MEMBER INTERVIEW
George Evans COST PLANNING LEADER
When and where did you start your career, and what were the highlights of those formative years? I Graduated from the Building Technology Program at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Every group has ideas of what they think they are going to do when they graduate and our group all thought they would be project managers. At the time, my dad had just formed a new quantity surveying partnership in Vancouver, which was quite busy. Dad offered me a job whilst I tried to become the next great project manager. When I signed up to go to BCIT, I had an interest in carpentry and accounting. Once I started in a QS office, I discovered I could play with numbers all day and still get my carpentry fix, albeit on paper instead of with a hammer and saw.
My primary interest has always been cost planning and this is what I really enjoy.
When I became President in BC, I was the representative to CIQS Council where I started as Registrar and ended as President. What is the area of your expertise; how did you develop this, and how does this assist our industry? My primary interest has always been cost planning and this is what I really enjoy. I like being part of the process of seeing a project from concept to completion and helping the design team to meet what always seems to be a tight budget, without overly compromising the design intent. I enjoy the design process and appreciate the skills that designers bring to the table. I think that my appreciation for the design process helps me to come up with more creative ways to meet budgets rather than just cutting scope or interesting design features. To what extent have you been involved with the CIQS, and how would you describe this experience? Also, what is your advice to aspiring quantity surveyors and estimators as they progress their careers?
QS Online Cost Consultants Inc. Halifax, Nova Scotia p. 902 405-1504 | c. 902 488-1501 halifax@qsonlinecostconsultants.com www.qsonlinecostconsultants.com
30 | CONSTRUCTION ECONOMIST | www.ciqs.org | Fall 2015
I have been involved with CIQS and CIQS-BC from the start of my career. Actually, before I became a QS, I attended CIQS-BC dinner meetings and started helping the organizers at the various events. I served on the CIQS-BC Board for five years starting as Treasurer and ending as President. I have to thank Marvin Kale PQS(F) for encouraging me to join his Board in BC. When I became President in BC, I was the representative to CIQS Council where I started as Registrar and ended as President. I continue to volunteer occasionally and I organize the annual CIQS-BC golf tournament. This year is our 29th year. My advice to aspiring professionals is to talk to as many people as you can. The internet is a great tool but talking to suppliers, builders, engineers, architects, site superintendents, etc., is the best education you can get. Join CIQS, attend everything and get involved. What notable changes have you seen in our industry and profession over the year, how do you see our profession change in the future, and how should we position ourselves for this? For me the biggest change was computers. They were a new thing when I started. We had them in the office but only the administrators were using them. The volume of work we can produce now in the same amount of time is incredible. More recently is the advent of on screen measurement systems. I know they are not new but they are newer.
