Project pathway
The quickest route to the right decision.
Ordnance checks for public construction projects
For public construction projects, documents come from different parties, such as property management, the responsible municipal department and external planners. FONTANA-EOD compares the planned ground interventions with existing ordnance findings. Outstanding survey questions are identified and coordinated with the design and the evidence required.
Bring documents and plan versions together.
Assign assessment tasks and responsibilities.
Pass results to those carrying out the work.
Context
Comparing planned ground interventions with existing reports
For a public construction project, survey needs are derived from the planned ground interventions and existing ordnance documents. This also includes early investigations, connections and working spaces outside the future building. FONTANA-EOD agrees with the client and planners which questions must be clarified before the next ground intervention.
Investigation task
Check existing findings against new interventions
Define the planned work in the ground
Whether an administrative building, cultural centre or municipal extension, the project name does not explain which ground will be affected. Preparation therefore also includes ground investigations, site setup, utility diversions and subsequent external works. Early investigation boreholes are also recorded by position and depth and checked for outstanding survey needs.
Selecting suitable surveys for the groundworks
Apply existing conclusions to the appropriate areas
The first task is to compare existing information and reports with the current plan. Where are conclusions already available, what do they relate to and which questions remain open? An earlier report may remain useful without automatically covering all new building and civil engineering work.
Comparing existing results with the current planProject types
Buildings, investigation and external works
New construction on municipal land
A building design initially shows the future structure. Ordnance checks also require the excavation boundary, shoring, working spaces, foundations and initial ground investigations. At the outset, a clear definition of the design status is sufficient; parts not yet fixed remain outstanding. An early survey can thus be prepared without implying that construction has already been fully planned. As the design develops, a check establishes whether the volumes of ground affected change.
Have new-build plans and working spaces assessedExtension to an existing building
For an extension, new foundations and utilities meet existing structures. An older report is particularly helpful when its plan appendices identify the survey boundaries at the time. Existing plans and the current design are compared: where did the former excavation end, which depth was considered and where are additional working spaces created? Even a small connection to an existing building may pose a separate survey question. Previous uses are described but not treated as survey results.
Comparing earlier evidence with the extensionExternal works commissioned separately
Landscaping, drainage and utilities are often handled by other planners or procured later. Their ground interventions should nevertheless appear on the shared overview plan. Otherwise, a building report may be misunderstood when swales, lighting foundations or utilities are constructed later. Handover must therefore record which tasks are already included and which become specific only with the landscape plan. The survey scope thus remains traceable even with different contractors.
Clearly handing over individual commissions and the scope of evidencePrepare the decision
Prepare the next work step technically
Early planning
If the position or depth of individual components remains open, the existing evidence is assessed first. Early coordination should support further planning, rather than replace an undefined overall commission. Besides the future building, defining the scope requires consideration of foundations, utility connections, construction access and early work where they involve ground interventions. For an extension, it remains clear which existing parts stay in use and where work areas or access change. This information allows existing information to be assigned to the works actually planned. A report for an earlier excavation is therefore not applied to a new alignment merely because the address is the same. If final depths or dimensions are still missing, the outstanding planning decisions are identified. Further planning can then specifically provide the information on which survey scope and reliable limitations depend.
Procurement is being prepared
For procurement, the technical task, available plan appendices, access and expected report are described. The procurement body needs an agreed technical basis and a clear distinction between specialist services and preparatory work. To define the technical scope, the questions to be answered are assigned to individual survey areas. An area-based commission, individual survey positions and supervision of a particular ground intervention have different boundaries and handovers. Responsibility for organising necessary preparatory work and the prerequisites actually needed on site are also clarified. Uncertainties about existing conditions or access are recorded as outstanding issues. Specialist contractors' questions can then be addressed on a factual basis and quotations related to the same project status. If that status changes before execution, affected parts of the service are agreed again. Before further use, the scope described in the older quotation and the current construction task with its plan appendices are technically compared.
