Across the sector, more clients and client organisations are recognising its value and are actively seeking out TSA to find out more about what the scheme offers.

Why PUMA matters

Geospatial surveying is one of the essential, but often unseen, disciplines behind and under the built environment.  Raising standards in utility surveying, a specialism within geospatial surveying, has never been more important. High-quality, reliable survey data is essential to prioritise safety, improve efficiency, and ultimately save time and money on infrastructure projects.

This was the driving force behind the creation of PUMA, the PAS128 Utility Mapping Accreditation scheme and feeds directly into the national marketing campaign recently launched by TSA

Developed over ten years by TSA, PUMA represents a significant step forward for our profession. It provides a robust and independent way to assess whether geospatial surveyors can consistently deliver work in line with the PAS128 specification.

Building confidence through accreditation

For accredited TSA members, PUMA offers a clear and credible way to demonstrate compliance with PAS128:2022. Crucially, it also gives clients confidence in both the level of service and the accuracy of the data they receive.

Every PUMA-accredited company has undergone independent audit, ensuring that:

• Survey outputs meet PAS128 requirements
• Working practices are robust and consistent
• Staff are properly trained and demonstrably competent

This means that when clients choose a PUMA-accredited company, they can be assured they are working with a provider fully equipped to deliver reliable, compliant survey data.

Raising the bar for utility surveys

By standardising how PAS128 surveys are delivered, PUMA has raised the bar for the entire construction industry. It establishes a benchmark for quality, giving accredited companies a powerful way to differentiate themselves and prove their capability.

Equally, it simplifies decision-making for clients, who no longer need to rely solely on claims of compliance as they have independent assurance.

PUMA is administered by LRQA, a global leader in assurance, certification, and inspection services, further strengthening the scheme’s credibility and rigour.

A scheme gaining real traction

What’s particularly encouraging is how quickly PUMA is gaining recognition across the sector.

With a number of major infrastructure projects in the pipeline that will require PAS128 surveys, we are seeing a shift in client expectations. Organisations with large contracts are beginning to explicitly request that PUMA accreditation is written into project requirements.

In many cases, they are actively reaching out to TSA to better understand how the accreditation works and how it can support their project delivery.

PUMA is increasingly being recognised as the gold standard for PAS128 surveys.

Looking ahead

The momentum behind PUMA signals a positive change for the industry. For survey companies, this is an opportunity to demonstrate excellence and stand out in a competitive market.

For clients, it is a chance to reduce risk, avoid costly delays, and ensure confidence in the data that underpins their projects.

Find out more about PUMA

If you’re interested in learning more about PUMA accreditation and how it could benefit your organisation or projects, we encourage you to get in touch with TSA.

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Before any construction can take place, an underground survey needs to be carried out so that the whereabouts of any utilities, such as gas, electric and water supply, or drainage services, can be identified. In addition, any other obstructions and potential hazards can also be located and mapped using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) or Electromagnetic Location.

Having an accurate picture of exactly what is under the ground reduces the chances of a service strike which can lead to costly delays and inconvenience at the very least, and danger to life in the worst case scenario.

NUAR: digital mapping of underground infrastructure in England, Wales and Northern Ireland

The importance of improving knowledge about underground infrastructure has been highlighted by the Geospatial Commission, which is currently building a digital map to show the recorded location of underground pipes and cables in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to improve efficiency and safety with regard to installation, maintenance, operation and repair of buried infrastructure. The scheme, named the National Underground Asset Register (NUAR) is scheduled to be fully operational by the end of 2025.

NUAR will provide secure access to data from over 600 public and private sector asset owners, including more than 600 gas, water, electric and telecomms companies and local government bodies. TSA welcomes this initiative which should improve public services and the safety of all those involved in construction projects.

However, it is important to recognise that this digitised record information will still be subject to the same inaccuracy and incompleteness that the paper records it is based on were affected by. It will still be safety critical to carry out utility surveys ahead of excavations and to provide reliable information for project planning and development.

Providing a means of highlighting inaccurate data within the NUAR platform will be an important feedback mechanism which will be able to ensure continuous improvement of the stored utility information.

NUAR recently announced that they are exploring ways of providing accredited utility survey companies access to the platform, with accreditation providing confidence to asset owners that the access they have and the observations they make concerning the location of buried services could be trusted.

