Quantity Surveyor
Prepare cost estimates for product manufacturing, construction projects, or services to aid management in bidding on or determining price of product or service.
What this career actually involves
Key tasks
- Analyze blueprints and other documentation to prepare time, cost, materials, and labor estimates
- Confer with engineers, architects, owners, contractors, and subcontractors on changes and adjustments…
Skills and strengths
- Reading comprehension
- Numeracy
- Pattern recognition
- Clear speaking
Typical work environment
Office/Design studio; Construction sites; Client/project meetings; Field travel
Employment type
Private sector; Freelance/Contract/Consulting; Professional practice/Consulting
Study routes from KCSE onward
Kenya-specific pathways, drawn from KUCCPS and the relevant professional regulator.
Pathway after KCSE
KCSE → Quantity Surveying → attachment/graduate QS role → professional registration → Quantity Surveyor → senior QS/commercial management/consultancy
Typical training route
Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional qualification is commonly expected
Representative KUCCPS pathway
BACHELOR OF QUANTITY SURVEYING
Entry requirements
Degree mean grade C+. Built-environment cluster uses Mathematics A plus relevant science/other subjects; Level 6 quantity surveying has mean grade C.
Training duration
Degree: about 4 years; Level 6/diploma: about 2-3 years
Helpful KCSE subjects
Related courses
- Quantity Surveying
- Quantity Surveying Technology Level 6
- Construction Economics
Institutions offering this route
Examples, not an exhaustive list.
- Technical University of Kenya
- JKUAT
- Kiambu National Polytechnic (Level 6)
- other KUCCPS institutions
Professional regulator
Board of Registration of Architects and Quantity Surveyors (BORAQS)
Demand and the effect of AI
Kenya demand
High - broad Kenya employer base; finance and business management rank among the strongest employer-reported skills-demand fields.
Future outlook / AI impact
Stable-to-growing / AI-augmented — AI can accelerate research, analysis, reporting and routine documentation, but accountability, judgement, regulation, client trust and complex decision-making remain central.
Possible specialisations
- Cost planning
- Contracts
- Project controls
- Claims
- Infrastructure QS
Professional quantity surveying is regulated by BORAQS.
Could this career suit you?
May suit you if you enjoy organised decision-making, business problems and working with information; useful strengths include Reading comprehension, Numeracy, Pattern recognition.
Weighing this against something else?
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Related careers
Roles that share skills, subjects or study routes with this one.
Sources
Occupation data: O*NET 13-1051.00. Kenya pathway: KUCCPS / regulator. Last verified 24 August 2026.
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