PRACTICABILITY OF SLS 573 MEASUREMENT RULES FOR THE CURRENT PRACTICES IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
Lalith Ratnayake, Subhashini Dasanayaka and Thisara Jayamanne
ABSTRACT
Standard Method of Measurement (SMM) has become one of the important standard documents in the construction industry providing several benefits in cost management functions. SMM facilitates consistency, accuracy and uniformity in taking off measurements. While most of the other countries updating their SMMs considering current practices and modern technologies, Sri Lanka lags behind and still using first revision of Sri Lankan SMM in 1999 that is SLS 573: 1999. As a result, practitioners encounter difficulties in application of SMM rules mainly due to the gaps exist with current technologies, associated pricing methods and new trends of the industry, resulting deviations required in practice. Hence, this paper aims to expose such deviations identified from a recent building and infrastructure project in Sri Lanka through a case study and propose possible solutions to overcome those deviations. Initially this paper shares overview of current quantity surveying practice in Sri Lankan construction industry in relation to measurement, Bill of Quantities (BOQ) preparation and evaluation. Analysis of findings are then presented as item wise identification of deviation in practice when compared to the measurement rules of SLS 573 while proposing possible solutions to overcome those deviations based on industry experience of the authors.