Execution is approaching
Before the next ground intervention, the construction plan and survey report are brought together. New utilities, changed excavations or additional work areas are compared separately before site management schedules work on them. This comparison also covers temporary installations, additional connections and relocated site setup. What matters is whether the change lies within the area actually surveyed and assessed, and whether the stated depth reference still applies. A relocated excavation may therefore require a new technical assessment even if the construction objective remains unchanged. The client and site management record who submits such a change for review and how the response reaches the construction companies. Work not yet assessed remains identified accordingly on the plan. The decision on the next work step thus relates to available results and their limitations rather than merely a general note in the project file.
Project-specific tasks
Coordinating documents and tasks among those involved
01
The client and municipal departments
Identify a body that brings together the current documents. Property records, user requirements and technical planning should refer to the same construction area. A contact can coordinate information; this does not remove the legal or contractual responsibilities of other parties.
02
Specialist planning and investigation
Building design, structural engineering, civil engineering and ground investigation identify different positions of ground intervention. Draw these together with working spaces and intended depths. This shows whether an early borehole, shoring or early utility installation lies outside the area initially considered.
03
Construction stages and intermediate conditions
One stage may be accessible while use or demolition continues beside it. Surveys, obstructions and outstanding areas are recorded for each stage. Clearance for the next work step must not be inferred solely from completion of an adjoining stage.
04
Handover to construction
The construction companies need more than a result heading. The work assignment includes associated plans, surveyed areas, limitations and agreed reporting routes. If a plan changes, it must remain clear whether the existing survey still describes the new ground intervention.
Project documents
These documents connect the instruction and result
A shared spatial reference
Property records, the design and geotechnical planning should unambiguously identify the same site. For multiple properties or building sections, an overview assigning the relevant detailed plan helps. A shared postal address does not replace this spatial assignment. At a site with several buildings, the overview plan, detailed plans and report appendices are connected through shared identifiers. Affected foundations or utility sections can then be located again after an organisational handover. If documents use different plot references or former building names, their relationship is clearly explained. Coordinates used need an identifiable spatial reference; similar-looking plan extracts used together are insufficient for spatial comparison. Unresolved differences are identified before results are transferred. This is particularly useful for property subdivisions, extensions and shared access routes, where one property file may contain several technically separate survey areas.
Plan version at commissioning
The plan appendices used are filed with the commission, including their dates or revision status. Later additions remain distinguishable. This makes it traceable whether a conclusion already concerns the new foundation or still relates to the earlier design. Changes to excavations, foundations or utility alignments are described with the area affected. The specialist contractor can then check which conclusions remain applicable and where additional assessment is necessary. A changed elevation reference is also reported if it affects assessment of the planned ground interventions. The original survey and a later addition remain separately traceable in the project file. This includes the question underlying the addition, the new plan appendix used and the associated results. Whoever passes documents on therefore identifies the current version and includes necessary limitations. A new drawing number alone does not replace technical assignment.
Handover for maintenance
For later repairs, the actual survey areas, depth references and limitations must be retained. The body responsible for the building or property therefore receives the report and associated plans together. An abbreviated completion note alone is insufficient. For a later alteration, the first check establishes which original task the existing report answered. A survey before the original new build may concern different areas or depths of ground intervention from a later utility or additional building part. Unsurveyed areas therefore also remain visible in the appendices. Documents are filed so that area boundaries, measurement or survey results and assessment can be found together. Building operations and future planners thus receive a usable starting point for new questions. Whether it is sufficient for the specific later ground intervention is decided according to the actual task. The report's conclusions remain tied to the documented task, area, depth and recorded limitations.
Construction phases
Keep construction phases and changes traceable
Bringing ground investigations forward
An early drilling date may precede procurement of the main construction works. For technical coordination, borehole positions are described with the intended method, depth and spatial reference. The future building footprint is not a substitute. If positions can still move, record how changes will be reported before equipment is positioned. Results for the surveyed positions are subsequently filed as point-specific documents and are not extended into conclusions about the entire construction area.
Design changes before procurement
If the building is rotated, a basement added or a technical structure relocated, first show the difference from the ground intervention previously considered. Unchanged areas need not be described again. A change plan identifies additional areas, depths and construction stages. FONTANA-EOD can use this to define the additional clarification needed. Tender documents then receive the appropriate plan version so that quotations and subsequent execution do not rely on different assumptions.
