AI compliance software for surveyors: what to look for (and when a spreadsheet is fine)

How to choose AI compliance software for a RICS-regulated firm: the seven capabilities that map to the standard, the questions to ask any vendor — and an honest note on when spreadsheets suffice.

Software for RICS AI-standard compliance is a young category, and buying in a young category rewards scepticism. This guide sets out what the software actually needs to do — derived from the standard's requirements rather than feature lists — and is honest about the alternative, because we sell one of these products and you should discount accordingly.

First: when a spreadsheet is genuinely fine

A sole practitioner with three tools, disciplined habits and a calendar reminder can satisfy the standard with the free register template, a letters folder and a quarterly hour. Software earns its fee when any of these appear: multiple people making materiality decisions inconsistently, records scattered across inboxes when a client asks a 4.4 question, quarterly reviews that quietly stop happening, or a volume of projects that makes per-job notices and reviews a chore to assemble by hand.

The seven capabilities that map to the standard

1. A tool register that stays current — ideally derived from actual project decisions rather than maintained as a separate document (the register requirements).
2. Per-project materiality decisions with names and reasoning — recorded instruction by instruction, not firm-wide defaults.
3. Separation of suggestion and decision. This one is structural: software may offer guidance, but the standard puts professional judgement and a named surveyor at the centre — the human decision must be recorded as the human's, never auto-filled. Ask any vendor to show you where the software's suggestion ends and the professional's recorded decision begins.
4. Client document generation — advance notices, terms-of-engagement clauses, and the not-usable-output letter from section 4.2.
5. A RAG risk register with a quarterly pulse — including nudges, because the quarterly review is where manual systems die.
6. Due-diligence tracking per tool — the six written requests, answers, and gaps carried to risks.
7. An append-only audit trail and clean exports — evidence is the product; if history can be silently edited, it isn't evidence, and if you can't export everything, you're renting your own records.

Questions that sort serious vendors quickly

• “Show me exactly what I hand over if RICS or my PI insurer asks about one project.” (One export, or a screenshare safari?)
• “Can the software ever make or change a compliance decision?” (The only good answer is no.)
• “What happens to my records if I cancel?” (Export format, retention period.)
• “Does it claim to make my firm compliant?” (Walk away from yes — compliance is conduct, not a subscription. Anyone claiming otherwise misunderstands the standard they're selling against.)

What does AI compliance software cost?

For this category, entry pricing sits around the tens-of-pounds-per-month mark — ComplyQS runs a 180-day free trial then from £20/month excl. VAT. Weigh it against the honest cost of the manual alternative: a few hours per quarter plus assembly time whenever someone asks for evidence.

Is ComplyQS the right choice?

We think so for RICS-regulated QS firms — it was built around this specific standard, and the seven capabilities above describe it deliberately. But the checklist and questions in this article work against any vendor, including us; the 180-day trial exists so the product can make the argument itself.

This article is general information, not legal or professional advice — and it is written by the maker of ComplyQS, so apply the same scepticism it recommends. ComplyQS is not affiliated with or endorsed by RICS.