Preparation for APC

Preparation for APC KCTang Fri, 26/12/2014 - 00:05

Note

Source: These notes were first released in June 2001.

Understand common practice
Understand reasons behind common practice
Understand possible deviations from common practice
Understand reasons for deviations from common practice
Distinguish between good practice from bad practice
Understand that own office standard may not necessarily be reasonable practice or common practice
Read more and read wide
Read trade newsletters and journals
Read general newspaper
Watch out issues affecting the industry and the society
Watch out new development in technology affecting the industry and the society
Study real examples done by colleagues and others
Base answers on good practice and be practical

Suites of standard form of contracts and sub-contracts for both Building and Civil Engineering Works
Standard Method of Measurement for both Building and Civil Engineering Works
Sample cost estimates
Sample bills of quantities complete with preliminaries and preambles
Sample specification
Sample financial reports
Sample final accounts
Sample insurance policies, bonds, warranties, guarantees
Usual reference books (citation of names of court cases would be impressive but not necessarily useful)
HKIS Newsletters and Journals

Address each number of points being asked with a few points (i.e. more than one) of answers
Try to imagine similar situation, use common sense to judge, when faced with something that you do not know or do not have experience

Present the answers in the form of a letter, a fax, an email or a report as requested by the questions
Give date, addressee, project title, subject matter, greetings, signature, c.c., cover page, contents page, as appropriate
Present answers as written drafts ready for typing
Do not be afraid to use cut and paste, stapling, crossing out, etc. in order to catch up time
Do not use correction ink

Do not prepare a detailed cost estimate when a cost per m2 estimate is suffice
Give priority to correct approach, format, formula, consistency in values, relative differentials, rather than spending too much time on improving the accuracy of individually insignificant figures
Check arithmetic
Check transferring
Feel that the totals and proportions are making sense

Set out the points logically, systematically
Be as concise and precise as possible
Be straight-forward and relevant
Be fair and reasonable
Watch out conflicting answers
Do not write things that you do not really understand
Say less rather than say wrongly
Do not just list out all the points you remember from the textbooks
Do not include information just to show your knowledge on contracts
Do not just cite the name of court cases and give conclusion to the issue discussed
Do not cause the assessors to check the casebooks
Avoid putting in answers which are not realistic due to practical reasons or nature of project
Do not be afraid to state reservations

Be diplomatic, avoid upsetting or creating embarrassment to your business partners in your answers
Do not downgrade the usefulness and contribution of other professions and occupations
Do not simply say that this is outside your scope of work, when you are asked to give opinion on matters which are not entirely QS matters. Try to offer considered and helpful opinion but also qualify that the matters should also be reviewed by other more competent people, like architects, engineers, lawyers, insurance consultants, etc.

Make reasonable assumptions
State all necessary assumptions, which are usually expected to be given in formal answers, explicitly in the answers
State that certain assumptions are subject to technical input or comments from other consultants
Do not make assumptions just to make answers easy or avoid answering the real issues (Duck-outs)

Do not repeat in the backups information that has been adequately covered in the front answers, assessors' task will be easier
Avoid inclusion in backups some points conflicting with the front answers, without valid argument
Use backups to show your thinking process and evaluation between different options before putting forward the selected single option in the front answers

Do not just list out all the pros and cons
Give your recommendation to solve the problems posed to you
Give sensible recommendations
Give practical solutions
Watch out that things theoretically or contractually correct may not be practically good solutions
Give theoretically or contractually correct interpretation but at the same time do not be afraid to suggest practically good or commercially viable solutions

Note that there may not be absolutely right or wrong answers
Demonstrate that you have considered different possible interpretation or courses of actions, and explain why you would choose a particular one as your recommendation

Do not give answers to defeat the purposes and use of the QS profession
Do not give answers to suggest that other professions or occupations are more superior
Do not collude
Do not show the name of yourself or your company in the paper

Watch out conflicting views
Watch out reversed meaning due to inclusion or omission of negative words like "no", "not", etc.
Watch out empty spaces with missing words that you have blocked out by correction ink

Include in the submission all front answers and backups to your answers
State the standard form of contract and the method of measurement used and do not enclose them
Arrange the front answers and backups systematically to show the flow of your thinking process and to assist the assessors to follow the logic of your answers
Any special notes to assessors should be given at the front of your submission
Enclose only relevant information
Do not enclose irrelevant information for the sake of making your submissions look more informative