No — you must measure them separately by function and use. While they might share surface material (asphalt), access roads, parking areas, and pedestrian footpaths are subject to different design criteria, subbase thicknesses, and load-bearing requirements. Roads typically require deeper layerworks and may have kerbing, channels, and traffic marking, while parking and pedestrian areas often have lighter construction. Measuring them together would mask these differences and cause chaos when pricing or valuing adjustments later.

Not advisable. Kerbs and channels are measured separately by type (e.g., straight, radiused, dropper, quadrant, channels) and by material where relevant (precast concrete, insitu, stone, etc.). Each has different labour, supply, and setting-out requirements. Failing to separate these items risks contractors pricing only for standard kerbs, leaving you exposed to claims when they hit the site and realise radiused and special kerbs cost significantly more.

No. Soft landscaping (lawns, shrubs, trees, soil preparation) and irrigation (pipes, valves, sprinklers, control systems) must be distinctly measured. Even if designed together, they are delivered by different subcontractors with different risk profiles. Irrigation systems involve underground pipework, valve boxes, control wiring, and are subject to SABS and SANS standards. Lump-summing these into a single “landscaping” item will almost guarantee under-pricing or later claims. Of course, if no information is available at the time of tender, one can itemise the landscaping as a provisional sum.

External stormwater drainage, when associated with siteworks (roads, parking, landscape areas), is measured under External Works. The rule of thumb is: if it serves external surfaces, it belongs to External Works; if it collects water from roofs or internal building services, it belongs to Plumbing and Drainage. Be cautious, as drawings sometimes show the system on plumbing layouts but don't mean it should be measured as plumbing.

No — these are measured as separate items under External Works. They are considered “road furniture” and should be itemised by type and function (e.g., regulatory signage, speed humps, painted arrows, thermoplastic markings, bollards). Their supply chains and installation teams are typically distinct from the road construction crew, and they are often treated as specialist subcontract packages.

No. Fencing must be measured separately by type (e.g., weldmesh, palisade, electric fence) and component (posts, stays, gates, strainers, etc.). Vehicle and pedestrian gates are especially important to separate as they require different hardware, fixing methods, and may be motorised. Lumping fencing and gates together obscures the real cost and may causes trouble during tender adjudication.

They fall under External Works if their purpose is landscape shaping and not bulk excavation for platforms or structural levels. SSMBW treats earthworks for aesthetic or drainage purposes (mounds, swales, water features, terraces) as part of External Works. Only bulk earthworks for building platforms or roads would be measured under Earthworks proper.

No. External taps, hose bibs, and irrigation points used for site irrigation are measured under External Works. Only water points serving the building’s internal plumbing would be measured under Plumbing and Drainage. Ensure that the associated pipework, controls, and fittings are captured properly — irrigation often requires specific pipework separate from potable water supply systems.

The removal of existing paving is measured under Demolitions, while the new paving is measured under External Works. This is a frequent exam and final account pitfall — never mix removal costs into the new paving rate. Keep removal, disposal, and making good items separate, especially when existing services may be revealed or disturbed during removal.

Provisional quantities or provisional sums are common in External Works due to late-stage adjustments of site levels, finished floor levels, and civil design details. Clearly mark these as provisional in the BoQ, and base quantities on the best available information (e.g., preliminary layouts or indicative site models). This gives tenderers a baseline to price, with the understanding that adjustments will be made during construction.

No. Compaction and density testing is measured as a separate item. This may include plate load tests, DCPs (Dynamic Cone Penetrometer tests), or density tests. Testing is not deemed included in the paving, layerworks, or roadwork rates unless explicitly stated. Failure to measure it separately will result in a claim when the contractor brings in specialist testing subcontractors.

The bases, anchor bolts, sleeves, and associated excavation for lighting poles are measured under External Works, while the pole itself, cabling, control circuits, and luminaires fall under Electrical Work. The concrete base is a civil engineering component forming part of the site infrastructure, not the electrical system. This split is often mishandled during measurement and final accounts.

No. Straight kerbs and radiused kerbs are not interchangeable for valuation purposes. Radiused kerbs are typically more expensive due to special moulding, handling, and setting-out requirements. Unless radiused kerbs were measured separately in the BoQ, the contractor is not entitled to payment for them at the same rate as straight kerbs. Always insist that variations are priced based on the proper units and that the BoQ clearly distinguishes kerb types from the outset to avoid this trap.

This falls under Alterations, not standard External Works. Any work that involves modifying, repairing, or overlaying existing external works — such as resurfacing, patch repairs, or minor regrading — is classified as alteration work under the SSMBW. New External Works refers to complete new construction (including subgrade and layerworks). This distinction is vital for pricing and assessing preliminaries related to working around existing infrastructure.

