Magnum GSIGround investigation project management
We scope, procure and run intrusive ground investigations on your behalf, so the boreholes go where the design questions are, the contractor is held to the specification, and the data arrives in a form your designers can use.
Why appoint us
An investigation that answers the questions the design is asking
A ground investigation is often the single largest unknown cost before construction. The expensive mistakes are the same every time: holes in the wrong place, tests nobody scheduled, a contractor working to a vague brief, and a factual report that reaches the structural engineer with no interpretation. An independent project manager removes those.
The scope starts from the desk study and the foundation options under consideration, not from a standard rate card. Every exploratory hole has a reason to exist.
We own no drilling rigs and have no ties to any contractor. Tenders are judged on capability, programme and price, and the appointed contractor works to our specification.
Supervision on site means changes in ground conditions are picked up as they are drilled, and the investigation is adjusted that day rather than repeated next month.
What we do
From brief to ground model
You can appoint us for the whole process or for the stages you need. Most clients take the full service, because the stages depend on one another.
Scope and specify
A desk study, or a GeoScreen™ report as a starting point, sets out what the ground is likely to hold. From that, and the proposed structure, we design the exploratory holes, in-situ testing, sampling, monitoring and laboratory schedule, and write the specification to the UK Specification for Ground Investigation and BS 5930:2015+A1:2020. Contamination scope follows BS 10175 where it applies.
Procure
Tender documents, a contractor shortlist suited to the site and access, tender review and a recommendation with the reasons set out. Where you have a framework or a preferred contractor, we work within it.
Manage on site
Our geoscientists supervise the fieldwork, log to BS EN ISO 14688 and 14689, confirm the target horizons are reached, and redesign on the spot when the ground differs from what was expected. Field data is captured digitally and shared as the work proceeds.
Monitoring and testing
Groundwater and ground gas installations, monitoring rounds, and a laboratory testing schedule matched to the design parameters actually needed, rather than a default suite.
Close out
The contractor's factual report is checked against the specification before it is accepted, and AGS 4.1 data is delivered for your design team. We then prepare the interpretive report and ground model, with the geotechnical and geo-environmental parameters the design needs.
Safety, cost and programme
Risk assessments and method statements reviewed, utility clearance and permits in place, and CDM 2015 duties understood before anyone arrives on site. We track the investigation against budget and programme and tell you early when either moves.
How it works
Four stages, one point of contact
- Brief. A short call about the site, the proposed development and what you already have. If there is no desk study yet, a GeoScreen™ Tier 1 report is a good place to start.
- Scope and tender. We design the investigation, issue it to contractors and return with a recommendation, usually within three to four weeks of the brief.
- Fieldwork. Supervised on site, with daily progress and any changes agreed with you as they arise.
- Reporting. Factual report checked, AGS data issued, interpretive report and ground model delivered.
Fees. Scoping and tender management is usually a fixed fee. Site supervision is charged by the day, with the number of days agreed before fieldwork starts. The contractor's costs are separate and are paid on the tendered rates.
Who it is for
Projects without an in-house geotechnical team
Developers, architects, quantity surveyors and contractors who need an investigation run properly but do not want to manage a drilling contractor themselves. Asset owners and infrastructure teams who want independent oversight of an investigation on their network. Solicitors and funders who need the ground risk on a site closed out before a transaction completes.
We work across England, Wales and Scotland, from single residential plots to industrial and infrastructure sites.
Section 11 of a Tier 1 report sets out the key investigation targets. We can turn those into a scoped investigation and run it, so the hazards the report rated are the ones the boreholes test.
See a sample report →Standards
What the work is specified and carried out to
UK Specification for Ground Investigation (3rd edition, 2022); BS 5930:2015+A1:2020 Code of practice for ground investigations; BS EN 1997-2 Eurocode 7, Ground investigation and testing; BS 10175:2011+A2:2017 Investigation of potentially contaminated sites; BS EN ISO 14688 and 14689 for soil and rock description; AGS 4.1 for data transfer; and the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. All work is carried out under our ISO 9001 certified quality management system.
Planning a ground investigation?
Tell us about the site and what you need to build. We will suggest a scope and a budget before you commit to anything.