Robert Acquaye

It was recommended by my professor at university who supervised my final year project work. He wrote my recommendation when I was applying.

The teaching was excellent. I got to do a lot of collaboration with my course mates. This has been an essential part of my career now. The need to collaborate well with team members to ensure a project is executed successfully.

Make the best use of this opportunity. Don’t ever look back and have regrets. Make great friends, both on your course and the people you live with. Make the best use of all the sporting facilities. You will find that there are so many options to choose from, just enjoy your time at Loughborough University.

I started off as an assistant Quantity Surveyor with a consultancy firm mainly focusing on road works. I decided after a while that I wanted to experience the building sector a lot more. I moved to start work as a Quantity Surveyor with a construction firm. I have since that time done some amazing and prestigious projects with them. We are currently building a multi-million-dollar school for a client.  

I am the Project Quantity Surveyor on a multi-million-dollar school we are building for a client. On a regular basis, I have to ensure the project is within budget and raise red flags when there’s the slightest hint we will be exceeding. So far I believe I have done a good job. We have however exceeded the duration of the project mainly due to design changes made by the Client.

I get tired of sitting at a desk doing monotonous tasks. Being a PQS breaks that sequence because, I get to move onto a new project every 18 months. This in most cases has new team members, new dynamics, new almost everything. It can be a challenge sometime working with new teams but I have learnt that the earlier I adapt to and relate to the new team members, the better for the project.

This might be my last but one project. I want to move into consultancy, research and possibly teaching in the future.

I was recently involved in completing the French Embassy Project in Ghana. Not only was the building a beauty, but the project was completed within budget and approximately 2 months behind the original schedule. This delay was due to design changes initiated by the client.