Glossary
Construction cost glossary: BOQ, QTO and contract terms
Published:
Plain definitions of the terms used in quantity surveying, pricing, planning and contracts, with the Arabic term for each.
Original glossary. Definitions are general; where a contract or a measurement standard defines a term, its definition governs.
Quantities and measurement
| Term | Arabic | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Bill of quantities (BOQ) | جدول الكميات | A list of the work as measurable items, each with a description, a unit and a quantity. |
| Quantity take-off (QTO) | حصر الكميات | Measuring and counting quantities from drawings or models. |
| Measurement standard | معيار القياس | The rules for measuring items, such as POMI, NRM2 or CESMM. |
| Preambles | مقدمات جدول الكميات | Clauses at the start of a BOQ that define what the rates include. |
| Provisional sum | مبلغ احتياطي | An allowance for work that is not yet defined. |
| Prime cost sum | مبلغ التكلفة الأساسية | An allowance for goods or work from a nominated supplier or subcontractor. |
| Daywork | أعمال اليومية | Work paid on time and materials rather than on measured quantities. |
Pricing
| Term | Arabic | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Unit rate | سعر الوحدة | The price for one unit of an item, including everything the item description covers. |
| Rate analysis | تحليل الأسعار | The build-up of a unit rate from labour, materials, plant and subcontract. |
| Direct cost | التكلفة المباشرة | The cost of the resources that go into the work itself. |
| Site overheads (preliminaries) | مصاريف الموقع (البنود التمهيدية) | Costs of running the site that belong to no single item. |
| Head office overheads | مصاريف المكتب الرئيسي | The share of the company’s central costs charged to the project. |
| Contingency | الاحتياطي | An allowance for risks that are known but not yet priced. |
| Wastage | الهالك | Material lost in cutting, handling and breakage, added to the measured quantity. |
Planning
| Term | Arabic | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Work breakdown structure (WBS) | هيكل تجزئة الأعمال | The project divided into areas, stages and packages of work. |
| Critical path | المسار الحرج | The chain of activities that sets the finish date. |
| Float | الفائض الزمني | How long an activity can slip without delaying the finish. |
| Baseline | خط الأساس | The approved programme that progress is measured against. |
| XER file | ملف XER | Primavera P6’s exchange format for projects, resources and roles. |
Contracts and payment
| Term | Arabic | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Variation | أمر تغييري | An instructed change to the work, valued under the contract’s rules. |
| Interim payment certificate | المستخلص (شهادة دفع مرحلية) | The amount certified as due for a period, usually monthly. |
| Retention | محتجزات الضمان | A percentage held back from each payment until completion and the end of the defects period. |
| Advance payment | الدفعة المقدمة | A payment at the start of the contract, recovered from later certificates. |
| Extension of time | تمديد المدة | Additional time granted for a delay the contractor is not responsible for. |
| Delay damages | غرامات التأخير | The amount due for late completion, as set in the contract. |
| Notice of claim | إشعار المطالبة | The written notice a contract requires before a claim for time or money. |
| Particular Conditions | الشروط الخاصة | The project-specific changes to a standard form such as FIDIC. |