Start with the outcome
Before listing equipment or asking for an hourly rate, describe what the work needs to achieve. Is the project team trying to expose a utility at a crossing, open a test hole or complete a defined excavation? If you are unsure of the service, describe the problem and the next stage of the project.
Include approximate quantities or dimensions when you have them, and label estimates clearly. A rough planning allowance can be useful; presenting it as a confirmed measurement is not. State who can answer technical questions about the proposed scope.
Make the site easy to understand
Provide the municipality, site address and the actual work location within the property or corridor. A large development, industrial property or road project may have more than one entrance and multiple work areas. Identify the relevant access point and site contact.
Mention practical constraints the team should review: the working area, surface conditions, nearby operations, overhead restrictions or access arrangements. Share existing plans or photographs through the contractor’s agreed process, with permission and without unnecessary sensitive information.
- Municipality, site address and work area
- Entrance and equipment access
- On-site contact and project contact
- Known restrictions or active operations
Separate known utility information from assumptions
List the locate and project information already available, including relevant dates, owners and outstanding responses. Do not mark the site ‘clear’ because a request has been placed. Ask the responsible project team to confirm the complete information and the requirements for the planned work.
Ontario One Call’s contractor resources explain locate coordination and documentation. Its homeowner resources also distinguish privately owned infrastructure. That matters when a project includes services such as a private power line or a gas line beyond the utility’s responsibility. Flag potential private services so the appropriate arrangements can be reviewed.
This checklist does not establish when excavation may begin. The contractor and responsible project parties need to follow current requirements and utility-owner direction.
Describe the sequence and timing
Give the preferred work window and explain what drives it. ‘Exposure needed before the crossing design is finalized’ is more useful than a date with no context. Identify dependencies such as site access, required information or another contractor’s work.
Distinguish a planning inquiry from a confirmed work order. Availability, the final scope and the schedule should be agreed directly; a completed form does not by itself reserve equipment or establish a mobilization commitment.
Ask where the scope begins and ends
A price is difficult to compare when different parties assume different responsibilities. Ask how the proposed scope addresses mobilization, excavation or cleaning, removed material, disposal, backfill and surface restoration. Not every service includes every stage.
If material conditions are uncertain, make that explicit rather than calling the material clean by default. Ask what information is needed and how a change in conditions would be handled. The same principle applies to extra quantities, access delays or additional work areas: clarify the change process before treating an estimate as a fixed outcome.
- Included work and stated assumptions
- Material handling and disposal responsibilities
- Backfill and surface restoration responsibilities
- How changed conditions or added work are reviewed
A short brief you can use
‘We need [defined outcome] at [site and municipality]. The approximate scope is [dimensions or quantity, with estimates marked]. Access is through [entrance], and the known constraints are [details]. We have [plans and utility information], with [items] still outstanding. The preferred timing is [window] because [project dependency]. Our project contact is [role and contact]. Please confirm what else is needed to review the scope.’
Keep it factual and short. Attachments can supply detail once the contractor establishes a suitable way to receive them. A clear first brief should make the next conversation easier, not attempt to replace site review.
Sources & scope
- Ontario One Call — Contractor guidance — Locate coordination and documentation context.
- Ontario One Call — Homeowner guidance — Privately owned underground infrastructure.
