SiteTwin
Subsurface Utility Engineering

Utility Data Your Engineer Can Actually Design To.

Design teams do not need paint on the ground. They need utility information at a defined quality level, documented well enough to carry into a set of drawings and stand behind. That is what subsurface utility engineering support is for.

Send the Address & Scope Call 512-968-5660
Engineer and field technician reviewing site plans together on a Texas project
Quality Levels, Not GuessesDesignating and test holes, documented by level
QL-BDesignating with EM and GPR
QL-ATest holes for measured depth
DocumentedDelivered as a usable record
Same-day or next-day mobilization
PDF maps & KMZ deliverables included
Private utility locating beyond 811 coverage
The Framework

Four quality levels, from record research to exposed pipe.

Subsurface utility engineering grades utility information by how it was obtained. The ASCE standard defines four quality levels, and the difference between them is the difference between a line drawn from an old drawing and a pipe somebody actually put a tape on.

Most conflicts on a project come from treating low-quality information as if it were high-quality information. Naming the level makes the risk visible before it becomes a change order.

  • QL-D: information taken from existing records and drawings
  • QL-C: QL-D plus surveyed visible surface features such as manholes and valves
  • QL-B: utilities designated in the field with EM and GPR, horizontal position marked
  • QL-A: utility physically exposed by vacuum excavation, depth and material measured

Our locating work produces QL-B. Our vacuum excavation produces QL-A.

Utility locating technician recording field data on a tablet
Who This Is For

Built for the Design Side of the Project

Contractors need to know where not to dig. Engineers need something they can put in a drawing set.

Civil Engineering Firms

Utility conflict analysis during design, so redesign happens on paper instead of in the field.

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Surveyors

Designated utility positions collected in the field to pair with your topographic and boundary work.

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Owners and Program Managers

A documented utility picture before bid, which cuts the unknowns contractors have to price as risk.

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Design Phase

Every conflict found in design is a change order avoided.

Utility investigation before drawings are finalized is the cheapest point in a project to find a problem.

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How It Runs

Working Up the Quality Levels

Each level builds on the one before it. You do not have to buy all four.

1

Records Research

We start from available utility records, as-builts, and one-call information to build the baseline picture and identify what is missing.

2

Surface Feature Survey

Visible appurtenances such as manholes, valve boxes, meters, and pedestals are located and correlated to the records.

3

Field Designating

EM and GPR passes trace and mark utility positions horizontally across the study area, which is where most of the record errors surface.

4

Test Holes Where It Matters

At crossings and design conflict points, vacuum excavation exposes the line so depth and material are measured rather than assumed.

EM+GPR
Dual-method locating on every scope
PDF/KMZ
Maps & GPS data included
5 Metros
Austin, Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth, San Antonio
5.0★
Average Google review rating
Common Questions

SUE Questions

Is SUE the same thing as utility locating?
Locating is part of it. Subsurface utility engineering is a broader framework that also covers records research, surface feature correlation, test holes, and documenting the quality level of every bit of utility information delivered.
What quality level do I need?
It depends on the decision the information supports. Preliminary routing often works at QL-C or QL-D. Final design near existing utilities usually needs QL-B, and crossings where clearance is tight usually need QL-A.
What is the practical difference between QL-B and QL-A?
QL-B tells you where a line is horizontally, established by field designating. QL-A tells you how deep it is and what it is made of, established by exposing it with vacuum excavation.
Does a professional engineer seal the deliverable?
Sealing requirements vary by project and by what the deliverable is being used for. Tell us what your project requires up front so we can confirm what we can provide before you rely on it.
Can you work from our existing as-builts?
Yes, and it helps. Existing records give us a starting hypothesis to confirm or correct in the field. They are rarely complete, which is exactly why field designating matters.
Do you cover this outside the five main metros?
Our published service areas are Austin, Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth, and San Antonio, and we mobilize elsewhere in Texas for project work. Send the location and scope and we will tell you what we can commit to.

Designing near existing utilities?

Send the site and the design phase. We will tell you which quality level actually fits the decision.

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Get in Touch

Ready to scope a SUE investigation?

Send the project location, the design phase, and the quality level your scope calls for. We will come back with an approach and what each level would cost you.

512-968-5660
Austin, TX & statewide Texas coverage
QL-B designating and QL-A test holes
Deliverables built for design teams
Austin Dallas Houston Fort Worth San Antonio