Why utility surveys are priced per site
A small garden plot and a city-centre street can take very different amounts of time to survey properly. Most utility surveys are priced on time on site plus the drawing and reporting work afterwards, so an accurate quote starts with understanding the site and what the survey is for.
What affects the cost
- Size of the area – the footprint to be surveyed, or the length of a road or cable route.
- Survey type and quality level – a records search and reconnaissance (QL-D/QL-C) takes far less time than a full detection survey (QL-B), and verification (QL-A) adds more.
- How congested the ground is – city streets and industrial sites need a more intensive methodology than open land.
- GPR coverage – a GPR grid across the whole site takes longer than targeted GPR along known routes, but finds more.
- Access and traffic management – live roads, footways and operational yards may need barriers, permits or out-of-hours working.
- Deliverables – a marked-out site only, a CAD drawing, or a drawing combined with a topographical survey.
- Combined surveys – adding a topographical or CCTV drainage survey on the same visit usually costs less than booking them separately.
How to get an accurate quote quickly
Send us a site plan or marked-up aerial image showing the survey area, with the postcode, what the survey is for and any access restrictions. With that we can work out the time on site and come back with a fixed quote, usually the same or next working day.
- Site address or postcode
- Plan or aerial with the survey area marked
- Purpose: design, excavation, piling, borehole clearance or records
- Any required PAS128 survey type or quality level
- Access notes: working hours, permits, inductions
Where the money is saved
A utility strike can mean injury, a damaged asset, repair bills, programme delay and a reportable incident. Redesigning a scheme because a main was in the wrong place costs far more than surveying it first. A PAS128 survey is a small cost compared with what it prevents.
Need a utility survey? Call 0345 548 5451 or email us with your site plan for a fixed quote.