Handing results over to several trades
A jointly filed report is practically usable only if the companies involved can identify the scope relevant to their work. Site management and planners therefore assign plan appendices to the respective components. Remaining areas still outstanding stay visible even if another stage is complete. For subsequent work, a contact is identified to compare new ground interventions with the documented status. The document thus remains usable beyond the initial earthworks.
Documentation
A project file for planners, site management and subsequent maintenance
Assign the results to the project
A municipal project file should clearly show which question was addressed at which time. Assign reports to specific plans and construction stages rather than only an address. This facilitates later extensions, repairs and handover to another operator. Following actual exposure or clearance work, the associated findings and clearance records are included.
Coordinate tasks and further works
The private specialist service covers the agreed survey and documentation scope. Authority decisions remain with the competent authorities. If an unexpected suspicious object is encountered, stop work in the affected area immediately. Do not touch, move or further expose it. Leave the immediate area and keep others away without putting yourself at risk. In Germany, notify the police immediately on 110; outside Germany, use the local emergency reporting procedure. The competent authorities determine the next steps. Inform site management and the client; internal reporting must not delay the emergency call.
Next steps
Recording survey scope and handovers
Describing the project boundary
Compile the site plan, construction objective and early work. Explicitly identify unresolved planning questions as well.
Comparing findings
Have information, older reports and plan appendices checked for their spatial and technical coverage. If historical findings are missing, the necessary aerial photographs and other sources for the affected area are researched and assessed. Results are assigned to the present areas of ground intervention and related to questions still outstanding.
Coordinating the necessary survey
Agree the survey task, access, sequence and expected evidence before the affected ground intervention. Method selection follows the technical search task, proposed intervention, access and existing interference. The limitations of the selected survey and any necessary additional methods are also recorded.
Carry out the investigation
The commissioned survey is carried out within the defined area. Measurement data, findings and limitations are recorded with location, depth and plan references.
Assess results
Measurement data and findings are assessed by specialists. Outstanding areas, necessary follow-up surveys and the next decision are identified for designers and site management.
Passing on the current status
Hand results and limitations to site management and subsequent trades with the plan version and date. The technical assessment, surveyed areas and their limitations are documented in the report with the associated plan appendices.
Technical assessment
Defining methods and execution for the planned ground interventions
Assessing existing findings
Historical information and existing surveys show which questions have already been answered. A suitable survey method is selected for areas still outstanding. The planned ground interventions and site conditions are decisive.
Clarifying access and obstructions before surveying
Paved areas, existing structures, utilities or stored materials may limit survey options. Such obstructions should be described before commissioning. An area not yet accessible remains identified as outstanding rather than disappearing into a general area figure. Necessary surveys and protective measures are planned before ground interventions during vegetation clearance, surface removal or creation of survey access, work areas and access routes. Sections that become accessible later are surveyed before the respective subsequent interventions.
Construction sequencing where advance surveying is limited
If a necessary survey cannot be completed before excavation, the project needs a technically agreed approach. Simply observing the excavator is not an equivalent substitute for necessary ordnance surveying during construction. Technical surveying and assessment of each working layer precede controlled excavation; working boundaries, the stop signal and reporting routes are established before work begins.
Method selection
Select methods according to the task and survey conditions
Historical records and aerial photographs
Historical aerial photograph assessment and other old records help place the basis for suspicion in its spatial context. The available images, their evidential value and the limits of the area considered matter. The absence of an identifiable indication must be distinguished from a technically surveyed ground area. The assessment is considered together with the planned intervention and other available findings. It can support the choice of a survey, but is not a measurement of the present-day subsurface or confirmation for all future works.
Understand aerial photograph assessmentMagnetometric survey
Magnetometric methods detect magnetic anomalies. Whether they can address the specific survey task depends, among other things, on the expected objects, ground conditions, interference and required survey area. Fences, utilities or existing structures may affect interpretation. A measurement signal is therefore not described as ordnance solely because of its strength. Method, interpretation and any further investigation are planned as a connected specialist task.
