Terms and Conditions.

  • Quotations remain valid for 30 days.

  • All prices supplied exclude VAT.

  • Provision of Services is subject to the availability of personnel and equipment at the time of appointment.  Indications of Lead-in time given at quotation stage are a guide and subject to change.

  • The client is responsible for all applications, permits, permissions and procedures to access and work on the site.  All areas of a site must be accessible for the duration of the survey.

  • The client shall ensure that the site is safe and must comply with all statutory requirements as regards health and safety at work and any other relevant rules and regulations.  We reserve the right to refuse to work if conditions are deemed unsafe.

  • All Landowners/tenants affected by the survey works must be contacted by the client prior to the survey being undertaken.

  • Any site inductions, training, access procedures or other requirements likely to cause more than one hour’s delay must be made clear at the time of quotation.

  • We reserve the right to defer, delay or reschedule surveys due to circumstances outside of our control.

  • Cancellation of agreed work requires 48 hour’s notice.

  • Abortive rates may be charged to compensate for any delays and/or cancellations to agreed work which are outside of our control.  These rates will be £400.00/day or £50.00/hr exc. VAT.

  • Any additional work, detail or survey area requested by the client after the time of quotation may be subject to the above rates.  Likewise, any post-survey checks, amendments and revisions deemed unreasonable will be chargeable.

  • Any work carried out which the client considers to contain errors, or fails to meet the standards requested in the project specification shall be returned to us within 60 days of receipt for correction at our own expense.  If, following our checks, the work is found to be correct and to a sufficient standard any costs will be chargeable to the client.

  • Any additional expenses incurred at the request of the client, not detailed at the time of quotation, will be charged at cost plus 15%.

  • We reserve the right to sub-contract our services to a responsible and experienced sub-contractor.

  • Payment for the works is due upon issue of the invoice, unless otherwise agreed.

  • We reserve the right to issue samples or .pdf only data for the client’s approval, and/or withhold CAD drawings until payment has been received in full.

  • The copyright of all survey files remains the property of Coombs Land Surveys Ltd until payment has been received in full.  If payment is disputed or overdue the survey files may not be used by any party until settled.

Survey Specifications.

This details our standard methodology, level of detail and limitations for our core surveys.  Any specification received from our client, prior to quotation, will augment or override this specification.  Specifications received after a project has been quoted will be considered and accommodated if possible, however additional fees may apply.

Access:  All site access permissions, keys, lock codes etc must be arranged by the client in advance, and charges may be made for abortive visits.  Any areas or features that we are unable to see or physically access will typically be excluded from the survey.  If the site contains vegetation dense enough to hinder access this should be cleared prior to us attending site.  Any rubbish, materials, stock, vehicles etc. which may hinder the survey must be cleared before site work commences. Failure to do so may result in missing data, and the above listed obstructions will be outlined and annotated on the final survey drawings.

Delivery:  All survey files will be delivered electronically via email and/or a file transfer service.  Any requirement for paper copies must be specified at the quotation stage.

Topographical Surveys

Standard Survey Details:

  • Survey in 3D and 2D .dwg formats, plus .pdfs typically A1 or A0 at 1:200, depending on site size and level of detail.

  • 10m grid of levels in open areas, plus levels at all changes of gradient and/or surface material.  String lines for representation of all linear features.

  • Survey to Ordnance Survey OSTN15 coordinates and level using the active GNSS Network.

  • Survey control stations will consist of survey nails in hard surfaces (permanent), and nails in wooden pegs for soft surfaces (temporary).  These will be marked and numbered with permanent spray paint.  At least 3x stations considered permanent and stable to be left at every site for use during future surveys/setting out, where site conditions allow.

  • Contours will be shown, typically at 1m major and 0.5m minor intervals, subject to the nature of the terrain.

  • Boundary types, materials and heights.  Wall thicknesses shown, plus top of wall and level to rear if retaining material.

  • Mature, isolated trees with trunk diameters in excess of 200mm at 1m above ground.  Trunk diameter and approximate canopy spread shown to scale.

