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DriffieldSurvey data that protects the programme and the people responsible for it.
Surveying for Tier 1 & Tier 2 Contractors.
One Trusted Partner.
An underground service strike costs a principal contractor far more than the repair. It costs programme time, CDM liability, third-party claims and the credibility of every subsequent decision made about groundworks on that site. Wrong setting-out control costs more than the abortive works, it costs the trust of the client and the confidence of the design team. These are not edge cases. They are what happens when the survey function is treated as a cost rather than a safeguard.
Site Surveying Services is the survey firm that tier 1 and tier 2 contractors in the North West and nationwide call when they need the safeguard to be real. Constructionline Gold accredited. Following PAS 128 standards. RICS regulated. Directly employed across 17 survey disciplines, and already delivering for Tier 1 and Tier 2 institutions across the country.
The programme depends on the survey being right – and getting it right is our responsibility.
What tier 1 and tier 2 contractors need from a survey partner
The survey firms that serve tier 1 and tier 2 understand exactly what your programme needs to run smoothly and successfully:
Speed of mobilisation
A tier 1 programme does not wait for a survey firm to organise itself. When the programme window opens, the survey team needs to be ready. We achieve a fast quote response rate and mobilise when your access window opens.
Directly employed team. One firm accountable
The most common complaint about survey firms from tier 1 Contracts Managers is accountability, specifically the lack of it when a subcontracted survey team produces wrong data and neither firm accepts responsibility. Our team is directly employed. No subcontractors. No agency placements. No gaps in accountability. When something needs resolving, you call one number.
Data in the format the programme requires
CAD format. BIM standard. EIR compliance. Coordinate system matched to the project datum. Accuracy specification confirmed before survey begins. Delivered in the format the structural engineer, the machine control operator and the planning authority can use without reprocessing.
Survey at every stage of the construction programme
Survey at Every Stage of the Construction Programme.
Pre-mobilisation and pre-start
The decisions made before a contractor mobilises on site determine whether the programme runs on time or creates avoidable risk. Pre-start survey is the risk management that protects the groundworks programme from the two most common and most costly construction site events: a service strike and a setting-out error caused by inadequate control.
What tier 1 and tier 2 contractors need from us at pre-start:
Before any ground investigation or excavation. Quality Level C active detection across the full works extent. The CDM pre-construction information requirement is satisfied before the groundworks programme begins.
Primary and secondary control installed, verified and documented before the first setting-out visit. The coordinate framework that every downstream activity on the programme depends on. Verified in writing before any downstream survey activity begins.
Before groundworks begin, the design team needs to know what is actually there — not what the drawings say is there. A pre-start topographic survey confirms existing ground levels, drainage, boundaries and surface features to the accuracy the construction programme depends on, eliminating the costly surprises that emerge when assumed ground conditions do not match reality.
Enabling works and groundworks
Enabling works are where setting-out accuracy translates directly into programme performance. Drainage that is set out correctly runs to grade the first time. Pile positions that are verified before drilling begins do not need to be redrilled. Formation levels established accurately the first time do not need to be reinstated when the drainage designer queries the falls.
What tier 1 and tier 2 contractors need during enabling works:
CCTV drainage survey at key programme stages confirming that drainage has been constructed to specification before backfilling. The check that finds the problem while it can still be corrected economically.
Structural frame and superstructure
Structural setting-out is where the consequences of error are largest. A gridline in the wrong position affects every structural element connected to it. Column base plates set out incorrectly require structural intervention to correct. Slab levels not verified before the frame goes up become a specification dispute at handover.
What tier 1 and tier 2 contractors need during structural works:
Column positions, gridlines, hold-down bolt templates, slab levels and structural interface positions. Engineers who work from 3D design models, check data for consistency before site, and flag design conflicts before concrete is poured.
Verifying that structural elements have been placed to specification before the next stage proceeds. Laser scanning for as-built verification of complex or high-tolerance structural elements.
