Published: 26 Aug 2026
PUMA, our PAS128 Utility Mapping Accreditation scheme, is helping clients reduce project risk, improve confidence in underground utility surveys and avoid costly delays. As the national recognised benchmark for PAS128 utility mapping, PUMA provides independent assurance that geospatial survey companies can deliver work to the highest standards.
A number of TSA member companies have now gone through the accreditation process. We talked to Dave Sweeney, Utilities Director at Encompass Geospatial, whose company is one of the most recent to have become accredited. Dave shares his experiences of utility surveys and the process of gaining the accreditation.
I started my geospatial career as a trainee surveyor and then moved to a management role at Heathrow Airport, before starting at Encompass Geospatial. I set up the Utilities Surveys department at Encompass and ten years on we have a 13-strong team and a CCTV team too to assist us further.
Initially our clients were housebuilders, looking to build on greenfield sites. These days we have a very diverse client portfolio, from schools and hospitals to the Ministry of Defence, undertaking topographical and utility surveys. The MoD work in particular has been absolutely fascinating, taking us all over the UK and abroad too. Some of the team have even paid a series of visits to one of their sites on Ascension Island. Carrying out surveys on a volcanic island in the middle of the tropical south Atlantic, watching sea turtles on white sand beaches in the evenings, was an incredible experience, and a bit different from the usual day-to-day!
Why is PUMA accreditation important?
Gaining our PUMA accreditation was a very significant step for us. Having that independent auditing and approval means that clients can have confidence in the high standard of our work – rather than having to take our word for it.
How did your company find the process of becoming PUMA accredited?
In terms of the process of becoming accredited, we found that fairly smooth. It meant we had to look into our existing processes in a great deal of detail and take some time to formalise them and learn exactly what was required by LRQA. Collating all the information was quite time-consuming but it was definitely time well spent. The level of detail that the audit makes you think about has helped us re-evaluate our approach and tightened up our policies and procedures. For the site visit, I was expecting even more detailed questioning from the accreditor, who was very knowledgeable, so that part was actually a lot more straightforward than I anticipated.
What impact will being PUMA accredited have on your business?
I think it will be hugely beneficial and provides us with a real point of differentiation in a very competitive sector. Although we haven’t really started actively marketing it yet, it’s opened some doors for us already with regard to new contracts.
When we talk to clients about PUMA, it is starting to make them question their own procedures and consider making PUMA accreditation a requirement for anyone undertaking utility surveys for them. They are also learning not to go for the lowest cost survey company, but to choose one that they can trust. We are explaining to clients that now they can have absolute confidence that their utility survey has been done properly, that de-risks their project, saving them having to spend more money further down the line on re-surveying or re-designing to compensate for initial poor quality work.
For clients, choosing a PUMA-accredited survey provider means greater confidence in survey quality, reduced project risk and fewer costly surprises during design and construction. Discover how PUMA accreditation can support your next project. To find out more about PUMA, please go to https://www.tsa-uk.org.uk/puma/.
