Construction glossary
The construction, costing and contract terms that decide what a building actually costs.
Most disputes about construction cost start with a term nobody defined. These definitions explain what each item means on a Pakistani residential or commercial project, and which document is supposed to fix it.
- Bill of Quantities (BOQ)
- An itemised list of the measured work in a project, showing the quantity, unit and unit rate for each line, multiplied out to an amount. A BOQ is priced from drawings and specifications, so two builders quoting from the same BOQ can be compared line by line. See how this applies to our work
- Grey structure
- The structural shell of a building: foundations, reinforced-concrete columns, beams and slabs, masonry, roof slab and the basic electrical and plumbing rough-ins. A grey structure has no finishes, joinery, sanitary ware or paint, which is why its rate per square foot is lower than a turnkey rate. See how this applies to our work
- Turnkey construction
- A single contract that covers design coordination, structure, services and finishes through to handover, so the client takes possession of a completed building. The label only means something when the BOQ and drawings define exactly which finishes, fittings and exclusions are inside the contract. See how this applies to our work
- Reinforced cement concrete (RCC)
- Concrete cast around steel reinforcement so that the steel resists tensile forces and the concrete resists compression. RCC is the standard material for foundations, columns, beams and slabs in multi-storey construction in Pakistan.
- Damp-proof course (DPC)
- A continuous barrier laid at plinth level to stop moisture rising from the ground into the walls. Missing or bridged DPC is a common cause of rising damp, salt damage and peeling plaster at the base of a wall.
- Prime cost (PC) sum
- A provisional allowance in a BOQ for a material or fitting that has not yet been selected, such as tiles or sanitary ware. The allowance is replaced by the actual invoiced cost, with the difference added to or deducted from the contract sum.
- Provisional sum
- An allowance for work that cannot be measured accurately before it starts, typically because it is concealed, such as work found behind a wall during renovation. Provisional sums are a stated source of cost uncertainty, not a discount.
- Retention
- A percentage withheld from each interim payment and released after handover or after the defects period ends. Retention protects the client if defects appear, and it is the reason a contractor's cash flow on a project differs from the headline contract value.
- Stage payment
- A payment released when a defined construction milestone is reached and inspected, such as completion of the roof slab, rather than on a calendar date. Stage payments tie money to verified progress.
- Escalation clause
- A contract term setting out how changes in material prices are handled during construction. A locked-rate clause fixes unit rates for named materials; a fluctuating clause adjusts them against an agreed index or invoice.
- Snag list
- A written list of defects and incomplete items recorded during the pre-handover inspection, each assigned to a trade and closed out before final payment. The signed snag list is the record that defects were rectified.
- Mobilisation
- Moving labour, plant, temporary works and the first materials to site so construction can begin. Mobilisation usually attracts a separate advance payment, because the cost is incurred before any measurable work exists on site.