What does a quantity surveyor do on a villa build in Bali, and when is it worth hiring one?

The work, stage by stage

Indonesia’s national competency standard for quantity surveyors (SKKNI, Kepmenakertrans KEP.06/MEN/I/2011) lists eighteen units of competence. The core ones follow a build from start to finish:

Stage	What the QS does (SKKNI core unit)
Early design	Cost studies and alternative solutions; a cost plan from the schematic and developed design drawings
Before tender	The owner’s final estimate; a bill of quantities (BQ) measured to a standard method of measurement
Tender and contract	Tender documents and contract documents
Construction	Regular valuations of work in progress (interim valuation); pricing of added and omitted work (pekerjaan tambah-kurang); regular cost reports
Completion	The final account

The specialist units include cost analysis from past projects, development appraisal, tax depreciation analysis, technical due diligence on cost, help to a loss adjuster, and acting as an expert witness.

Why the bill of quantities matters

A bill of quantities lists every item of work with its quantity, so each builder prices the same thing. The Ministry of Public Works calls the priced version a list of quantities and prices (Daftar Kuantitas dan Harga): quantities, unit prices and the total, forming part of a bid (Permen PUPR 8/2023 Article 1 point 15). Without one, two builders’ quotes can describe different scopes, and the cheaper one may simply leave more out.

A construction contract must state the scope of work, its value, the unit prices or lump sum and the time limit (UU 2/2017 Article 47(1)(b)). A BQ is the usual way to make the unit prices and scope specific.

Checking payments

The point of an owner’s QS during construction is that someone working for you measures what has been built before you pay for it. The contract must say how payment is made (UU 2/2017 Article 47(1)(f)); it is the valuation that tells you whether a payment claim matches the work. The same applies to variations: an added item priced by the builder alone is where costs drift.

Checking the person

• SKK certificate. Every construction worker must hold a work competence certificate (UU 2/2017 Article 70(1)). The Ministry of Public Works lists the quantity surveyor job title at three levels: Ahli Muda (level 7), Ahli Madya (level 8) and Ahli Utama (level 9), under the construction cost estimation subclassification (Director General decision 33/KPTS/Dk/2023). Look the name up in the LPJK worker search (lpjk.pu.go.id).
• Who pays them. A QS paid by the builder is not checking the builder for you.
• Scope in writing. Which of the stages above are included, how often site valuations happen, and how quickly a valuation comes back after a claim.

When it is worth it

None of the texts cited here requires a private owner to hire a quantity surveyor. The case for one is strongest where you cannot be on site for each payment, where several builders are quoting on the same design, or where the contract is priced per unit of work, so the final bill depends on measured quantities.

Who does this work

• Quantity surveyors do the cost work described here.
• Project managers act as the owner’s representative on site; some also offer cost control.
• Builders and contractors price the bill of quantities and submit payment claims. See also how to hire a builder in Bali.