Understand the scope of magnetometryElectromagnetic methods and TDEM
Electromagnetic surveys may be suitable for particular metallic targets and site conditions. TDEM detects the time-dependent electromagnetic responses of electrically conductive bodies. Suitability is justified for the particular task, not inferred merely from the availability of equipment. Interfering installations, accessible areas and the required conclusion must also be considered. Results are documented with location and survey conditions. Whether a complementary method is needed follows from the specialist assessment and remains a specific project decision.
Understand electromagnetic surveyingGround-penetrating radar
Under suitable conditions, ground-penetrating radar can provide information about subsurface structures and reflections. Ground conditions, moisture, installations and the particular survey task affect interpretability. An anomaly is not automatically ordnance, and an area with no apparent anomalies is not general evidence for arbitrary depths. The specialist interpretation and its limits are documented with the instruction. A survey for another purpose is not adopted without checking as ordnance evidence.
GPR and limitationsDeep-ground and downhole surveys
For deeper interventions, it may be necessary to check whether a surface survey can provide the required conclusion or whether another approach is needed. Location, depth, borehole layout and existing utilities then form part of preparation. Access for the survey must also be planned appropriately from a technical perspective. A general depth figure or standard grid does not replace this task. Results remain tied to the areas actually treated and the method applied. For surveys from investigation boreholes, casing, drilling depth and documentation are also coordinated with the task and local conditions.
Prepare deep interventionsSurvey during construction
If a necessary preliminary survey cannot be completed in full, the suitability of a technically planned approach during construction is assessed. Each working layer is technically surveyed and evaluated before controlled removal in layers with supplementary visual inspection follows. The steps are repeated to the agreed excavation formation. Excavation layers, stop signal, authority to give instructions, reporting channels and documentation are agreed with site management and specialists before work starts. Pure visual observation of the excavation cannot simply replace a necessary instrumental survey. Site management needs a clear description of when specialist works take place, how new findings are handled and which areas remain outstanding.
Agree the approach during constructionWorking approach
How FONTANA-EOD works
Document the agreed specialist service clearly
FONTANA-EOD relates the survey to a described intervention and a traceable set of records. Before work starts, the technical task, accessible areas and required results are agreed. If the design or local conditions change, it is checked whether the agreed scope still fits. The report records the work actually performed and its limits. Further construction planning can thus identify what conclusion is available and where additional clarification remains necessary.
Discuss the investigation taskThe task before the equipment
A survey begins with the required information objective. The method selected is technically justified in relation to it. A particular instrument or a similar neighbouring construction site is not, by itself, sufficient grounds for selecting a method.
Keep limitations visible
Inaccessible areas and limited conclusions are identified. They do not disappear into a total area figure. Designers and site management can then decide specifically which areas still need attention and when a suitable survey becomes possible.
Clarify changes before intervening in the ground
A new location, additional depth or different construction method is compared with previous results. A familiar project name does not replace this comparison. Feedback is provided before the affected work so that an outstanding question can be included in the sequence.
Hand over the report and plan together
The technical conclusion remains connected to its location references and appendices. A brief summary helps orientation but does not replace the documented survey scope. This basis is retained even if site management or contractors change.
Working together
Distinguish the tasks of client, designers and specialist contractor
Client and operator
The client describes the project and provides the available project records. The operator adds requirements for use, access and timing. A coordinating contact brings the parties together; individual tasks remain assigned to the named parties. Before commissioning, it is clearly recorded what information is missing, who will obtain it and what decision the result is intended to prepare.
Planning and construction management
The specialist designers describe areas, depths, construction methods and changes. Site management coordinates the planned sequence with the construction contractors and agreed specialist works. Results are assigned to the respective intervention. A technical plan change is communicated early enough for its effect on the survey task to be assessed before construction. Organisational construction stage boundaries remain distinguishable from technical survey boundaries.
Specialist company and competent bodies
The private ordnance specialist contractor carries out the agreed survey and documentation scope. Authority requirements and decisions are clarified with the respective competent bodies. The records needed for a particular procedure depend on the site and project. The technical report documents the specialist service performed, including its area, depth and service scope and the limits of its conclusions. Applicability to further groundworks is checked against the specific intervention. Administrative decisions are made by the competent authorities.