The bases, trenches, and any other civil work required for the EV points fall under External Works, while the cabling, electrical equipment, and chargers themselves fall under Electrical Work. It's a common assumption that EV infrastructure is purely electrical, but all enabling works (foundations, pits, ducts, surface reinstatement) must be separately measured and typically fall to the External Works contractor.

Not automatically. Double-handling is only included if specifically instructed or where it is clearly unavoidable due to sequencing. Standard SSMBW rules assume a single handling from import to placement. If stockpiling, re-spreading, or temporary relocation is imposed by the programme, site constraints, or the Architect’s methodology, it must be measured and priced as a separate item to avoid disputes during construction.

On one of our housing projects, the landscaping contractor is installing modular retaining blocks for garden terraces. The QS wants to measure it under External Works, but the BOQ originally listed it under Masonry.

Given that the wall is freestanding, curved, and dry-stacked, should this fall under External Works or Masonry? And do we measure it by area or number of blocks?

Modular retaining wall blocks, particularly dry-stacked or proprietary systems used in landscaping, should be measured under External Works, not Masonry, as the SSMBW. These are not structural masonry walls laid with mortar and don't fall under traditional walling.

They should be measured by “area of facework”, not by number of blocks, unless the manufacturer’s specification requires otherwise. The BOQ description must state:

• Block type and finish
• Curvature (if applicable)
• That it is dry-stacked or interlocking
• Whether backfill and drainage are included

We are installing brick pavers for a pedestrian walkway, but the architect has specified 150mm-wide in-situ concrete bands to be cast every 5m as a decorative element. These strips interrupt the paving pattern.

Should these bands be measured as part of the paving, or separately under Concrete Work?

The in-situ concrete bands must be measured **separately** under **Concrete Work**, not included in the paving rate. Clause 14.2 of the SSMBW (Paving) specifies that paving items should not include elements that differ in material or construction methodology.

In the BOQ:

• The brick paving is measured by area, excluding bands.
• The concrete bands are measured by linear metre or area (depending on their form).
• Coordination joints or edging details should also be described if they affect sequencing or tolerances.

We’re installing gabion baskets at culvert outlets to prevent erosion and assist with stormwater dissipation. The QS has measured them as Earthworks, but we’re wondering whether they belong under Drainage or External Works.

How should they be measured, and is there a clause reference for gabions?

Gabion baskets used for “erosion control or stormwater energy dissipation” should be measured under External Works in accordance with Clause 11.5, not Earthworks or Drainage. They are typically measured by volume (m³) of completed structure, including:

• Basket supply and installation,
• Rock fill (unless otherwise stated),
• Tying and shaping.

If their function is hydraulic (part of a formal culvert), a cross-reference to Drainage or Civil Engineer specs may be noted, but for BOQ purposes, they remain in External Works unless specified otherwise.

Our BOQ included “concrete footpaths 75mm thick” with no detail on finish. After appointment, the landscape consultant issued a spec for exposed aggregate concrete with coloured oxide, saw-cut joints, and decorative borders. The contractor priced standard brushed concrete and is now claiming a variation. The client says it’s still a footpath, so no extra is due. Who’s right?

The contractor is right — this is a variation.

• The BOQ governs the contract. “Concrete footpath 75mm thick” implies basic concrete, not decorative finishes.
• The later spec includes enhanced materials and workmanship, which weren’t priced for.
• Under most contracts (JBCC, NEC), a change in specification = a valid variation.
• The decorative works should be measured and valued separately—either as an added rate per m² or as a revised star rate.

Lesson: Always describe finishes upfront. A “footpath” can mean anything from basic to boutique.

The site has a shallow fall, and the civil engineer’s drawing shows surface water drainage via open V-drains along the edges of the paved areas. During construction, the contractor raised a concern that V-drains alone won’t prevent water ponding near the building. The Engineer now wants to introduce linear slot drains connected to underground piping. The client says this should’ve been foreseen. The contractor says it’s a design change. Who pays?

This is a design-driven variation. If the tender was based on V-drains only, and linear drains with subsurface piping are now required, that’s a scope and cost change. The contractor is not responsible for the hydraulic design—this lies with the Engineer. Unless the BOQ included a contingency or PC item for drainage flexibility, the new solution must be treated as a variation and valued accordingly.

A concrete driveway was built to match the levels shown on the Architect’s site plan. After the first rains, water began flowing back toward the garage. It turns out the plan didn’t account for the natural dip in terrain. The client wants the driveway re-profiled to fix the fall. The contractor insists they followed the drawings and shouldn’t be liable. Is this a contractor error or a design issue?

This is a design issue, not contractor error. The contractor built to the issued levels, so the defective fall is due to poor site design, not faulty workmanship.

Rectifying the gradient is a variation unless the contract specifically requires the contractor to verify and adjust levels on site (which is rare for this kind of work).