MSE wall BOQ template: bill of quantities for anchored MSE wall package.
This is the engineer-and-QS reference for structuring an anchored MSE wall package within a Malaysian tender BOQ. Items, units of measurement, and pricing notes are laid out to align with the conventions used on JKR, PLUS, LLM, KTMB, and major-developer tenders. Use this as a starting template; adapt the specifics (panel type, fill source, monitoring) to your project before issuing tender documents.
BOQ structure overview
A complete MSE wall package BOQ typically has 12-15 line items grouped into 5 sections. Each item carries a unit, a description, a quantity (filled in by the consultant) and a unit rate (filled in by the bidder). The five sections:
- Preliminaries - mobilisation, design, shop drawings, programme.
- Supply of components - precast panels, tendons, anchor blocks.
- Site works - foundation, erection, backfill, drainage.
- Finishes and adjustments - capping, architectural premium, joints.
- Monitoring and handover - instrumentation, baseline, defects period.
Full BOQ template
| Item | Description | Unit | Pricing note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Preliminaries | |||
| 1.1 | Design and shop drawings for anchored MSE wall, in accordance with BS 8006-1:2010, FHWA NHI-10-024, and JKR Standard Specification | Sum | Lump sum or per m² of wall face |
| 1.2 | Mobilisation of plant and crew to site | Sum | Lump sum |
| 1.3 | Site office, storage compound, security fencing | Sum | Lump sum, duration-related |
| 1.4 | Submission of design check, calculations, drawings for consultant review | Sum | Lump sum |
| 2. Supply of components | |||
| 2.1 | Supply and delivery to site of precast concrete facing panels, Grade 30 MPa, standard panel size per shop drawing, standard grey finish | m² | Per m² of facing area |
| 2.2 | Supply and delivery to site of hot-dip galvanised steel tendons, diameter per design, length per shop drawing | m (linear) | Per linear metre of tendon, or by kg |
| 2.3 | Supply and delivery to site of precast concrete deadman anchor blocks per shop drawing | No. | Per unit (each block) |
| 2.4 | Supply and delivery of geocomposite drainage blanket, minimum transmissivity 5 x 10-4 m/s, including overlaps | m² | Per m² of wall face |
| 2.5 | Supply and delivery of perforated UPVC or HDPE collection pipe, 100-150 mm diameter, including bedding and outlet fittings | m (linear) | Per linear metre of toe drain |
| 2.6 | Supply and delivery of geotextile filter for toe drain | m² | Per m² of geotextile |
| 3. Site works | |||
| 3.1 | Excavation, levelling, and preparation of foundation area | m³ | Per m³ of excavation |
| 3.2 | Cast in-situ concrete levelling pad, Grade 25 MPa, dimensions per shop drawing | m³ | Per m³ of concrete |
| 3.3 | Erection of facing panels including lifting plant, alignment, joint setting, temporary bracing | m² | Per m² of facing area |
| 3.4 | Installation of tendons through facing panels, including connection torque to specification | m (linear) or m² | Per linear metre of tendon, or per m² of wall face |
| 3.5 | Installation of deadman anchor blocks in the retained-fill mass per shop drawing | No. | Per block |
| 3.6 | Supply and placement of crusher-run backfill (≥34° friction angle), placed in 200-300 mm lifts, compacted to 95% Modified Proctor MDD | m³ | Per m³ of fill placed and compacted |
| 3.7 | Installation of geocomposite drainage blanket against back of facing | m² | Per m² of wall face |
| 3.8 | Installation of toe drain (excavation, granular bedding, pipe, geotextile, outlets, backfill) | m (linear) | Per linear metre of toe drain |
| 4. Finishes and adjustments | |||
| 4.1 | Cast in-situ capping beam, Grade 30 MPa, reinforced, dimensions per shop drawing | m³ or m (linear) | Per m³ of concrete or per linear metre of capping |
| 4.2 | Architectural-finish premium for textured, coloured, or motif precast panels (above standard grey) | m² | Per m² of facing area, premium over base rate |
| 4.3 | Drainage outlet connection to site stormwater network | No. | Per connection point |
| 4.4 | Joint sealing between facing panels if specified (typically only on water-edge or aesthetic-sensitive walls) | m (linear) | Per linear metre of joint |
| 5. Monitoring and handover | |||
| 5.1 | Supply and installation of settlement plates, with riser pipe and reference cap | No. | Per plate installed |
| 5.2 | Supply and installation of inclinometer casing (drilled, grouted, capped), depth per design | m (depth) | Per metre of inclinometer depth |
| 5.3 | Supply and installation of piezometers (vibrating-wire or standpipe per design) | No. | Per piezometer |
| 5.4 | Baseline survey and instrumentation readings | Sum | Lump sum at handover |
| 5.5 | Defects-correction period, quarterly inspection and reporting | Sum | Lump sum over defects-correction period |
| 6. Provisional sums | |||
| 6.1 | Provisional sum for ground improvement (PVDs + preload, stone columns, jet grouting) if soft-ground conditions encountered, to be activated by consultant instruction | Sum | Provisional, paid against actual works |
| 6.2 | Provisional sum for unforeseen variations | Sum | Standard provisional sum, typically 5-10% of base contract |
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Pricing notes for QS reference
Per m² of wall face vs per m² of facing area
These are subtly different. Wall face is the exposed front area visible after construction. Facing area is the total area of facing panels including any below-grade portion or above-cap portion. For most projects they are similar but on walls with deep toe footings or extensive cap, the facing area can be 5-10% larger than the wall face. Specify which is intended in the BOQ description.
Backfill volume vs wall geometry
Backfill quantity is the volume of the reinforced-soil zone, typically 0.7-1.0 times wall height behind the facing. For a 6 m wall, 1 m linear length of wall: backfill volume ~5-8 m³. Note: this is engineered backfill within the reinforced zone only; bulk fill behind the reinforced zone is usually a separate earthworks BOQ item.
Tendon length per m² of wall
For anchored MSE walls, tendon length is typically 0.7-0.9 times wall height per tendon, with one tendon per panel typically. For a 6 m wall with 2 m x 1.5 m panels, that's ~4.5-5.5 m of tendon per panel, or roughly ~1.5-2.0 linear metres of tendon per m² of wall face.
Architectural-finish premium structure
Premium pricing varies by finish type:
- Standard grey, smooth: base rate, no premium.
- Standard grey, fluted or board-marked: 10-15% premium on panel rate.
- Split-face or exposed aggregate: 15-25% premium.
- Coloured pigment: 15-25% premium.
- Cast-in motif or logo: 25-40% premium (depends on motif complexity).
Specify the finish in the BOQ description and let bidders price the premium explicitly, rather than bundling into a generic base rate.
Common BOQ mistakes to avoid
- Bundling facing supply with erection. Splits cleanly: supply is a material item, erection is a labour-plus-plant item. Bundled, bidders can hide cost. Split, you get apples-to-apples pricing.
- Forgetting drainage outlets. The toe-drain pipe is one item; the outlet connections to site stormwater are typically a separate item, often missed.
- No provisional for ground improvement. Soft-ground sites need ground improvement; if the BOQ doesn't include a provisional sum, the contractor will either price-pad the base rate (overpaying if improvement isn't needed) or refuse to commit (delays).
- Bundling instrumentation with civil works. Instrumentation is specialist equipment; keep it as separate items so the instrumentation specialist can price clearly.
- Architectural premium hidden in panel supply. If aesthetic is required, name it in the BOQ. Don't expect bidders to guess.
- No defects-period budget. Quarterly inspection through the defects-correction period (typically 12-24 months) is real ongoing cost. Budget it.