ABSTRACT
The role of the independent architect as the designer of buildings was not established until the end of the eighteenth century. This is barely 200 years ago. At the start of the nineteenth century the general contractor came into existence. Prior to this time the architect would work with and commission the individual trades. To these two parties were added quantity surveyors and the way in which these evolved has been described by Ashworth and Hogg (2000). The quantity surveyor’s bills of quantities provided a detailed analysis of all the resources that were required for a construction project. These could be priced by a number of contractors to formulate their bids for the work and the lowest-price tender would usually be awarded the contract on the basis of a lump sum.