  • Areas of woodland, groups of small trees and areas of dense vegetation will be surveyed in outline only with a descriptive annotation.

  • Finished floor levels will be surveyed and recorded at entrances to buildings.

  • Ridge and eave heights for buildings on site and immediately adjacent to the site will be surveyed providing they are visible and unobstructed.

  • Overhead cables and lines will be included within the survey.  If multiple lines are present the lowest level line will be surveyed.

  • All street furniture will be included within the survey detail.

  • Full Risk and Method Statement will be presented prior to commencement of works on site. This is subject to guidance from the client on site specific hazards.

  • Any livestock to be penned or removed from site during the survey.

  • Invert levels and other manhole information must be specified by the client and may incur an additional cost.

  • Road markings must be specified by the client and may incur an additional cost.

    Underground Utility Surveys, Drainage and CCTV Surveys

    Standard Survey Details:

  • A comprehensive, up to date (less than 3 months old) utility records search should always be carried out and received by us prior to the site survey commencing. 

  • Survey in 2D .dwg format, plus .pdfs typically A1 or A0 at 1:200, depending on site size and level of detail.

  • Services to be located using a combination of Electromagnetic Location (EML), Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and physical verification i.e. lifting of service covers.

  • Located services will be marked out on site using permanent or temporary spray paint (colour coded).  If the use of paint is prohibited or sensitive on a site, it is the responsibility of the client to specify this prior to quotation.

  • Marked locations will be accurately surveyed using Total Station or GNSS and overlaid on an existing topographical survey, either carried out by CLS or to be provided by the client in .dwg format.

  • Depths readings to be taken and annotated on drawings.

  • Surveys will typically show main lines only, not individual property feeds.

  • Drainage lines will be assumed to be straight and direct between manholes.  Gully connections will only be shown if specifically requested.

  • Drainage lines will be classified, wherever possible, as either surface water (SW), foul water (FW) or combined water (CW).  Note that on sites where drainage is not in use classification may be unclear or not possible.

  • Drainage information will be verified at manholes, where recorded information will comprise of the invert level, diameter and direction of each pipe.  Connections will be proven wherever possible using a combination of dye tracing, echo sounding techniques, sonde and CCTV camera techniques.

  • Obstructions such as cars parked on manholes, stuck manholes and buried manholes which are beyond our control will be annotated as such on the drawing.

  • While our staff hold Confined Space training, no confined space entry will take place without prior agreement, risk assessment and the necessary equipment in place.

  • Safety barriers to be used around open service covers.

  • No Utility Survey can claim to accurately locate all services with 100% confidence, and the possibility of unlocated services will always remain.  Factors such as ground conditions, subsurface materials, pipe materials and depths can cause some services to go undetected.

  • CCTV Surveys will include the production of a Wincan condition report.  Video files will also be provided.

  • CCTV Surveys will investigate main lines only.  Laterals, gully spurs etc must be requested by the client prior to quotation.

  • Blocked, flooded and severely damaged lines will usually be terminated, classified as “survey abandoned” and if possible attempted from the opposite direction.  The provision of a Jet/Vac Tanker for removing blockages is always recommended in order to ensure that the survey gathers as much information as possible.  This can be included within our quotation but is at the client’s discretion.

     

    Setting Out

  • The client’s design drawings are to be provided in .dwg format, correctly aligned with site grid and level, prior to our attendance on site.  Suitable time must be allowed for these to be checked.

  • The client is to specify the details to be set out, and materials used, prior to our attendance on site.

  • Coordinates are to be provided by the client whenever possible or can be derived by us at additional cost.

  • Survey control stations are assumed to exist on site, and to be based on the same site grid and level as the designs.

  • Travelling time to and from site will be chargeable at the agreed setting out rate.

  • Our Engineer will complete a daily log sheet of all work carried out, including start and finish times, which must be approved and signed off by the client’s site representative at the end of each shift.ntil settled.