And the survey says...

摘要

Something my uncle always drilled into me from an early age was: 'If you get it right first time, you'll get it right sooner.' Over time I have come to realise that getting it right in one area can also reap benefits across other areas that depend upon the integrity of the first. In a practical, construction sense there is no better example than the foundations to a structure; get them wrong and the whole building may suffer as a result. The foundation of any design (the part upon which all decisions are based) is the building and site survey. Indeed, in the spirit of the 'train hard, fight easy' approach to lowering barriers, I am a great advocate of the motto: 'Survey accurately, design with certainty.' But how can you be sure that your survey is accurate and, moreover, how do you want to receive the survey data so that you can make the best use of it? From experience on a recent project, I outline below some 'must-have' requirements for any survey tender document. Many may seem obvious, but often it is the obvious things that are overlooked in the search for complex answers to simple problems.