Continuing Professional Development Archaeology and construction projects

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Finding a tiled floor during trial trenching

not compulsory to practise archaeology. Organisations and/or individuals accredited by the IfA are, however, required to comply with its professional code of conduct. Compared to other elements of the

construction supply chain, the commercial archaeology sector is relatively small, with some 3,500 archaeologists employed in the UK. There are a small number of large organisations (with more than 100 employees) who operate on a national basis, a greater number of regionally focused organisations of medium size, but the majority comprise small organisations, often operating as sole traders. All of these can maintain professional standards, but some archaeological projects could require very specialist work, or large amounts of labour, that smaller companies might not be suited to. The importance of achieving high

professional standards for all types of archaeological work cannot be overstated. Benchmark standards for archaeological work established by the IfA are commonly stipulated in a brief issued by an LPA archaeologist in response to a planning condition and written scheme of investigation issued by an archaeological contracting unit in response to the brief.

Which archaeologist? Procurement protocols and contractual arrangements for commissioning archaeological work are often poorly

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defined. The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) published Conditions of Contract for Archaeological Investigation in 2004, but appointments are more commonly via letter or email, which leaves the appointee in particular exposed to risk. FAME has produced a document — The Procurement of Archaeological Services: Guidance and Best Practice for Managing Risk — and it is advisable to adopt a sound procurement protocol for archaeological work on your project such as that recommended in this guide. The IfA publishes a yearbook and

directory containing member details and registered organisations and is in the process of producing a client guide. Before appointing, check the professional status of an individual or organisation through the IfA, as an “approved list” held by other organisations does not guarantee professional accreditation. As with fee proposals and quotations

received from other subcontractors and suppliers, evaluate tenders for archaeological work, ensuring they include all that is required by the LPA. This will usually include publication and dissemination of fieldwork results.

Tim Malim is technical director for archaeology and heritage at SLR and also chair of FAME. Archaeologist Andrew Townsend MCIOB is an associate (archaeology) based at SLR’s Bristol office and a CIOB Ambassador.

The CIOB has launched a new dedicated CPD portal on the Construction Manager website, featuring CPD modules from the magazine as well as additional study topics from a wide range of industry experts. To complete the questionnaire below, and explore the free CPD content available, please register at:

www.construction-manager.co.uk/cpd/

CPD test paper Archaeology and construction projects

1 “Intrusive” investigation takes place during what stages of the RIBA Plan of Work: l 0-1 l 3-5

l 2-3 l 5-6

2 One of the first steps towards identifying archaeological issues associated with a site is to: l Carry out an excavation on site l Submit a planning proposal l Commission an archaeological assessment from a professionally accredited organisation

l Undertake a visit to your local library

3 One principal organisation representing the commercial archaeological sector is: l The Federation of Archaeological Managers and Employers l The Association of Archaeological Managers and Employers l The Federation of Archaeological Professionals l The Institute of Archaeological Technologists

4 Approximately how many archaeologists are there in the commercial archaeology sector: l 5,000 l 1,800

l 3,500 l 1,000

5 Buried archaeological remains and above ground historic features are collectively called: l Heritage assets l Protected heritage l The historic environment l Items of historic and national importance

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Photograph: SLR Consulting