Kier Infrastructure - Archaeological trial trenching
BIP SOLUTIONS LIMITEDEstimated Value
£5,000,000 – £10,000,000
Deadline
20 April 2026
Published
16 April 2026
Type
works
Overview
Kier Infrastructure is seeking to establish a dedicated supply chain to deliver a programme of both non intrusive and intrusive surveys in support of the design development and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) requirements for one of our contracts. The trial trenching evaluation scope is currently being developed and will comprise between 2500 and 3000 50m long x 1.8m wide x 0.5m-1m deep trenches.
A standard size of trenching has been selected to better target, evaluate and characterise possible or probable archaeological features, avoid constraints and ensure appropriate coverage. Bespoke trench lengths have been placed for certain features and to avoid constraint; the scope of these trenches comprises approximately 10 20m trenches and between 50 and 100 30m trenches.
The Scope will also include an Archaeological watching brief. The archaeological monitoring will be carried out by a suitably qualified Subcontract, with any exposed archaeological remains excavated and recorded.
Additional details
The archaeological investigations will also be carried out in accordance with the relevant guidance. Note there is no additional scope information at this time.
AI Analysis
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Kier Infrastructure needs an archaeological contractor to dig trial trenches across a large area and monitor the work for any important historical finds. This is part of their design and environmental assessment work for a major project. The contractor will need to excavate thousands of trenches of standard sizes, plus some custom-sized ones, and have qualified archaeologists on-site to record and handle anything they find.
Requirements
- Archaeological watching brief team — must be suitably qualified (specific qualifications not yet detailed in this notice)
- Ability to excavate trenches to specification: 2,500–3,000 standard trenches (50m long × 1.8m wide × 0.5m–1m deep)
- Ability to dig approximately 10 custom trenches of 20m length
- Ability to dig between 50–100 custom trenches of 30m length
- Compliance with relevant archaeological guidance and standards
- Capacity to record and handle any archaeological remains discovered during excavation
- Full scope of requirements and specific qualifications to be confirmed in detailed tender documents
Key Tasks & Deliverables
- Excavate 2,500–3,000 trial trenches, each 50 metres long, 1.8 metres wide, and 0.5–1 metre deep
- Excavate approximately 10 bespoke trenches of 20 metres length (to target specific features or avoid constraints)
- Excavate between 50–100 bespoke trenches of 30 metres length
- Provide qualified archaeological watching brief team on-site during all excavation work
- Identify, excavate, record, and document any archaeological remains or features discovered
- Ensure all work complies with relevant archaeological guidance and standards
- Provide monitoring reports and archaeological records as findings are uncovered
How to Read This Tender
- 1This is a supply chain establishment notice, not yet a full tender — Kier is building a list of capable contractors before releasing detailed specifications. The scope section says 'currently being developed,' so full details, timescales, locations, and exact standards will come later in the formal tender documents.
- 2'Trial trenching' means exploratory digging to find out what's underground before the main project starts — it's not the final construction work itself. Understand the difference between non-intrusive surveys (desk-based or ground scans) and intrusive surveys (actual digging).
- 3The 'archaeological watching brief' is critical: you'll need a qualified archaeologist on-site at all times. If you're a groundworks contractor without archaeology expertise, you'll likely need to subcontract the archaeological element to a specialist firm.
- 4Note the trench quantities carefully — 2,500–3,000 standard trenches is a massive volume of excavation. This requires significant plant, labour, and scheduling. The bespoke trenches (10 × 20m and 50–100 × 30m) suggest the site has constraints (utilities, buildings, features) you'll need to work around.
- 5This is an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) support contract, which means it's linked to formal environmental and planning procedures. Expect strict compliance requirements, detailed record-keeping, and possible environmental and heritage regulations.
Tips for Small Businesses
- If you're a small excavation or groundworks business, this is a subcontracting opportunity — Kier will want to see that you can deliver the physical digging work and manage logistics. Partner with an established archaeological consultancy (if you don't have one in-house) to handle the watching brief and specialist recording. This reduces your risk and makes your bid more competitive.
- Kier is building a 'dedicated supply chain,' which suggests they may award multiple contractors or a framework. Express your willingness to work on a call-off basis (work as needed over time) rather than waiting for one large lump-sum contract. Small businesses can win by being flexible, reliable, and local to the project area.
- Costs will be driven by trench volume, labour, and equipment hire/availability. Before bidding, understand your excavation rates per linear metre, your plant costs, and your ability to deploy archaeologists or subcontract them. The scale (2,500+ trenches) means economies of scale matter — if you're small, consider a joint venture with another contractor or a local plant hire firm to keep costs competitive.
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BIP SOLUTIONS LIMITEDKey Dates
Published
16 April 2026
Submission deadline
20 April 2026
Notice type
Contract
Source
contracts finder
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