Earthworks and bulk excavation
Earthworks programmes have two survey requirements that are distinct and equally important — accurate setting-out of the earthworks design, and accurate measurement of progress for commercial reconciliation.
What tier 1 and tier 2 contractors need on earthworks programmes:
Design models created and calibrated for GPS guidance systems on excavators, graders and dozers. The methodology that reduces setting-out time, improves accuracy across the full works extent and tracks progress against design.
Highways and external works
Highways and external works are usually the last stage of the programme before practical completion, and they cannot be designed or constructed safely without an accurate understanding of what already exists both above and below ground. External works setting-out is frequently the most compressed stage of any construction programme. The building is complete, practical completion is approaching, and the external works contractor is working flat out. This is when setting-out errors are discovered at the highest possible cost.
What tier 1 and tier 2 contractors need on highways and external works:
Kerb lines, carriageway levels, drainage, footway formation, car park layout and all external works elements. Engineers experienced in highways and external works, working at the pace the compressed programme demands.
Practical Completion & Handover
The as-built survey at handover is the record that closes out the programme. For the tier 1 contractor, missing or inadequate as-built data leads to disputes, delayed condition discharge and gaps in the building record that create problems for future works. What is needed at handover depends on what was built — but it is almost always more than one survey type, and commissioning the full package from one team avoids the gaps that appear when different disciplines are handled by different firms at different times.
What tier 1 and tier 2 contractors need at practical completion:
a complete, accurate record of the completed building as constructed. The baseline document for facilities management, future alteration and any dispute that may arise about what was actually delivered.
Matterport Pro 3 of completed commercial and residential spaces for client handover documentation and marketing.
The Accreditation Profile tier 1 Supply Chains Require
The Accreditation Profile tier 1 Supply Chains Require
Constructionline Gold
the highest level of Constructionline accreditation. Confirms financial standing, health and safety, environmental management, quality management and equalities compliance to the standard tier 1 contractors require for supply chain approval. Current. Available for documentation immediately.
PAS 128
British Standard utility mapping standards. The only specification that defines quality levels, detection methods and CDM-compliant deliverables for underground utility survey. Required on any programme where utility mapping is specified to a recognised standard.
RICS
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors regulation. Professional indemnity and quality assurance. The framework that gives tier 1 contracts and their clients confidence in the survey data underpinning design and construction decisions.
CDM 2015
CAA Approved
Civil Aviation Authority commercial UAV operational authorisation. PDRA01 and GVC certification for all UAV pilots. Required on any programme where UAV survey is specified above line-of-sight or in controlled airspace.
Builders Profile
Registered on the Builders Profile contractor assessment platform. Relevant for MOD, government estate and specialist framework pre-qualification.
Survey services most used by tier 1 and tier 2 contractors
Survey services most used by tier 1 and tier 2 contractors
topographic survey
OS-controlled pre-construction survey and as-built topographic survey for planning condition discharge.
utility mapping
Quality Level B to D. CDM pre-construction information satisfied.
Measured building survey
A complete, accurate record of the completed building as constructed.
CCTV drainage
As-built drainage inspection for Section 38, 278 and 104 adoption. WRC SRM coded.
Setting Out Engineers
Directly employed engineering surveyors. Fully self-equipped.
Control network installation
Primary and secondary control to the accuracy specification the programme requires. Verified before any downstream activity begins.
3D machine control
Monitoring
Structural and settlement monitoring adjacent to excavation. Sub-millimetre accuracy. Immediate trigger level reporting. Pre-construction condition survey included.
UAV volumetric survey
Earthworks progress recording and cut and fill reconciliation at programme intervals.
Case Studies: Survey Data in practice
BAE Systems - PAS 128 Utility Mapping and Topographic Survey, Barrow-in-Furness
One of the most operationally demanding construction survey programmes we have delivered. Live MOD industrial facility. Service-dense ground. Restricted access. Phased delivery coordinated around operational schedules. Zero return visits. Zero operational disruption. The integrated utility mapping and topographic dataset delivered as a single georeferenced output for the design and construction team.
