Archaeology and the Construction Programme

Archaeology is a sequence of stages, not one activity

A realistic programme shows each stage separately, because each has a different duration and a different dependency. Lumping them into one line is why archaeology appears to overrun when in fact it was never planned.

• Desk-based assessment — a short, predictable exercise dependent on HER data turnaround
• Geophysical survey — quick in the field, but dependent on ground conditions, crop cover and reporting time
• Written scheme of investigation and approval — a discrete approval step with the authority, not an internal task
• Trial trenching — driven by metreage, plant availability and how much archaeology is present
• Evaluation reporting — needed before mitigation can be agreed, and routinely omitted from programmes
• Mitigation excavation — the largest variable, set by area and feature density
• Post-excavation assessment, analysis and archive — required for discharge, and often months after the site has moved on

Dependencies that catch people out

The archaeological programme depends on things outside the archaeologist's control, and those dependencies need to appear on the programme as links, not assumptions.

• Approval of the written scheme of investigation is a precondition to fieldwork, not a parallel task
• Land access, ecology constraints and seasonal restrictions can close fieldwork windows entirely
• Machine and staff availability is finite and regional; a four-week notice period is not a plan
• Condition discharge depends on reporting and archive deposition, which sit well after fieldwork completion

How to programme it properly

Put archaeology in the enabling works window with its own stages, and phase mitigation so cleared areas are handed back progressively rather than at the end. On large sites this single decision is usually worth more to the programme than any reduction in archaeological scope.

Then hold a weekly interface with the archaeological contractor while fieldwork is live, reporting against an agreed baseline, so divergence appears as an early warning rather than as a missed handover date.

The honest answer on duration

Anyone quoting a duration for your site without the evaluation data and the approved scheme is guessing. What we will commit to is telling you at tender stage whether the window you have is deliverable — and saying so plainly if it is not, rather than agreeing and handing back a delay.