Site Engineering
Setting outheld to ±2 mm.
We deploy robotic-total-station setting out engineers to London and South East England construction sites — pinning piling rigs, kicker frames, MEP risers, structural steel and precast erection points to a working tolerance of two millimetres against the federated BIM model.
What we mean by setting out.
Setting out is the process of physically translating the designer's coordinates onto the ground, the deck, the shutter or the steel — accurately enough that the next trade can build directly to those marks without rework. On a tight London commercial site that means dealing with shifting site logistics, daily crane lifts, dust, noise and a tower-block horizon that obstructs GNSS — so we don't rely on GNSS alone. Every Atlantic Geospatial site engineer works from a rigorous, observed primary control network and verifies it every shift.
Our deliverable is not just a peg on the ground. It is a traceable, documented coordinate held against your federated BIM model, evidenced by a same-day as-built sweep. That means when the structural engineer asks for proof of column position, kicker offset, anchor-bolt centre or steel base plate orientation, you have a stamped report in your hands — not a phone call.
We typically mobilise on RC-frame, post-tensioned, structural steel, concrete-core and basement-box schemes in Greater London, Surrey, Kent and Essex, working to tier-one contractor QA regimes including BAM, Mace, Multiplex, Skanska and Sir Robert McAlpine standards.
Our setting out methodology.
- PHASE 01
Primary control
We establish a rigorous primary control network using Leica GS18 GNSS receivers tied to the OS Net, observed in two independent sessions and adjusted in Leica Infinity. Residuals are typically held below 3 mm horizontal and 5 mm vertical across the site footprint before any setting out begins.
- PHASE 02
Secondary control & TBMs
Secondary stations are pinned in low-traffic zones and bench marks are levelled with a Leica LS15 digital level on invar staffs (closure tolerance 1 mm√k). Every TBM is verified each morning before the first peg goes in.
- PHASE 03
Setting out from BIM
Coordinates are extracted directly from the federated Revit / Civil 3D model via Leica iCON build software, eliminating the manual transcription errors that cause rework. Each pour, kicker, slab edge, anchor bolt and steel base plate is staked to a working tolerance of ±2 mm.
- PHASE 04
As-built verification
Once shutters strike or steel lands, we sweep every critical element with a robotic total station and produce a same-day as-built deviation report colour-coded against the model. This evidences compliance under NHBC, ISO 17123 and most contractor QA regimes.
Calibrated Leica & Trimble instruments.
Every instrument is sent for manufacturer service and ISO 17123 accuracy verification at twelve-month intervals. Calibration certificates are issued with every project mobilisation pack.
Leica TS16 Robotic Total Station
1" angular accuracy, 1 mm + 1.5 ppm EDM, AutoLock prism tracking
Trimble S9 HP
0.5" angular accuracy, MagDrive servos, used on high-rise verticality
Leica GS18 T GNSS
Tilt-compensated RTK, 8 mm + 1 ppm horizontal — control and check shots
Leica LS15 Digital Level
0.2 mm standard deviation per kilometre double run on invar staffs
Where we set out most often.
If your scheme lives outside this list, we'll still talk to you — but these are the sectors we run programmes on every week.
- High-rise residential and commercial cores
- Basement box and underpinning works
- RC frame and post-tensioned slab buildings
- Structural steel and façade installation
- MEP riser zones and plant deck setting out
- Highways, drainage and external works
Setting out FAQs.
- What setting out tolerance can you actually hold on site?
- On a controlled site with stable primary control, our working tolerance for vertical structure (cores, columns, walls) is ±2 mm in plan and ±3 mm in level. Anchor bolts and pre-cast pockets are typically held to ±1 mm. We document every set against the federated BIM model.
- Do you set out from Revit or do you need a 2D drawing?
- Both. We prefer to work from the federated Revit / IFC model so coordinates are pulled directly into Leica iCON or Trimble Field Link, which removes manual transcription errors. If only 2D PDFs are issued we will rebuild a coordinate model and have it signed off by the design team before the first peg goes in.
- Are your engineers CSCS card holders and fully insured?
- Every engineer is CSCS / SMSTS qualified, holds a current first-aid certificate, and works under our £10 m public liability and £5 m professional indemnity cover. We can supply RAMS, ISO 9001 procedures and individual competency packs before mobilisation.
- How quickly can you mobilise to a London site?
- From our South East base we can typically have a setting-out engineer plus instrument on a London site within 24 hours, and within 48 hours anywhere in the M25 / M3 / M2 / M20 corridors. Long-term resident engineers are also available on framework rates.
Related services & locations
Other services
Brief us
Need a setting out engineer
on site this week?
Send the federated model and the programme — we'll come back the same day with a resourced fee and a mobilisation date.