Standards

One pipeline. Four standards. No compromises.

Most BoQ tools hardcode a single standard — usually NRM2 or SMM7 — and treat the others as afterthoughts. Finorly treats standards as plugins: taxonomy, column schema, and measurement rules defined separately, so whichever your project references, the classification stays correct.

Standards registry4 live · more on request
NRM2
UK building — RICS default
LIVE
POMI
International, lightweight
LIVE
CESMM4
UK civils / infrastructure
LIVE
SMM7
Legacy UK contracts
LIVE
AS/SLS…
Regional variants on request
ASK
At a glance

What’s supported, what it’s for.

The right standard depends on the contract, region, and project type. Here’s how each one lines up.

StandardRegionBest forSections / ClassesStatus
NRM2UK (RICS)Building works — new-build and fit-out41 work sectionsLive
POMIInternationalLightweight projects, fastest path to a BoQFlat groupingLive
CESMM4UK civil engineeringInfrastructure & civils tendersClasses A–Z, 8-digit codesLive
SMM7UK (legacy)Older contracts, refurbishment workPre-2013, similar to NRM2Live
Regional variantOn requestFirm-specific or country-specific (AS, SLS, etc.)CustomContact us
Standard 01 / 04
NRM2
RICS · 2nd edition · Oct 2021

New Rules of Measurement 2 — the UK building standard.

Published by RICS and the BoQ format most UK tender documents reference by default. 41 sections, from preliminaries through to electrical services.

See NRM2 example export →
What it is
  • Published by RICS — the UK industry default
  • 41 work sections, preliminaries through electrical services
  • Standard for new-build, fit-out, extensions
  • The BoQ format most UK tender documents reference by default
What Finorly does with it
  • Canonical 41-section registry, mapped as a plugin
  • Deductions logic built in — openings > 0.5m², wastage per section
  • Dayworks treated separately, never mixed into the main BoQ
  • Excel export with the standard NRM2 column layout
Standard 02 / 04
POMI
Principles of Measurement (International)

The lightweight international option.

An international framework — not tied to a single country. Simpler shape, fewer rigid rules, used when the project doesn't need a regional standard's full depth.

See POMI example export →
What it is
  • International framework, not tied to a single country
  • Used for donor-funded, NGO, and lightweight commercial projects
  • Simpler structure than NRM2 — flat item grouping
  • Chosen when the project doesn't need regional depth
What Finorly does with it
  • Flat hierarchy preserved — no forcing into NRM2-style sections
  • Simpler validation pass, fewer deduction rules to apply
  • Fastest path to a BoQ — typically < 20 seconds end-to-end
  • Excel export in a lightweight column schema
Standard 03 / 04
CESMM4
Civil Engineering Standard Method of Measurement · 4th ed.

For civils and infrastructure — not NRM2 with different labels.

Classes A–Z, each covering a civil engineering work type. Used for roads, rail, bridges, tunnels, utilities. A different animal from NRM2; handled as its own plugin.

See CESMM4 example export →
What it is
  • Classes A–Z for civils — earthworks, concrete, piling, etc.
  • Used for civils tenders: roads, rail, bridges, tunnels, utilities
  • Rigid 8-digit item coding (class + item + descriptor)
  • Different column schema from NRM2 — not just renamed fields
What Finorly does with it
  • Full 8-digit coding, validated against the CESMM4 class library
  • Class-specific measurement rules (Class E earthworks ≠ Class Y concrete)
  • Separate column schema and Excel export — not NRM2 reskinned
  • Audit trail includes class + item code on every row
Standard 04 / 04
SMM7
Standard Method of Measurement · 7th edition · legacy

For legacy contracts and refurbishment work.

The pre-NRM2 UK standard, superseded in 2013 but still in use — common in refurbishment and heritage work where the original BoQ was written in SMM7.

See SMM7 example export →
What it is
  • Pre-NRM2 UK standard, superseded in 2013 but still referenced
  • Common in older contracts that pre-date the NRM2 switch
  • Frequent in refurbishment and heritage where original BoQs were SMM7
  • Broadly similar to NRM2 in shape, but several rules diverge
What Finorly does with it
  • SMM7-specific plugin — separate from the NRM2 mapping
  • Handles the overlap: sections that match NRM2 and sections that don't
  • Preserves SMM7 item numbering where the contract requires it
  • Excel export in the original SMM7 column layout
Something else?

Your firm uses something else? Send us a sample.

Regional variants — Australian AS, Sri Lankan SLS, firm-custom templates — can be added as plugins. Send us a sample document and we’ll scope it. Most take under a week.