Effective Procurement of Ground Investigations

9th Apr 2025 11:00
Duration: 2hr

The AGS are hosting a webinar this spring entitled, Effective Procurement of Ground Investigations. Chaired by Julian Lovell, (Managing Director of Equipe Group), this virtual event will take place on Wednesday 9th April 2025 between 11:00-13:00, and will be free to attend for Members of the Association of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Specialists.

WEBINAR SYNOPSIS

In 2025 ICE Publishing will publish what will be a key reference document for the industry. Authored by the AGS in collaboration with the BGA and BDA,  Effective Procurement of Ground Investigations is a client’s best practice guide to procuring good quality ground investigations to ensure that ground related and other risks are suitably and sufficiently assessed and that the required data is obtained to meet the project objectives.

This webinar will highlight that procurement of any size or type of investigation should follow a structured process, looking at:

  • Planning
  • Risk assessment
  • Choosing a suitable procurement approach
  • Adopting fair and appropriate conditions of contract
  • Development of a clear and concise specification

This webinar will also highlight key messages for clients including the importance of:

  • Adequate ground investigations
  • Creating the right team
  • Fair allocation of risk
  • Early contractor involvement
  • Collaboration and flexibility

Clients often underestimate the potential cost of not assessing and managing ground related risks and that inadequate or poor ground investigations can result in serious delays and additional costs to projects. This guide is aimed at clients but will also be a useful tool for ground practitioners when promoting best practice. The guidance explains that clients who fairly allocate risks, obtain a more value for money ground investigation, and the webinar will demonstrate the value of adequate and timely ground investigation in the reduction of risk for the project and client.

 

N.B. Please note that while our webinar speakers are experts in their fields, they are not professional presenters by trade. As a result, they may not always exhibit the speaking confidence of professional presenters, and their slides might not be as refined.

 

TICKETS

The webinar is free to attend for Members and £50 (ex VAT) for Non-Members.

N.B. in order to obtain the AGS Member rate, please add the delegate place to your basket, select ‘proceed to checkout’, enter delegate details and under ‘billing details’, select your company from the AGS member company dropdown list. The rate at the end of the checkout page will then update to the AGS member rate.

 

PRESENTATIONS

Planning

Matthew Baldwin, Independent Consultant

This chapter highlights how important careful and robust planning is, in the whole procurement process. The construction of a competent team to scope, undertake and report on the results of a ground investigation is explained, with all of the key roles and responsibilities in this team identified including that of the ground investigation adviser.

The recognition and relevance of the three main elements of procurement, cost, time and quality, in relation to the ground investigation process is also given prominence, since together with risk, these three items provide the foundations for adequate planning.

Identifying and Managing Risk

Dr Phil Smith, Associate Director, Geotechnical Consulting Group

Risk, or the perception of risk is often a key consideration for a client when considering any site for construction and by extension ground investigation. This section examines the numerous and varied sources of risk for any ground investigation, and highlights that these can come from the ground itself (soil and rock), ground water, mining and natural cavities and from unexpected sources such as existing structures, archaeology and unexploded ordnance etc.

Procurement Approaches 

Simon Baxter, Business Development & Marketing Manager, Soil Engineering Geoservices

This section explains the most common procurement approaches, public, private and framework and the processes that are involved with each approach and how each differs. Seven key steps in procurement are identified and the importance of Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) is highlighted as key to a successful investigation. The identification and embedding of deliverable sustainability at an early stage is addressed as a critical opportunity.

 

Establishing Effective Contracts

Neil Parry, Director, Geotechnical Engineering

For many ground investigation specialists the conditions of contract is often the most scrutinised document in the procurement process. Neil will present on how a well written, properly constructed and ‘transparent’ contract, is beneficial to all the parties involved with a ground investigation, and this section examines how this can be achieved. He will also signposts the most appropriate forms of contract  for ground investigations. The NEC suite of contracts and ICC contract for ground investigation will also be discussed.

Effective Specifications 

Adam Latimer, Director, Ian Farmer Associates

This presentation will highlight the importance of specifications and how they should always be developed for a ground investigation. In order to promote best practice, the UK Specification for ground investigation is championed as the best method of achieving a suitable and sufficient ground investigation. This section explains the typical specification coverage and the importance of collaboration, transparency and providing sufficient detail to allow the ground investigation specialists to establish appropriate costs.

 

SPONSORSHIP

We have both Headline and Associate Sponsorship packages available for AGS Members and Non-Member companies who wish to have a presence during the live webinar and recording. Prices start from just £150 for AGS Members. For package details please click HERE or email Caroline Kratz on ags@ags.org.uk.

 

Speakers

Julian Lovell (Webinar Chair)
Managing Director, Equipe Group and Past Chair of AGS

Julian is Managing Director of the Equipe Group who are the UKs leading vocational training and assessment provider. He is an Engineering Geologist with 35 years in the ground investigation sector and sits on the AGS Executive and Safety committees, the BDA Training and Education committee, the Ground Forum Undergraduate Mentoring Programme and has recently been appointed as Chair of B/526/7/2 responsible for reviewing the BS/EN/ISO standards linked with ground investigation.

 

He is a Past Chair of AGS and was Lead Author with Matthew Baldwin for both the UK Specification for ground investigation and Effective procurement of ground investigations and has been involved with writing industry safety and technical guidance for nearly 20 years.

Matthew Baldwin
Independent Consultant

Matthew is an independent consultant who has worked in the ground investigation sector for 40 years. Until 2019 he was technical director for Soil Engineering and was instrumental in developing training schemes for engineering geologists.A past chair of the AGS, Matthew has spent the last 10 years helping to write & update various British and international standards.

Dr Phil Smith
Associate Director, Geotechnical Consulting Group

Dr Smith is a geotechnical engineer with nearly 30 years of experience, including in research as well as practical industry applications. He has particular experience and expertise in site investigation, including for geotechnical and geoenvironmental aspects. Dr Smith is also experienced in dealing with issues related to basement and subsurface construction and the effects this can have on existing structures.

Simon Baxter
Business Development & Marketing Manager at Soil Engineering Geoservices

With a career spanning over twenty years in the geotechnical sector, Simon has secured and delivered works as Site Agent, Estimator, Project Manager and latterly as Business Development lead at Soil Engineering.  Having taken part in thousands of procurement processes he brings a contractor’s perspective to the table in looking at how the sector can systematically procure better.

Neil Parry
Director, Geotechnical Engineering

Neil is a past Chair of both Ground Forum and the AGS. He is a Chartered Civil Engineer and registered SiLC with over 35 years of experience, working for consultants and contractors in the UK and overseas.  He has contributed to guidance for the AGS and for NEC on using contracts.

Adam Latimer
Operations Director, Ian Farmer Associates (1998)

Adam has worked in the Ground Investigation industry for just over 30 years. He is currently employed as a SHEQ / Operations Director for Ian Farmer Associates (1998) Limited.

He is an active member of the AGS Executive Committee, the AGS membership panel, AGS magazine editorial board, AGS Safety Working Group and also the AGS representative on the BGA committee.

Price: £50.00
AGS Member: Free
all prices exclude VAT

Price: £50.00
AGS Member: Free
all prices exclude VAT