Case Studies: Survey Data in practice
HMP Manchester — Measured Building Survey and PAS 128 Utility Mapping
Security clearance, escorted access, phased wing access on a Category A prison estate. Complete measured building survey and PAS 128 utility mapping delivered without disrupting the secure operation of the facility. The data the architectural and construction team needed for refurbishment planning — captured in the most access-constrained survey environment we work in.
Comprehensive Infrastructure Survey — Ilkley
Full PAS 128 and topographic survey package for a live infrastructure scheme. All services located, verified and plotted alongside detailed ground and drainage data — delivered as a single coordinated georeferenced dataset. One instruction, one team, one coordinated output for the design and construction programme.
Why tier 1 and tier 2 contractors choose Site Surveying Services
On site. On spec. On time.
The compliance record is documented. Not claimed.
Constructionline Gold, PAS 128 accreditation, RICS regulation, CDM 2015 compliance, CAA approval and Builders Profile registration. Available for supply chain pre-qualification immediately.
Directly employed. One firm accountable.
No subcontractors. No agency placements. The survey team on your site carries our professional indemnity insurance, works to our quality standards and is accountable to us as well as to you. One number. One firm. One accountable organisation throughout the programme.
17 disciplines. One instruction.
PAS 128 utility mapping, topographic survey, control network, setting-out, monitoring, UAV survey, BIM delivery, CCTV drainage and more - all from one team, one point of contact, one coordinated programme. When the scope changes, one call.
Social value. Local employment.
Directly employed team predominantly drawn from Lancashire and the North West. Constructionline Gold social value compliance. East Lancashire Hospice support, Blackburn Rovers Business Club membership and active youth development programme. For social value requirements in supply chain criteria, the evidence is available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What accreditations do you hold for tier 1 supply chain pre-qualification?
We hold Constructionline Gold, PAS 128 accreditation, RICS regulation, CDM 2015 compliance, CAA approval and Builders Profile registration — the complete accreditation profile required for most tier 1 construction and infrastructure supply chain frameworks. All accreditations are current and can be evidenced immediately for procurement purposes without requiring your supply chain team to chase documentation. We are already delivering for Kier and BAM Nuttall in the North West.
What is Constructionline Gold and why does it matter?
Constructionline Gold is the highest level of Constructionline accreditation — the supply chain pre-qualification standard required by the majority of tier 1 contractors and major infrastructure clients before appointing a survey firm. Gold level confirms financial standing, health and safety management, environmental management, quality management and equalities compliance to the standard tier 1 procurement teams require. It means your supply chain team does not need to conduct its own due diligence from scratch — the pre-qualification has already been carried out to an independently verified standard. Our Constructionline Gold accreditation is current and available for documentation immediately.
Are your setting-out engineers directly employed or agency placements?
All our setting-out engineers are directly employed by Site Surveying Services. Not agency placements, not freelancers sourced through a labour network. This matters for tier 1 supply chains in three specific ways. First, they carry our professional indemnity insurance — not their own. Second, they work to our quality standards and are accountable to us as well as to you. Third, when something needs resolving, there is one firm responsible — not a labour agency pointing at the survey firm and a survey firm pointing at the labour agency. One number. One organisation. One accountability.
How quickly can you mobilise a setting-out engineer on site?
For urgent access windows — where the programme cannot wait — call us directly and we will tell you honestly what we can do and when. We maintain a directly employed team of engineers across Lancashire, the North West and our other office territories and can typically respond faster than firms dependent on freelance networks. We do not promise timescales we cannot deliver — but we work hard to make the urgent ones achievable.
What does your method statement process look like for a tier 1 programme?
We produce site-specific method statements and risk assessments for every programme — not generic construction site documents with the project name changed. For tier 1 programmes, the method statement covers: the survey methodology and instrumentation, the access and working practices on the specific site, traffic management and road worker safety compliance where survey is on or adjacent to a public highway, CDM responsibilities, PPE requirements, emergency procedures and any specific site constraints identified during pre-survey coordination. Where the programme involves security-controlled environments, the method statement is submitted to the site security management team for approval before any personnel attend.
