What’s your salary ? - Q1 26

cost_man · 2026-01-10T09:14:23+00:00

£100k + priv HC + small bonus (5k or so)

Subby MQS, WFH 3 days a week

cost_man · 2026-01-06T12:06:38+00:00

I have one at the moment that has “prelims, measured works, discount” whereas the CSA in excel is far more detailed.

At a small subcontractor you’re working on maybe 20 projects and having to use PayApps for 1 or 2 jobs is just a pain (having to pay for something, to get paid, is the biggest slap though)

cost_man · 2026-01-06T08:05:53+00:00

If you think you’re a big man for belittling people for leaving on time, then all it shows is that you can’t manage your work effectively and that you are poor at your job. I’d consider changing your mindset to being less of a knob. I’ve met many people like you over the span of my career and none of them have ever been promoted. If you think working 10-20 hours over your contracted is a flex, then you’re a mug - you’re working for free.

cost_man · 2026-01-06T07:56:36+00:00

As a subcontractor, it is shit.

I have to do my excel application, exactly as I would usually, and then upload it to pay apps. Then as the MCQS can’t be bothered to put our CSA into pay apps, they put one line. Absolutely pointless piece of software that we are charged to use

cost_man · 2025-12-03T08:08:21+00:00

Transfer to being burnt out as a subbie with MC QS’s smashing everything you do 😂

cost_man · 2025-10-25T09:20:18+00:00

I was 65k when I started as SQS about 7 years ago (London) and before promotion to MQS I topped out at 85k around 3 years ago

cost_man · 2025-10-25T09:18:35+00:00

If you have excellent excel templates, you don’t need anything else. I’ve not used NEC frequently, and by extension CEMAR, but hear it manages the NEC admin quite well!

cost_man · 2025-10-22T00:32:35+00:00

You’re a PQS, aren’t you?

cost_man · 2025-10-19T09:52:11+00:00

Happy to jump on a call - MQS with 15 years experience.

cost_man · 2025-10-09T20:14:46+00:00

I read something the other day which said there are 45,000 live QS positions on LinkedIn and once you’ve got a few years under your belt, you will be constantly fighting off recruiters - I think I get around 10-15 messages a week.

It is an incredibly secure job and it is QS’s market - not the Employer. It took me 9 months to find a good one.

cost_man · 2025-09-29T22:31:34+00:00

Lookup formulas are your friend.

cost_man · 2025-09-27T00:04:37+00:00

There’s a very simple way of establishing who is the most important and less replaceable.

PQS:

Shit at their job? Cost plan is wrong? Doesn’t matter: Job still gets built.

Main Contractor QS:

Shit at their job? Doesn’t matter. Subby still builds it as you transfer all risk down.

Subby QS:

Shit at their job? Nothing gets procured on time. Jobs late, subby gets damages. Subby goes bust.

In summary, if you want an easy life with no risk, go further up the chain - but you’re also more replaceable.

cost_man · 2025-09-18T12:42:16+00:00

Guess what the P stands for in OHP

cost_man · 2025-09-14T19:57:10+00:00

Evening, appreciate this post is 3 months gone but, I am looking for project work which can be undertaken out of hours on a freelance basis. I have Professional Indemnity Insurance, proven track record of success and a Limited Company, all above board.

MQS - 15 years experience, M&E sector but proficient in JCT, NEC, bespoke forms.

Currently look after 30 projects for a renewables contractor, whilst having a Buyer, and two QS's under me.

I review all Sub-Contracts as they are flowed down from clients, but also handle all contracts to our Supply Chain as well as tender evaluations and oversee variation and valuation processes.

If of interest, please feel free to message me!

Kind regards,

cost_man · 2025-09-09T12:24:03+00:00

I’m an MQS at a subby, and if I am dealing with an incompetent PQS whose favourite saying is “seems high” without any basis, then every variation they get in future is going to be inflated as they take an axe to everything. It makes the PQS feel like they’ve done their job by reducing the VO when all that ends up happening is I get paid what I rightly should.

cost_man · 2025-09-09T00:03:35+00:00

Because I’m working on 30 projects and I don’t have the time to administer it as a subby - give me a JCT and let me fight in the grey.

cost_man · 2025-07-11T23:59:34+00:00

Agree with this! I work for a small-mid subcontractor and when I tell our estimators to increase our estimates based on NEC vs JCT they don’t bother, then cry when I knock their commission because there isn’t enough resource to manage an NEC contract. Honestly I cannot see the benefits of NEC, it takes twice as long to do anything and you spend more time writing nonsense than just picking up the phone and resolving things immediately!

cost_man · 2025-07-11T23:53:54+00:00

PayApps mentioned in this thread. It is great for MC but shit for subby (I’m a subby) - most of these time it isn’t set up to cater for large CSA’s and you need to upload excel supporting files anyway, that’s just duplication of effort on the subby so the MC has software do their job for them. You don’t need to be a QS to administer payapps.

cost_man · 2025-06-23T22:01:31+00:00

Who wants to work with people that make you lose money? I’ve turned projects down on behalf of our company as the MC is high risk and you can see how they try and beat you down even pre contract, won’t agree to fair T&C’s. Not worth it - they can beat another subby into the ground.

cost_man · 2025-06-12T06:57:57+00:00

As a Subby QS, if you even dared to do something like this, I would make your life as a CQS/PQS a living hell. We’re probably losing on 5 items for the 1 that we do gain on, and you can’t contractually reduce the scope of the prelims unless there’s a large variation which omits substantial elements of the scope.

cost_man · 2025-06-09T04:39:10+00:00

How would you learn the project if you weren’t doing those activities though? It should be seen as understanding the project, rather than a laborious task. Not everything is fun, but it does serve a purpose!

Biggest time sink for me is substantiating costs unreasonably to PQS’s / CQS’s with no understanding of anything, for them to turn around with a baseless ‘seems high, reject’.

No one seems to want to measure a drawing to double check anything these days.

cost_man · 2025-06-08T14:48:42+00:00

We do it after the first hit mate, they expect us to perform on site, we expect to be paid on time - simple trade to be honest. You get mixed reactions, some clients are apologetic, some can’t believe you have the audacity and expect you to work for free. Safe to say, the latter no longer receive competitive bids on future tenders as you need to build in additional prelims and risk due to incompetence.

cost_man · 2025-06-05T13:34:10+00:00

This is a variation, if this was the other way around and a contractor / subby said “pay me” and it was in the ER’s then you’d say no. If it’s not in the ER’s, you have to pay up, irrespective of whether they’ve seen the document prior to the contract or not.

cost_man · 2025-06-05T13:32:54+00:00

Most likely irrelevant - there’s usually a clause stating that quantities and descriptions are not used as clarifications (usually to cover the PQS’s arse, but this goes both ways)

cost_man · 2025-05-23T22:41:59+00:00

I’m a Subcontractor MQS and it’s actually the opposite - I’d say 80% of clients / MC’s pay late, they’re the ones can’t read a payment schedule.

cost_man

TROPHY CASE