Requirements for site investigations for piling

(Prepared from material supplied by the Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS, undated).)

In a survey of over 220 projects awarded between July and September 2006, FPS members found the site investigation to be so poor that, in a third of cases, optimum piling or ground improvement solutions could not be provided. Details of the survey can be found at http://www.fps.org.uk/fps/guidance/SISurvey.htm. Key findings include

these deficiencies commonly result in the following.

The means of avoiding these problems lies primarily in the hands of the Client at the outset of the project. Firstly, the Client should engage a suitably qualified and experienced geotechnical specialist as early as possible in the development of the project. This specialist should develop a balanced and comprehensive scheme for ground investigation (which will commonly be in more than one phase). They must ensure that the work is carried out by a competent and experienced specialist contractor, following best practice and guidance relating to site investigation (much of which is freely available on the internet, e.g. www.ags.org.uk). The appointment of these specialists should take full account of the technical quality being offered and not be based on the price alone.