The Principal Quantity Surveyor will be responsible for overseeing cost management and contract administration for large-scale infrastructure and built environment projects in the UK. The role requires expertise in pre- and post-contract services, procurement strategies, risk management, and commercial governance. The ideal candidate will provide leadership, drive value engineering, and ensure financial efficiency in project delivery. Sector Expertise: Infrastructure, highways, rail, utilities, or large-scale commercial projects in the UK. Beyond technical expertise, your ability to mentor and develop teams, foster effective interdisciplinary and cross-cultural collaboration, and drive continuous improvement in cost management practices will be key to the success of both projects and the broader business.
Lead cost planning, budgeting, and financial forecasting for UK-based infrastructure and built environment projects.
• Prepare cost plans, estimates, and budgets across pre-contract stages (RIBA 0–4), ensuring alignment with UK benchmarks and project requirements.
• Carry out quantity take-offs and prepare Bills of Quantities (BoQs) in accordance with NRM and CESMM standards.
• Support cost monitoring and reporting, including CVRs, forecasting, and cashflow assessments.
• Conduct risk analysis and recommend cost-effective solutions for project success.
• Develop detailed budgets and cost estimates for all pre-contract stages, including concept design, feasibility design, preliminary design, and detailed design, ensuring cost accuracy throughout the project lifecycle.
• Monitor and manage project costs to prevent overruns by tracking expenditures and identifying potential cost-saving measures.
• Prepare tender and contract documents, including Bills of Quantities (BOQs), ensuring accuracy and compliance with industry standards.
• Perform rate analysis using SPONS price book, Schedule of Rates (SoR), and BCIS cost index.
• Develop and implement procurement strategies, overseeing the procurement process to optimize costs and timelines.
• Administer construction contracts, including change management, ensuring compliance with contractual obligations.
• Provide financial reporting, including tracking expenditures, preparing final cost projections, and delivering forecasts to completion.
• Coordinate with project stakeholders, ensuring effective collaboration and smooth project execution.
• Manage contracts under NEC, FIDIC, and JCT forms of contract, ensuring adherence to legal and regulatory frameworks.
• Apply knowledge of industry standards such as MCHW, CESMM, and NRM to cost estimation and project execution.
• Review and finalize cost estimates for various infrastructure projects, ensuring accuracy and efficiency.
• Collaborate with clients, consultants, contractors, and internal design teams to align cost and commercial goals.
• Provide regular project cost reports and financial updates to senior management.
• Advise on cost control strategies to ensure projects are delivered within budget and timelines.
• Maintain progress trackers, oversee resource allocation, and support in team management for efficient project execution.
• Oversee work order management and budget preparation for resources to optimize financial planning.
• Provide training and mentorship to team members on cost estimation, BOQ preparation, and best industry practices to enhance overall team capabilities
Key Competencies / Skills
• Strong knowledge of UK construction contracts (NEC, JCT, FIDIC).
• Cost Monitoring, BOQ, Audit & Validation.
• Experience in Procurement plan & Tendering.
• Carbon footprint calculation & Management.
• Life Cycle Cost & Carbon Assessment.
• Preferred to have experience of working on UK projects.
• Preferred to have advanced level knowledge of CostX.
• Effective teamwork and management for successful project delivery.
• Interdisciplinary coordination with international colleagues.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities.
• Preferred to have sound experience of using MS packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
• 12+ years of experience in Quantity Surveying, with a strong background in managing large-scale infrastructure projects.
• Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, quantity surveying, Construction Management, or related field.
• Master's degree in a relevant field is preferred.
• Chartered Membership of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS) or equivalent certification is preferred.
BGV:
Employment with WSP India is subject to the successful completion of a background verification (“BGV”) check conducted by a third-party agency appointed by WSP India.
Candidates are advised to ensure that all information provided during the recruitment process — including documents uploaded — is accurate and complete, both to WSP India and its BGV partner”.
WSP is one of the world's leading professional services consulting firms. We are dedicated to our local communities and propelled by international brainpower. We are technical experts and strategic advisors including engineers, technicians, scientists, architects, planners, surveyors and environmental specialists, as well as other design, program and construction management professionals. We design lasting solutions in the Transportation & Infrastructure, Property & Buildings, Earth & Environment, Power & Energy, Resources and Industry sectors, as well as offering strategic advisory services. Our talented people around the globe engineer projects that will help societies grow for lifetimes to come.
With approximately 4,000 talented people across 3 locations (Noida, Bengaluru & Mumbai offices) in India and more than 73,000 globally, in 550 offices across 40 countries, we engineer projects that will help societies grow for lifetimes to come.
At “WSP” we draw on the diverse skills and capabilities of our employees globally to compete for the most exciting and complex projects across the world and bring the same level of expertise to our local communities. We are proud to be an international collective of innovative thinkers who work on the most complex problems. Unified under one strong brand, we use our local expertise, international reach and global scale to prepare our cities and environments for the future, connect communities and help societies thrive in built and natural ecosystems. True to our guiding principles, our business is built on four cornerstones: Our People, Our Clients, Our Operational Excellence and Our Expertise.
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WSP does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters, employment agencies, or other staffing services. Unsolicited resumes include any resume or hiring document sent to WSP in the absence of a signed Service Agreement where WSP has expressly requested recruitment/staffing services specific to the position at hand. Any unsolicited resumes, including those submitted to hiring managers or other business leaders, will become the property of WSP and WSP will have the right to hire that candidate without reservation – no fee or other compensation will be owed or paid to the recruiter, employment agency, or other staffing service.
