How much does a quantity surveyor earn?

Indicatively £45,000–£80,000 per year. That is an observed market range rather than an offer — actual pay depends on the employer, your experience, shift pattern and whether you are PAYE or self-employed.

What do I need to work as a quantity surveyor?

Specialist. You would typically need: CSCS White (Professionally Qualified). Quantity surveying or commercial management degree, often toward RICS chartership.

When would this role be hired on the Universal Bedford build?

Across 6 phases, from enabling works & site preparation (roughly 2026) through to fit-out, theming & landscaping (roughly 2031). These windows are the usual sequence for a project of this size, not Universal's published programme.

Is this role likely to be filled locally?

Mixed. Universal has pledged around 80 per cent local hiring across Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes, but that average hides real variation — roles like this one draw on both local and national candidates.

Professional & commercial

Quantity surveyor

Controls cost and commercial risk across the programme.

Indicative pay: £45,000–£80,000
Paid: per year
Entry level: Specialist
Hiring volume: Steady need

Pay is an indicative market range, not an offer. We hold no vacancies for this role.

What the job involves

Valuations, subcontract packages, variations, cost reporting and final accounts. On a multi-year programme of this scale, commercial teams are large and stay busy throughout.

How to get into it

Quantity surveying or commercial management degree, often toward RICS chartership.

What you need before you start

The cards, tickets and checks this role normally requires.

CSCS White (Professionally Qualified)

£100–£200 · valid 5 years

For people holding a relevant professional body membership or construction-related degree.

When this role is needed

Indicative windows based on the typical sequence for a project of this size. Not Universal’s published programme.

Enabling works & site preparation
Roughly 2026–2027
Earliest and most local-friendly phase. Groundworkers, plant operators, banksmen, traffic marshals, surveyors, ecologists and archaeologists, plus the welfare, catering and security staff who keep a compound running.
Infrastructure & utilities
Roughly 2026–2028
Civils and utilities specialists: streetworks operatives, jointers, drainage crews, highway gangs, setting-out engineers. Traffic management is a large and continuous need.
Groundworks & substructure
Roughly 2027–2029
Peak demand for steel fixers, concrete finishers, piling operatives, formwork carpenters and plant operators. Quantity surveyors and site engineers scale up sharply here.
Structures & envelope
Roughly 2028–2030
Steel erectors, scaffolders, crane operators, cladding and roofing crews. Lifting supervisors and appointed persons are in constant demand.
Building services (MEP)
Roughly 2029–2031
Electricians, plumbers, pipefitters, HVAC and fire alarm engineers. This is where the trade mix shifts decisively from civils to services.
Fit-out, theming & landscaping
Roughly 2030–2031
Carpenters, painters, plasterers, tilers, landscapers — plus scenic artists, sculptors and model makers, which are unusual skills to be hiring at volume.

Other professional & commercial roles

Site manager

Specialist

Professional & commercial

£55,000–£85,000 per year

Runs a work area day to day — programme, quality and safety.

Steady need

Document controller

Training or ticket needed

Professional & commercial

£28,000–£42,000 per year

An office role on a construction project, and a genuine way in without a trade.

Steady needVery likely local

Procurement / buyer

Experience needed

Professional & commercial

£35,000–£58,000 per year

Sources and schedules everything the site consumes.

Steady needVery likely local