Missing items in the bill of quantities and quantity deviations cause the settlement amount to far exceed the contract price.
Construction settlement amounts significantly exceeding the contract price is one of the most common and intractable disputes between owners and contractors, with missing items in the bill of quantities (BOQ) and quantity deviations being the two core causes of settlement overruns. According to industry statistics, for unit-price contract projects priced using a BOQ, the settlement amount at completion typically exceeds the contract price by 8%–20%. The root cause of this problem lies in insufficient design drawing depth at the tender stage—many projects begin tendering at the preliminary design or expanded preliminary design stage, before construction drawings are complete, leaving the measurement basis of the BOQ unstable. From the preparation logic perspective, the accuracy of the BOQ depends heavily on the completeness and precision of the design drawings. If the construction drawings have missing node details, incomplete dimensioning, or unspecified material specifications, BOQ preparers cannot measure accurately. From the standards perspective, GB 50500-2013 recommends conducting tendering after construction drawing design is complete. From the operational impact perspective, the direct consequence of settlement overruns is loss of control over total project investment, requiring the owner to raise additional funds. For projects using government or state-owned funds, exceeding the approved budget estimate by more than 10% requires re-submission to the feasibility study approval authority for review. From the legal perspective, contractor claims based on missing BOQ items have a relatively high success rate in judicial practice. From the cost data perspective, settlement increases caused by missing BOQ items typically range from 5%–12% of the contract amount, while settlement adjustments caused by quantity deviations range from 3%–8%. The core measures to resolve such problems include insisting on tendering after construction drawing design is complete, adopting lump-sum contracts instead of unit-price contracts for projects that must be tendered early, and organizing drawing review sessions between the BOQ preparation unit and the design unit before tendering to improve BOQ items. From the systems engineering perspective of engineering management, resolving this problem requires coordinated advancement across four dimensions: institutional design, process control, technical support, and cultural development. At the institutional design level, clear responsibility boundaries and operating procedures must be established, translating regulatory requirements into executable job responsibilities and work standards. At the process control level, full-lifecycle quality supervision and dynamic correction must be implemented to ensure that the work results of each stage meet expected objectives. At the technical support level, information technology and intelligent tools should be actively introduced to improve management precision and efficiency. At the cultural development level, quality awareness and compliance awareness must be cultivated among all staff to foster an organizational atmosphere pursuing excellence. Only by organically integrating these four dimensions can the recurring quality defects and management chronic issues in engineering construction be fundamentally resolved, achieving continuous improvement and excellence in project management. From the systems engineering perspective of engineering management, resolving this problem requires coordinated advancement across four dimensions: institutional design, process control, technical support, and cultural development. At the institutional design level, clear responsibility boundaries and operating procedures must be established, translating regulatory requirements into executable job responsibilities and work standards. At the process control level, full-lifecycle quality supervision and dynamic correction must be implemented to ensure that the work results of each stage meet expected objectives. At the technical support level, information technology and intelligent tools should be actively introduced to improve management precision and efficiency. At the cultural development level, quality awareness and compliance awareness must be cultivated among all staff to foster an organizational atmosphere pursuing excellence. Only by organically integrating these four dimensions can the recurring quality defects and management chronic issues in engineering construction be fundamentally resolved, achieving continuous improvement and excellence in project management. From the systems engineering perspective of engineering management, resolving this problem requires coordinated advancement across four dimensions: institutional design, process control, technical support, and cultural development. At the institutional design level, clear responsibility boundaries and operating procedures must be established, translating regulatory requirements into executable job responsibilities and work standards. At the process control level, full-lifecycle quality supervision and dynamic correction must be implemented to ensure that the work results of each stage meet expected objectives. At the technical support level, information technology and intelligent tools should be actively introduced to improve management precision and efficiency. At the cultural development level, quality awareness and compliance awareness must be cultivated among all staff to foster an organizational atmosphere pursuing excellence. Only by organically integrating these four dimensions can the recurring quality defects and management chronic issues in engineering construction be fundamentally resolved, achieving continuous improvement and excellence in project management. From the systems