Edward Skoyles (14 March 1923 – 30 July 2008) was the first quantity surveyor employed in the UK to research costs and practices in the construction industry.
[1][2][3][4] He also started the study of the actual amount of waste in the construction industry,[5][6][7][8] and investigated the varying methods of cost estimation practices used in different countries.
[9][10] His contributions are still widely discussed in the academic literature particularly upon operational bills,[11][12][13][14][15][16][17] and building waste[18][19] Tendering in the UK construction industry is traditionally based upon Bills of quantities in which the estimation of costs is based on the combined cost of materials, building plant and labour in the completed works.
This offered several advantages including a more accurate ability to cost a proposed project, better communication between design and production and ease in creating critical-path analysis for the contractor.
[18] Further, this research highlighted the need for improved education in site practices: "In the constructions industry, Skoyles was the first to recognize that the problem of material wastage was more dependent upon the attitudes and behavioral tendencies of individuals involved than upon the technical processes employed".