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Use this at the planning stage.
This guide helps you prepare questions and information. Project designs, ground conditions and any required approvals need to be confirmed by the relevant professionals.
Separate layout, levels and ground conditions
A site survey may describe boundaries, existing features and levels. Ground investigation is a separate input into understanding conditions below the surface. Ask the project designer what information is needed for the proposed structure and site. Keep the original report and its drawings together; a summary without locations or context may not be enough to inform the groundworks scope.
Record existing drainage and services
Bring together available utility records, drainage information and any site surveys already commissioned. Treat records as information for planning, rather than a guarantee of the exact position or condition of what is buried. HSE identifies planning, locating services and safe excavation as connected parts of working around underground services. Specialist checks and precautions must be planned for the actual work.
Keep each document usable
Label the latest revision, the area covered and the professional or organisation that produced it. If a report raises a question, keep that question with the brief instead of leaving the contractor to infer that it has been resolved. Photographs can add context for access and visible conditions, but cannot replace an investigation or design.
- Site layout and level references
- Available ground investigation and design information
- Existing drainage and service records
- A list of information still to be confirmed
Use the information to define the package
Share the available records when discussing the quotation and programme. A clearer information set helps identify assumptions, interfaces and work that may need separate investigation. LG can discuss the construction scope; ask the relevant designer or survey specialist to define any additional investigation required. The purpose is to resolve questions before they become site surprises.