Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) Sydney
Subsurface utility engineering is the process of finding out what is buried under a site, deciding how much to trust each piece of that information, and handing the result to the design and construction team as a drawing they can build from. Locate & Map delivers SUE across Sydney to AS 5488, from the first records search through to potholed verification and the final as-built plan.
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What subsurface utility engineering is
Utility locating tells you where a service is on the day someone marks it on the ground. SUE goes further. It combines records research, site survey, field detection and physical verification into one managed dataset, and it assigns every utility a quality level under AS 5488 so the reader knows how the position was established and how far the real service might sit from the line on the plan.
The point of SUE is not the paint on the ground. It is a defensible record that a designer can route around, a contractor can excavate against, and a project manager can rely on when a variation or a claim comes up later.
Our locator surveyors are CertLoc accredited, and our drafting team works in 12d and AutoCAD in the same office. The people who find the service and the people who draw it sit together, which is where most SUE programs go wrong when they are split across two contractors.
The SUE process, step by step
Five stages, one dataset. Each stage adds certainty to the one before it, and each utility on the final plan records which stages it went through.
Records and desktop review
We lodge the Before You Dig Australia enquiry, collect asset owner plans, and pull whatever previous survey or as-built data exists for the site. Everything is checked against everything else. Where records disagree, that goes on the risk register rather than being quietly resolved.
Site survey of surface features
Pits, manholes, valve boxes, meters, poles and markers are surveyed in. These are the fixed points that turn a records plan into a QL-C plan.
Designation in the field
Our utility locating team traces conductive services with electromagnetic induction and sweeps for non-conductive and unknown services with ground penetrating radar. Marks are set out on the ground and surveyed. Services that cannot be detected because of depth, soil or pipe material are recorded as such, not left blank.
Verification by potholing
At the points the scope nominates, we expose the service using vacuum excavation and measure it directly. This is what lifts a utility from QL-B to QL-A and is the only level AS 5488 treats as validated.
Data management and drafting
Field data, survey data and records are reconciled into a single dataset. Our drafters produce the plan, attach the quality level and capture method to every utility, and issue in the formats your team uses.
We turn 10 years old this year!
We’re turning 10 years old this July and there’s never been a better time to see what we’re all about. Watch our video to discover how Locate & Map can support your project from start to finish. With a decade of experience behind us, you can trust us to get it right the first time.
Ceritified Locators
At Locate & Map, all our locator surveyors are CertLoc accredited (previously known as BYDA accreditation), ensuring they meet the highest industry standards for locating underground utilities.
This certification means our team is trained, tested, and qualified to work safely and accurately across a wide range of project types. Whether it’s for residential, commercial, or infrastructure work, you can trust that our locators use best-practice techniques, follow all relevant guidelines, and are equipped with the latest technology to get the job done right.
When you work with Locate & Map, you’re not just hiring a locator — you’re working with certified professionals who are committed to delivering clear, precise results every time.
24Hr Service
At Locate & Map, we understand that time-sensitive projects don’t always fit into a 9–5 schedule. That’s why we offer a reliable 24 hour service, working day and night to support your needs and minimise disruption on site.
Whether it’s an emergency locate, night works, or a tight construction timeline, our team is ready to respond quickly and safely. We coordinate closely with our clients and contractors to ensure all work is carried out with care, precision and full compliance — no matter the hour.
With a strong focus on safety and communication, you can trust Locate & Map to deliver dependable service when you need it most.
Professional Reports
At Locate & Map, we provide detailed and accurate reports tailored to your project requirements. Our deliverables are available in 12d, DWG, and PDF formats, making them easy to integrate into your existing workflows — whether you’re an engineer, surveyor, architect or project manager.
Every report is prepared by experienced professionals to ensure clarity, precision, and compatibility with industry-standard software. No matter your field, we’ll make sure you receive the data you need in the format you prefer.
Cost Effective
With over a decade of industry experience, Locate & Map knows how to keep your project running on time and within budget. Our streamlined processes, skilled team, and accurate data help reduce costly delays, design changes, and safety risks on site.
By identifying underground utilities correctly the first time, we help you avoid unnecessary surprises and rework — saving both time and money. When you partner with Locate & Map, you’re investing in efficiency, accuracy, and long-term value.
How to specify SUE on your project
Most scopes we see ask for one of three things. Matching the quality level to the risk is what keeps the survey affordable.
Early feasibility or concept design: specify QL-D, with QL-C where features are visible. We consolidate Before You Dig Australia responses, asset owner records and existing as-builts, survey the visible pits, valves and manholes, and interpolate the runs between them.
Detailed design and most excavation planning: specify QL-B across the site. Services are detected in the field with electromagnetic induction and ground penetrating radar, marked, and picked up by survey. This is the working level for most Sydney projects.