PUMA: setting a benchmark and raising standards in underground surveying

Long motivated by the need to improve standards in underground surveys and ensure the highest levels of accuracy, TSA has set up PUMA, which is the first PAS128 Accreditation Scheme for utility surveying companies. The acronym PUMA stands for PAS128 Utility Mapping Accreditation and utility surveying companies that are TSA members can apply for the accreditation. The PUMA scheme is getting recognition at the highest levels.

The scheme, run by LRQA, aims to provide assurance to clients of the high quality of service and high level of accuracy in the data provided by a PUMA accredited company. In this way, accredited members have a means of demonstrating compliance with the PAS128 specification, and provide clients with confidence that the survey company they choose has the appropriate level of competence and employ qualified staff who understand the complexities of PAS128 surveys..

PUMA aims to provide:

• Clarity about different types of utility mapping services
• Consistency in how these services are carried out
• Accountability for the work undertaken

A guidance document and application form for PUMA can be found here. Find out how to become a TSA member here.

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Why is PUMA so important?

PUMA is important to raise the standard of PAS128 surveys in the UK. A properly executed PAS128 survey is more expensive than a standard GPR survey and clients may not be fully aware of the additional costs involved. Currently, anyone with a Level 3 Utility Mapping certificate can profess to be qualified to carry out a PAS128 survey, the result of this is a huge variance in survey deliverables.

By standardising PAS128 surveys, PUMA will raise the bar for the whole market. Any company which has PUMA accreditation will be able to prove to their clients that they have been audited and can carry out the surveys to the specification. That’s why, having seen reference to PUMA on Linkedin, I made enquiries about starting the application process with TSA. For me, gaining PUMA accreditation is about accountability to our clients to show that we are committed to providing the best possible service.

How have you found the process of applying for accreditation?

The guidance document provided by TSA makes it clear on the requirements to pass the accreditation and what the audit stages look. This has been very useful and shows exactly what you need to prioritise. We have found that largely speaking it has really been a question of tweaking our current procedures and processes to ensure compliance.

What would you say to anyone considering starting the PUMA process?

People always tend to be quite resistant to change but I would urge anyone considering it to just do it. Widespread uptake can only make our profession better. I think many companies currently undertaking PAS128 surveys will already have 90% of what they need to gain the PUMA accreditation and those carrying out PAS128 properly will have no issues. There are some costs involved of course, but, as far as I’m concerned, the benefits far outweigh the costs.

Underground utility surveys are a growing market and a key component to so many industries. Tier One companies have been some of the biggest adopters of PAS128 surveys and as word spreads about PUMA I think they will be quick to take it up.  As TSA members, we need to be a united front, and we should be promoting PUMA to our clients and educating them on the benefits that it will bring.

To find out more about PUMA, please go to https://www.tsa-uk.org.uk/puma/.

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Construction projects generally need underground utility surveys or PAS128 surveys to be carried out before any building work can start. As the first step towards delivering a project, a utility surveyor’s specialist skills are required to locate, identify and then map all the utility services which may exist beneath the surface. Most underground utility services, including telecoms, drainage, water, gas, and fibre optics can be detected using the appropriate equipment.

Why are underground utility surveys so important?

Once underground utilities are identified and mapped, their whereabouts may have an impact on the design of the buildings to be constructed above them. Having a precise map of their location at the design stage will help avoid the possibility of needing to make expensive subsequent design changes, re-routing services or rescheduling of works if buried services are found unexpectedly once the construction phase begins. These delays can significantly increase project costs. Crucially, of course, it also improves health and safety performance, mitigating against many possible accidents, not to mention minimising the risk of subsequent legal issues.

How are underground utility surveys carried out?

Professional surveyors use geophysical techniques and cutting-edge survey technology, including electro-magnetic detection, ground penetrating radar (GPR), GNSS and total stations to create a detailed digital map of what is lying beneath the surface.

As part of our pledge here at TSA, to help all our members build a better business and ensure clients choose TSA members for their survey needs, we have created a PAS128 accreditation scheme named PUMA (PAS128 Utility Mapping Accreditation) for utility surveying companies that are TSA members.

Four reasons to secure your PUMA accreditation

1. PUMA provides a benchmark and creates a national standard for best practice
2. PUMA demonstrates continuous professional improvement
3. PUMA gives clients confidence in the quality of survey being provided
4. PUMA can save clients time and costly delays.

Find out more about PUMA here https://www.tsa-uk.org.uk/puma/

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