In Germany, the Länder ordnance disposal services and locally competent authorities perform hazard prevention and find-handling tasks. Their involvement and the tasks of the public order authority and, where applicable, building control are clarified for the project location. Outside Germany, local responsibilities apply. Contacts, conditions and reporting channels are assigned to the construction project concerned.
Requirements
Clarify technical requirements and responsibilities within the project
In Germany, § 7 SprengG concerns the commercial authorisation for activities requiring authorisation; § 20 SprengG concerns the certificate of competence of responsible persons. Under § 1b SprengG, searching for found munitions also counts as handling them. The requirements applicable to the project depend on the activity actually commissioned and the allocation of responsibilities.
The First Ordinance to the German Explosives Act (1. SprengV) includes requirements for specialist knowledge and state-recognised courses. For public building projects, the necessary qualification follows the survey or clearance tasks actually assigned and the planned ground interventions.
DGUV Information 201-027 concerns protective measures during ordnance clearance work. DGUV Rule 113-003 concerns the dismantling or destruction of explosives or corresponding objects and also includes the disposal of found munitions. It applies according to this field of activity; it does not replace a risk assessment specific to the planned ground intervention.
Relate requirements to the specialist task
For the commissioned activities, the relevant technical requirements and questions of permits, competence certification and responsibility are clarified. The actual planned service scope is decisive. A general company designation does not replace checking that the tasks and interfaces are described appropriately for the specific project.
Link occupational safety to the construction sequence
Risk assessment, work areas and communication must suit the proposed activities. Ordnance specialist works are coordinated with the other construction activities. Operational organisation, traffic safety and other specialist technical inspections retain their own responsible parties. Joint coordination brings the information together without equating the different tasks.
Use technical findings correctly
A measurement anomaly first requires technical assessment; its depiction alone does not identify it as explosive ordnance. For an actually suspicious object, the agreed reporting routes and measures of the competent authorities apply. Survey reports identify the scope treated and its limitations so that results are not extended to unchecked areas or later plan changes. Necessary follow-up surveys or exposure work are assigned to the affected area. Recovery of confirmed explosive ordnance is coordinated with the permitted scope of activity, local responsibilities and documentation.
Planning and documentation: BFR KMR: clearance planning, principles · BFR KMR: geophysics · BFR KMR: documentation · DGUV: ordnance clearance FAQ
The federal construction guidelines on ordnance clearance contain requirements for historical and technical investigation, clearance concepts, procurement and documentation within their defined area of federal responsibility. Their application to the specific public construction project, together with local requirements and responsibilities, is clarified separately.
Project site
Connect the site with the specific construction task
Site and existing requirements
Provide the actual site with a plan and affected properties. Existing information, requirements and reports are assigned to this area. Regional requirements must be established for the specific project; showing a service area does not promise a particular official service or an investigation already completed. The regional overview provides orientation, while the plan and documents determine the technical task.
Understand the results
Use technical statements for the next decision
Read results together with their scope
A statement is understandable only with its investigation task. Check the area and depth described, methods used and restrictions. A report title or single result line is insufficient. For new work, these details are compared with the current plan to establish which knowledge remains usable and which question is unresolved.
Explore results and terminologyUse project terminology unambiguously
Document review, surveying, construction-phase specialist work and recovery are different tasks. An enquiry need not identify the correct method in advance. An accurate description of the intervention and required decision is more useful. This establishes the appropriate technical scope and prevents a general term from meaning different things in design, procurement and execution.
Understand the service scopeDocuments and execution
Consider records and surveying together
Assign records to their locations
For preparation, the location plan and available findings are considered together. Assessment of historical records addresses a different task from a technical survey of the present-day subsurface.
Explore the historical basisUse results for construction planning
Survey scope, plan references and limitations are documented together. Site management can identify the specific conclusion available for the next intervention.
