What is a measurement book in construction?
A measurement book (MB) is the record of work actually done on a contract, measured at site item by item: the date, the location, the number and dimensions of each measurement, and the quantity. Every running and final bill is drawn up from it, so a quantity that is not in the MB cannot be paid.
This workbook is for billing, not estimating. To take quantities off drawings for an estimate, use the detailed measurement sheet; to record what was built and bill it, use this.
What is in the measurement book workbook?
- Project Details — agreement particulars, the MB number and the RA bill the abstract is drawn up for.
- Item List — the agreement items: item number, description, unit, agreement quantity and rate.
- Measurements — one line per measurement, with its date, MB page, item, location, dimensions, add or deduct, the RA bill it is paid in, and who measured and test-checked it.
- Abstract — every item's quantity up to the previous bill, in this bill and up to date, the excess over the agreement quantity, and amounts where a rate is entered.
- Filled Sample — four items measured over two bills, with a deduction and an item past its agreement quantity.
How does the measurement book sheet calculate?
- Quantity = Nos × length × breadth × depth, rounded to three decimals. A blank breadth or depth counts as 1.
- Net quantity is negative on a Deduct line, so openings come off the item they are cut from.
- Qty up to previous bill = the net quantities paid in bills before the one set on Project Details; qty in this bill = those paid in that bill; qty up to date = the two together. A line with a later bill number is held for that bill.
- Excess over agreement qty = qty up to date − agreement quantity, where it is positive.
- Amounts = quantity × agreement rate, only where a rate is entered.
Worked example from the sample sheet: excavation stands at 55.620 cum up to RA Bill 1 and 22.950 cum in RA Bill 2, 78.570 cum to date. Brickwork in Bill 2 is 5.865 + 13.800 − 0.966 for two door openings = 18.699 cum, and the west wall measured on 3 August is held for Bill 3. PCC has reached 4.516 cum against 4.0 in the agreement, so it is flagged. The bill comes to Rs. 2,47,897.50.
How do you use the measurement book template?
- Fill in Project Details and set the RA bill number you are preparing.
- Copy the agreement items into Item List with their units, agreement quantities and rates.
- Record each measurement on Measurements as it is taken at site: date, MB page, item, location, Nos and dimensions in metres.
- Mark deductions as Deduct and give every line the RA bill number it is paid in.
- Open the Abstract and carry the quantities up to the previous bill and up to date into the RA bill.
- Read the Check and Status columns before the bill goes up.
What should you check before relying on the measurement book?
- Measurements are a primary record. Where your contract or department prescribes a bound, computerised or electronic measurement book, record the measurements there; this workbook mirrors it.
- Nos must always be entered. A blank Nos leaves the line out, and the Check column says so.
- A measurement with no bill number is not in the abstract until it has one.
- No rates are supplied. Amounts appear only for items whose agreement rate you enter.
What does each column mean?
| Column | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Date of Measurement / MB Page | When the measurement was taken at site, and the page it is on — what an auditor checks a bill against. |
| Item No. | Picked from the Item List of agreement items. The description and unit fill themselves in; a number not in the list is flagged. |
| Location / Details of Measurement | Where exactly the work was measured: footing type and grid, wall and floor, opening deducted. |
| Nos / Length / Breadth / Depth | Entered in metres. A blank breadth or depth counts as 1, so an area item leaves depth blank and a length item leaves both blank. |
| Quantity / Add or Deduct / Net Quantity | Auto-calculated. Nos × length × breadth × depth, rounded to three decimals; a Deduct line is negative. |
| Paid in RA Bill No. | The running bill this measurement is paid in. It decides whether the line counts as previous, this bill or a later bill. |
| Measured By / Test-checked By | Who recorded the measurement and who test-checked it. |
| Abstract: Qty up to Previous Bill / This Bill / Up to Date | Auto-calculated per agreement item for the bill number set on Project Details — the quantities the RA bill asks for. |
| Abstract: Excess over Agreement Qty | Auto-calculated. How far the quantity up to date has gone past the agreement quantity — the figure for the deviation statement. |
| Abstract: Amounts and Status | Amounts appear only where an agreement rate is entered; an item measured without a rate is marked, never shown as Rs. 0. |
The abstract of this book is the bill. Carry its quantities up to the previous bill and up to date into the RA bill format in Excel, and record anything measured past the agreement quantity in the deviation statement.
Get the quantities from your drawings
The arithmetic in this workbook is the quick part. Reading dimensions off a full drawing set, item by item, is what takes days. Upload your drawings and InstaBOQ measures them for you and abstracts the quantities into this same structure.