Can you work on live construction sites with plant and groundworks activity running alongside?
Yes — the majority of our setting-out and site engineering work is on live construction sites with active groundworks, plant operations and multiple trades working alongside the survey team. Our engineers understand live construction environments and work at the pace the programme demands without becoming a programme risk themselves. They coordinate with site management before each visit, adapt to changing access conditions and communicate clearly when they need the programme to pause briefly for safety — without stopping it unnecessarily.
Do you hold professional indemnity insurance appropriate for tier 1 supply chains?
Yes. Site Surveying Services holds professional indemnity insurance, public liability insurance and employers liability insurance at the levels required for tier 1 supply chain participation. Insurance certificates are available for documentation immediately as part of the Constructionline Gold package. If your programme requires specific minimum insurance levels, confirm these at the time of enquiry and we will confirm our cover against your requirements.
What is your process for flagging design issues discovered during setting-out?
Our setting-out engineers are trained to identify and report conflicts between the design and the existing site conditions before they become construction events. Common issues we identify and report: discrepancies between design drawings and as-surveyed existing conditions, coordination conflicts between structural and drainage elements at interface positions, design levels that cannot be achieved given the existing ground conditions, and utility positions that conflict with proposed structure positions. When a conflict is identified, we report it immediately to the site manager and, where appropriate, to the engineer — with specific reference to the relevant drawing and the nature of the discrepancy. We do not wait for the problem to become a variation. We flag it before it does.
Can you provide both PAS 128 utility mapping and topographic survey as a single coordinated package?
Yes — and for most tier 1 and tier 2 programmes we recommend it. Commissioning PAS 128 utility mapping and topographic survey together from a single instruction produces a coordinated georeferenced dataset in a single site visit — ground levels, boundary features, drainage and verified service positions all in the same coordinate system, delivered as one integrated output. This is the pre-construction data package that gives the design team and the groundworks contractor everything they need from one instruction. Our BAE Systems programme at Barrow-in-Furness demonstrates this approach on one of the most demanding pre-construction survey programmes we have delivered.
What volumetric survey service do you offer for earthworks programmes?
UAV-based volumetric survey at any programme stage — monthly for interim valuations, weekly for active earthworks management, or at agreed programme milestones for final account reconciliation. Cut and fill calculations and earthworks progress against design are delivered in CAD, PDF and spreadsheet format. All return surveys are tied to the same ground control network as the original baseline — producing directly comparable data for each valuation period without re-establishing control.
Do you work with the tier 1 contractor's BIM requirements and EIR?
How do you handle monitoring trigger level events out of hours?
Our monitoring programmes include an escalation protocol agreed with the engineer before the programme begins — specifying the notification chain and the response required at each trigger level. Alert level — we notify the nominated engineer contact immediately, regardless of time of day. Action level — we notify the engineer and the site manager immediately, with a clear statement of the readings, the threshold exceeded and our recommended immediate response. Alarm level — we notify all nominated contacts immediately. For automated monitoring systems, the alert protocol is configured into the system and notifications are sent automatically when pre-set thresholds are reached. The purpose of monitoring is early warning. That only works if the warning reaches the right person immediately.
What social value can you evidence for tier 1 supply chain assessment?
We can evidence contribution across the following social value categories: local employment — our directly employed team is predominantly drawn from Lancashire and the North West; skills development — work experience placements, graduate training, CITB contributions and school and university engagement; community investment — East Lancashire Hospice support, local sponsorship commitments, Blackburn Rovers Business Club membership and active fundraising; supply chain ethics — all services delivered by directly employed staff, no subcontracting, no labour-only arrangements; environmental responsibility — UAV and mobile mapping capability reduces vehicle movements and fuel consumption on programmes where these methodologies replace conventional ground survey. A formal Social Value Statement is available on request for inclusion in tier 1 supply chain assessments and pre-qualification submissions.