What is a measurement book in a construction contract?
A measurement book is the signed record of the quantities of work actually executed on site, and every running account bill is built from it.
Also called MB, joint measurement sheet.
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Measurement book in plain words
The contractor's engineer and the client's engineer measure the finished work together and write the quantities down, item by item, with dates and signatures. Those entries, not the contractor's estimate, are what the bill is allowed to claim.
Why does measurement book matter?
The bill cannot be certified until its quantities agree with the measurements. Measurements taken late, or never signed, are the first place a bill stalls.
Where does measurement book mislead?
Government works use a formal measurement book, often now held electronically. Private contracts may use a joint measurement sheet instead, so the name and the format follow the contract and not a standard.
What do people get wrong about measurement book?
- Measuring only at billing time
- Work covered by later work, such as buried pipe or concealed reinforcement, cannot be measured afterwards. It has to be measured before it is hidden.
- Unsigned or one-sided entries
- A quantity only the contractor signed is a claim, not a measurement, and the client's engineer can re-measure it from scratch.
How does Crestline measure measurement book?
Crestline treats the measurement date as the first stamp in a bill's journey, so the wait between execution and signed measurement is visible as its own step.
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