You're pricing a tender. The employer's agent sends you a Bill of Quantities and mentions it has been prepared "to NRM2." Or you're a subcontractor who's been asked to price against a "NRM2 BoQ." What does that actually mean?
NRM2 is the RICS New Rules of Measurement — a standard that defines how building works should be measured, described and presented in documents like Bills of Quantities. Here is what you actually need to know about it.
What NRM2 is (and what it is not)
NRM2 — formally "RICS New Rules of Measurement: Detailed Measurement for Building Works" — is a document published by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. It sets out the standard way of measuring construction work when preparing Bills of Quantities, schedules of work, and pricing documents for building projects.
It replaced the Standard Method of Measurement, 7th Edition (SMM7) as the primary UK measurement standard in 2013.
NRM2 is a measurement standard, not a contract form. It tells you how quantities should be measured and described. It does not govern payment, programme, or the legal relationship between parties — that's what your JCT or NEC contract does.
NRM2 applies to building works. For civil engineering and infrastructure work (roads, drainage, structures), CESMM4 (Civil Engineering Standard Method of Measurement, 4th Edition) is typically used instead.
How a NRM2 Bill of Quantities is structured
A NRM2 BoQ is divided into work sections that follow a logical construction sequence. Each work section contains measured items described to a standard format: description, unit of measurement, quantity, and rate column.
The standard NRM2 work sections include:
| Section | Content | Typical unit |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Preliminaries | Site establishment, insurances, management, plant, temporary works | Lump sum/week |
| 2. Off-site manufactured materials | Pre-cast elements, structural steel fabrication | nr / t |
| 3. Demolitions | Demolition of existing structures | m² / nr |
| 4. Groundwork | Excavation, filling, disposal, ground slabs | m³ / m² |
| 5. In-situ concrete works | Foundations, columns, beams, slabs (poured concrete) | m³ / m² |
| 6. Precast/composite concrete | Precast floor planks, stairs, cladding | m² / nr |
| 7. Masonry | Brickwork, blockwork, stone | m² |
| 8. Structural metalwork | Steel frame, connections, secondary steelwork | t / nr |
| 9–28. ... | Roofing, cladding, windows, partitions, finishes, M&E... | Various |
What "measured to NRM2" means for your pricing
When a BoQ has been measured to NRM2, it means:
- Quantities have been taken off drawings following the measurement rules in NRM2 (e.g. concrete is measured in cubic metres net of formwork; brickwork is measured in square metres with separate items for facework)
- Items are described using standard NRM2 wording, which tells you exactly what's included and excluded
- Preliminary items are structured to allow you to enter both fixed charges (one-off costs) and time-related charges (weekly/monthly running costs)
- Provisional sums and prime cost sums are included where work is not fully designed
This matters because when you price against a NRM2 BoQ, you are pricing against a consistent description. You know that "reinforced concrete, 300mm thick, to suspended slabs" means exactly what it says — no more, no less.
Key point for pricing preliminaries: NRM2 separates prelims into Fixed Charge (items you buy once, regardless of programme) and Time-Related Charge (items that cost more the longer the contract runs). Many contractors price all prelims as a lump sum and miss this distinction — which can create problems on claims for prolongation.
NRM2 vs SMM7 — does it matter which one was used?
SMM7 was the predecessor to NRM2 and is still referenced occasionally, particularly on older framework contracts. The key differences:
- Some work sections were reorganised and renamed
- Certain measurement rules changed (e.g. treatment of voids in concrete)
- Preliminaries are structured differently
For practical pricing purposes, the differences between SMM7 and NRM2 BoQs are unlikely to affect your estimate significantly on most building projects. What matters is reading the descriptions carefully and understanding what is and is not included.
When you do not have a BoQ
Not all tenders come with a Bill of Quantities. On many D&B and lump-sum contracts, you receive drawings and specifications and must do your own take-off. This is where subcontractors are most exposed — if your quantities are wrong, your price is wrong.
Common mistakes when pricing without a BoQ:
- Scaling from PDF without calibrating (a PDF at "A1 scale" printed on A3 will be 50% smaller than intended)
- Measuring gross areas instead of net (e.g. including structural elements in floor finish areas)
- Missing scope that is in the specification but not shown on drawings
- Forgetting waste factors (blockwork requires ~5% waste; timber joinery up to 15%)
- Not allowing for awkward geometry (curved walls, raking ceilings cost more than simple geometry)
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