Utilities

Quantity surveying and claims support for utility installations, diversions, connections and associated civil works.

Commercial challenges and how we approach them

Utility work includes both the installed asset and the construction needed to reach, protect and connect it. A package may cover excavation, temporary support, installation, testing and reinstatement, with existing services affecting the sequence. Diversions and new connections need to be distinguished from works carried out by the asset owner or other contractors. Shared infrastructure for phased developments can be tracked separately from plot-specific connections, with a clear allocation of common costs.

Existing services differ from the records

The Challenge

The service shown on the drawing may be at a different depth, or there may be another service that is not shown at all.

Our approach

We retain the tender information and survey assumptions, then record the discovery and instructed response by location. Additional investigation, revised permanent work and temporary protection are assessed separately. That makes the change understandable without assuming that every unrecorded asset automatically entitles the contractor to extra payment.

Asset-owner work outside the civil package

The Challenge

A civils contractor may provide trenches and chambers while the network owner controls final connections or specialist installations. Unclear boundaries can leave attendances, backfilling or return visits unpriced.

Our approach

We compare the asset owner's order with the civils scope and allocate the connection attendances explicitly, including any return to backfill or reinstate.

Permits and reinstatement changing the work

The Challenge

Two streets can have the same installed utility length but different working hours, traffic measures and reinstatement requirements. A revised permit can change those costs without adding a metre to the network.

Our approach

We identify the conditions included in the rates and record later changes. Valuations distinguish installation quantities, temporary traffic measures and additional reinstatement rather than applying one unexplained route uplift.

Shared trenches on phased developments

The Challenge

Several utilities may use a common corridor but arrive at different times. Reopening trenches, protecting completed services and allocating shared excavation can create duplication or disagreement between packages.

Our approach

We agree how shared excavation and attendances are allocated before the utilities arrive. If the sequence changes, installation and release records help explain why a trench was reopened or an extra visit became necessary. We reconcile the packages together so a common cost does not appear in several accounts.