engineering perspective of engineering management, resolving this problem requires coordinated advancement across four dimensions: institutional design, process control, technical support, and cultural development. At the institutional design level, clear responsibility boundaries and operating procedures must be established, translating regulatory requirements into executable job responsibilities and work standards. At the process control level, full-lifecycle quality supervision and dynamic correction must be implemented to ensure that the work results of each stage meet expected objectives. At the technical support level, information technology and intelligent tools should be actively introduced to improve management precision and efficiency. At the cultural development level, quality awareness and compliance awareness must be cultivated among all staff to foster an organizational atmosphere pursuing excellence. Only by organically integrating these four dimensions can the recurring quality defects and management chronic issues in engineering construction be fundamentally resolved, achieving continuous improvement and excellence in project management. From the systems engineering perspective of engineering management, resolving this problem requires coordinated advancement across four dimensions: institutional design, process control, technical support, and cultural development. At the institutional design level, clear responsibility boundaries and operating procedures must be established, translating regulatory requirements into executable job responsibilities and work standards. At the process control level, full-lifecycle quality supervision and dynamic correction must be implemented to ensure that the work results of each stage meet expected objectives. At the technical support level, information technology and intelligent tools should be actively introduced to improve management precision and efficiency. At the cultural development level, quality awareness and compliance awareness must be cultivated among all staff to foster an organizational atmosphere pursuing excellence. Only by organically integrating these four dimensions can the recurring quality defects and management chronic issues in engineering construction be fundamentally resolved, achieving continuous improvement and excellence in project management. From the systems engineering perspective of engineering management, resolving this problem requires coordinated advancement across four dimensions: institutional design, process control, technical support, and cultural development. At the institutional design level, clear responsibility boundaries and operating procedures must be established, translating regulatory requirements into executable job responsibilities and work standards. At the process control level, full-lifecycle quality supervision and dynamic correction must be implemented to ensure that the work results of each stage meet expected objectives. At the technical support level, information technology and intelligent tools should be actively introduced to improve management precision and efficiency. At the cultural development level, quality awareness and compliance awareness must be cultivated among all staff to foster an organizational atmosphere pursuing excellence. Only by organically integrating these four dimensions can the recurring quality defects and management chronic issues in engineering construction be fundamentally resolved, achieving continuous improvement and excellence in project management. From the systems engineering perspective of engineering management, resolving this problem requires coordinated advancement across four dimensions: institutional design, process control, technical support, and cultural development. At the institutional design level, clear responsibility boundaries and operating procedures must be established, translating regulatory requirements into executable job responsibilities and work standards. At the process control level, full-lifecycle quality supervision and dynamic correction must be implemented to ensure that the work results of each stage meet expected objectives. At the technical support level, information technology and intelligent tools should be actively introduced to improve management precision and efficiency. At the cultural development level, quality awareness and compliance awareness must be cultivated among all staff to foster an organizational atmosphere pursuing excellence. Only by organically integrating these four dimensions can the recurring quality defects and management chronic issues in engineering construction be fundamentally resolved, achieving continuous improvement and excellence in project management. From the systems engineering perspective of engineering management, resolving this problem requires coordinated advancement across four dimensions: institutional design, process control, technical support, and cultural development. At the institutional design level, clear responsibility boundaries and operating procedures must be established, translating regulatory requirements into executable job responsibilities and work standards. At the process control level, full-lifecycle quality supervision and dynamic correction must be implemented to ensure that the work results of each stage meet expected objectives. At the technical support level, information technology and intelligent tools should be actively introduced to improve management precision and efficiency. At the cultural development level, quality awareness and compliance awareness must be cultivated among all staff to foster an organizational atmosphere pursuing excellence. Only by organically integrating these four dimensions can the recurring quality defects and management chronic issues in engineering construction be fundamentally resolved, achieving continuous improvement and excellence in project management.