Understand documentation
Further technical topics
Find the appropriate specialist service and project arrangements
Compare municipal project types
Other municipal projects may include additional interventions and interfaces. The overview helps classify them without anticipating the survey of a specific site.
Understand municipal projectsSelect the specialist service according to the task
Document assessment, instrumental surveying, supervision during works and recovery are distinguished by their respective purposes. A technically justified selection connects the information sought with the actual conditions.
Compare servicesQuestions from planning
Frequently asked questions about the project
Must the detailed design already be complete?
No. An identifiable site, a description of the planning status and the next intended ground interventions are sufficient for an initial assessment. Depths or construction methods not yet fixed should remain visible. Later changes are compared again with the earlier conclusions.
Who should send the documents to FONTANA-EOD?
A coordinating person from the client, planners or project management is useful. They compile the available documents and identify technical contacts. Submission by one person does not replace the definition of responsibilities within the project.
Can one report cover several construction stages?
This is possible if its scope, spatial reference and results actually cover the relevant stages. The report must identify the work and survey boundaries concerned. A shared project address alone is insufficient.
What should be done if the building design changes?
Compare the revised building outline, new depths and additional ancillary work with the documented assessment area. This establishes whether existing findings remain usable or an additional survey or technical assessment is required.
What should be done if a suspicious object is found during earthworks?
If an unexpected suspicious object is found, stop work in the affected area immediately. Do not touch, move or uncover the object further. Leave the immediate area and keep others away without putting yourself at risk. In Germany, notify the police immediately on 110; outside Germany, use the local emergency reporting procedure. The competent authorities determine what happens next. Inform site management and the client; internal reporting must not delay the emergency call.
Must external works be surveyed under the same commission?
This depends on the technical task and project organisation. External works should be identifiable on the overall plan even if commissioned separately. Each commission must clearly identify the areas and ground interventions it covers. Results from the building commission relate only to areas actually covered as part of it.
Which information determines effort and costs?
The spatial extent, intended depths, ground conditions and interference, existing findings, access and required results matter. Municipal construction volume or the number of storeys does not sufficiently describe survey effort. Necessary preparatory work and the number of construction stages separated in time are also considered.
How are relocated borehole positions treated?
The new position and depth are compared with the documented survey area. A result for another position is not transferred without checking. Report changes before the ground intervention and clearly mark on the plan which position is to be replaced or added.
Project enquiry
Send documents for your construction project
Plan revision and decision deadline
Specify whether the project is at an early planning stage, being prepared for procurement or already approaching an intervention in the ground. The date by which a technical conclusion is required helps coordination. Outstanding information is communicated expressly rather than replaced with assumed values.
A brief identification of responsibilities is useful: who can explain the current plan version, who organises access and who receives the technical results for the client? Where several departments or a municipal enterprise are involved, identify the shared contact for this coordination.
Assessing the effort also requires the size and distribution of survey areas, intended depths of ground intervention, existing surfaces and available working windows. Closed access routes or sections not yet available are reported from the outset.
A desired quotation date is distinguished from the date of the first ground intervention. This basis allows clarification of missing information and the preparatory decisions the client must make before execution.
Assign records to their locations
Send the site plan and available reports with their associated appendices. For multiple construction stages, indicate which document relates to which area. Photographs supplement descriptions of access and existing conditions; they do not replace information on underground structures or planned depths.
Specifying surveys for tender
Preparing the technical basis for a tenderSchools and childcare facilities
Prepare schools and childcare facilitiesMunicipal operational sites
Preparing operational sites
Have your project assessed
Whether historical aerial photograph analysis, explosive ordnance surveying, surface surveying using GPR, magnetometry or TDEM, deep-ground surveys, downhole surveys, excavation supervision, area clearance or ordnance recovery is needed depends on the location, ground disturbance, depth, ground and existing documents. An early ordnance assessment provides clarity for tendering, programming, occupational safety and construction.
FONTANA-EOD combines its Section 7 SprengG licence, specialists holding Section 20 SprengG certificates of competence, suitable survey and clearance methods, and traceable documentation. Send the site plan, depth of ground disturbance, construction phase and existing documents for an initial technical assessment.
