sits and what the market looks like for someone with your experience. Nothing goes to a client without speaking to you first.