As-built measurement
The bill of quantities answers the question how much we plan to build; the as-built measurement answers how much was actually built. A gap between those two numbers is a normal occurrence on an infrastructure contract; the problem is not the gap itself but the missing trail of where it came from.
A data model that holds up
For a measurement item to be billable without reconstruction, it needs at minimum:
boq_itemreferenceowner: Cost estimatorA link to the bill-of-quantities item — without it, the measurement is a loose number.
quantitynumber + unitowner: Works managerThe actual quantity, in the unit matching the BoQ item.
basistext / attachmentowner: Works managerWhere the quantity comes from: a sketch, a survey measurement, a protocol. This field decides whether the settlement is defensible.
date_and_locationdate + chainage/structureowner: Works managerWhen and where — the link to the work front.
A missing "basis" field is the most common reason a measurement ends up being defended later from people's memory rather than from a document.
Sources
The substantive basis of this text. Items marked as own practice do not come from a document — they are delivery experience that cannot be verified with a publisher.
- DocumentGeneralny Dyrektor Dróg Krajowych i Autostrad / GDDKiA Oddział w KatowicachSTWiORB DM.00.00.00 (GDDKiA technical specification, in Polish), item 7 — „Rejestr obmiarów” (the measurement register), continuous measurement in the units of the bill of quantities, permanent works measured net (pp. 31–32)
- DocumentGeneralny Dyrektor Dróg Krajowych i Autostrad / GDDKiA Oddział w KatowicachSTWiORB (GDDKiA technical specification, in Polish) — the measurement unit and the scope of the unit price defined in items 7 and 9 of each detailed specification
Where we write about this
Excel or a custom application — where the break-even point lies
When a spreadsheet stops being enough in a construction process and how to tell. Decision criteria, hidden spreadsheet costs, and when a custom application pays off.
Construction dashboard: 12 data points that need an owner
A ready list of fields without which a construction management dashboard shows opinions instead of state. For each field: responsible role, source, and update frequency.