Drone surveys for local authorities and public bodies

Possibly, depending on the framework. We do not claim listings we do not hold, so tell us which framework or dynamic market you intend to use and we will confirm our position in writing. If we are not on it, we can often be appointed as a sub-supplier to a listed prime, or you may be able to use a below-threshold quotation or tender if the contract value allows. Your procurement officer will confirm which route is compliant under your standing orders and the Procurement Act 2023, or Scottish procurement rules if you are a Scottish authority.

Insurance certificates, CAA operator details and operational authorisation, pilot competency records, health and safety accreditations, a completed selection questionnaire where you use one, and a data protection statement. Project-specific RAMS, a flight plan and an airspace assessment are issued before we mobilise. Most of the standard pack can be sent the same working day.

Privacy is planned in, not bolted on. We fly to the survey boundary, capture at the altitude the survey needs rather than lower, and blur faces and number plates in any imagery intended for publication. We can support your DPIA, act as processor under a data processing agreement, and provide resident letters and site notices. Project data is processed in the UK. Survey data is kept until it’s handed over to you, then deleted from our systems.

Yes, when it is controlled properly. Every survey is tied to ground control observed with survey-grade GNSS, and accuracy is proved against independent checkpoints that are not used in processing. The report states the RMSE, typically ±20 mm vertically on hard surfaces for photogrammetry, and lists every checkpoint residual so your engineers can judge fitness for purpose themselves.

Rarely. We take off and land away from the carriageway on land where we have permission, and plan flight lines so we do not hover over moving traffic. That usually removes the need for lane closures or a street works permit for the survey itself. Where a site genuinely needs traffic management, for example to place control on a live carriageway, we will say so at quotation stage.

You receive an unrestricted licence to use the data for any purpose, including internal use, sharing with consultants, publication or disclosure. Full transfer of ownership can be agreed in your contract. We deliver in open formats as well as CAD and GIS formats, so the data works in ArcGIS, QGIS, AutoCAD, Civil 3D and similar packages, and is not tied to our software.

Yes. For monitoring programmes we set up permanent or re-observable control, fly the same specification each visit and deliver difference models showing change between epochs, with the accuracy of each survey stated so genuine movement can be separated from measurement noise. Surveys can be scheduled around tides, seasons or storm events.

Yes. Scottish councils and other devolved Scottish authorities buy under Scottish procurement rules, usually advertised through Public Contracts Scotland, and we are happy to respond there. Welsh bodies use the Procurement Act 2023 alongside Welsh duties such as the Procurement (Wales) Act 2023 on socially responsible procurement, typically via Sell2Wales. Our crews mobilise UK-wide, so location does not affect our ability to deliver.