Crossings, deep excavation, piling and anything you cannot afford to hit: specify QL-A at nominated points. The service is exposed by non-destructive digging, then its position, depth, diameter, material and condition are measured directly.
The tolerances behind each level are explained on our utility mapping page. If you are writing a scope, the practical formulation is “QL-B survey of the site with QL-A verification at all crossings and within X metres of proposed piles or excavations”, and we can help you set X.
Drafting and deliverables
The drawing is the product. Field marks fade within weeks; the plan is what the project uses for its whole life.
Our in-house drafting team works in 12d and AutoCAD alongside the surveyors who collected the data. Deliverables include:
- 12d model files for civil and drainage design
- DWG files for AutoCAD workflows
- PDF plans for site packs, permits and subcontractor briefings
- Work-as-executed (WAE) drawings for new services installed during construction
- GIS data, where the project runs a spatial system
- 3D utility models for congested sites and clash detection, through our 3D utility mapping service
Every plan carries its metadata: the detection method, the equipment, the survey date, and the quality level of each utility. That is what makes the drawing defensible when a design is reviewed or a strike is investigated.
Where SUE pays for itself
A utility strike is the visible cost. The larger costs are quieter: redesign when a service turns up where the records said it would not be, standing time while a crew waits for a locate, variations argued over incomplete information, and the program slip that follows all three.
SUE front-loads a modest survey cost to remove those unknowns before design is locked. On complex sites it also means design coordination happens against one dataset rather than each trade’s own understanding of what is in the ground.
SUE on a 42 kilometre pipeline: Upper South Creek
Subcontracted to John Holland on Sydney Water’s Upper South Creek pipeline in Western Sydney, Locate & Map managed utility and spatial data across the full 42 kilometre alignment: a dig permit system for the whole project, utility locating from start to finish, potholing of every existing utility crossing, survey setouts and WAE deliverables, GIS data management to Sydney Water’s standards, and support for redesigns and RFIs as field conditions changed. Read the Upper South Creek project summary.
That is SUE at full scale. The same process applies to a single-lot commercial site; the difference is the number of crossings.
Who commissions SUE
Civil and structural engineers during detailed design. Head contractors and civil subcontractors before excavation, piling or trenching. Councils and utilities planning renewals in congested corridors. Surveyors and designers who need an existing services layer they can put their name to. Developers on brownfield sites where the records are old and the risk is not.
Frequently asked questions
Is SUE the same as a Before You Dig Australia enquiry?
No. The BYDA response is the starting point (QL-D). It shows what the asset owners think they have in the area, and it is often incomplete or out of date. SUE tests those records in the field and tells you how accurate each one turned out to be.
How is SUE different from utility locating?
Locating is one step inside SUE. A locate gives you marks on the ground on the day. SUE gives you a surveyed, classified dataset and a drawing, with the option of potholed verification where the risk justifies it.
What quality level do I actually need?
QL-B across the site for design and general excavation, QL-A wherever you will be within striking distance of a critical service. We will recommend the verification points once we have seen the design.
Do you cover sites outside Sydney?
Yes. We work across Greater Sydney and Wollongong, and take on regional New South Wales projects by arrangement. Ask when you send the scope.
Client Testimonials
We had a great experience with Locate and Map. Their service was professional, efficient, and very helpful throughout the entire process.
The team was easy to communicate with, always willing to assist, and went the extra mile to make sure everything was done right.
Highly recommend them – truly a great company to work with!
Wow, Locate and Map are a pleasure to work with. They are very professional and always respectful. They do a fantastic job all-round and have been a pleasure to work with and for.
I would recommend them to anyone requiring locating survey or utility services.
Locate & Map is an outstanding local company that truly walks the talk when it comes to supporting community. Whether it’s sponsoring local carols or backing junior sports teams, they never miss an opportunity to get behind our community. Always willing to answer the call and help the next generation thrive — we’re so grateful for their ongoing support!
Why Sydney Teams Choose Locate & Map
- CertLoc accredited locator surveyors, previously known as BYDA accreditation
- More than a decade of Sydney projects behind us
- Locating and drafting under one roof, so field context is not lost in a handover
- 24 hour service for night works, shutdowns and tight programs
- Deliverables in the software your team already uses
SUE programs fail most often at the handover. Field data goes to an outside drafter, context gets lost, and the drawing comes back with holes in it. Keeping locating, survey and drafting under one roof is how we avoid that.
SUE draws on every field service we run: utility locating, ground penetrating radar and vacuum excavation for QL-A verification, with the results drafted by the same team that produces our utility mapping deliverables.
Get a SUE Scope Priced
Send us the site, the design stage and the scope you are working to, and we will come back with a quote, the recommended quality levels and a delivery date. Call (02) 8753 0049 or use our contact page. We operate 24 hours for night works and tight programs.
Locate & Map. 201/49 Queens Rd, Five Dock NSW 2046.