SETTING OUT ENGINEERS
East Anglia · Hertfordshire · Essex · London · South East
Constructionline Gold | SSIP Accredited | Achilles | 17 PAYE Engineers
Typically on site within 48–72 hours · Trimble & Leica equipment
CALL US: 01279 927 033
TRUSTED BY
AKN ENGINEERING -
SPECIALISTS IN SITE ENGINEERING AND SETTING OUT
AKN Engineering is a specialist site engineering and surveying company based in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire. We provide experienced, directly employed setting out engineers to construction projects across East Anglia, Hertfordshire, Essex, London and the wider South East.
Whether you need a setting out engineer for a single visit, a short-term package or a full-time site placement, our team is ready to mobilise quickly with the right equipment and experience for your project.
We work directly with main contractors, specialist subcontractors, developers and civils contractors — supplying engineers on a flexible basis that fits your programme, not ours.
Get an Experienced Setting Out Engineer on Your Project — Fast
Contact AKN Engineering today to discuss your setting out or site engineering requirements. We'll confirm availability, agree rates and have an engineer on site quickly.
TIRED OF AGENCY ENGINEERS WHO CAN’T ACTUALLY SET OUT?
It’s one of the most common frustrations on site — and we hear it from project managers every week.
You call an agency for a setting out engineer. They send you a site engineer. On paper the CV looks fine. On site, the engineer doesn’t know how to use the total station, can’t pick up coordinates from the model, and certainly isn’t touching your ITPs. Your programme slips. Your QA falls behind. You end up doing it yourself.
AKN Engineering is different. Every engineer we supply is a qualified setting out engineer first — not a general site engineer who has been handed a data collector. They know how to work from control, pick up from a Trimble or Leica robotic total station, set out from a BIM model or CAD drawing, and deliver the accuracy your project requires from day one.
Every AKN engineer can do all of this from day one on your site:
✅ Setting out from total station, GNSS or BIM model — not just reading drawings
✅ Inspection & Test Plans (ITPs) — completing, signing off and maintaining records
✅ Inspection & Test Records (ITRs) — accurate, auditable, ready for your QA file
✅ Quality control and as-built checks throughout the build — not just at handover
✅ Working independently — not needing hand-holding from your permanent team
✅ Trimble and Leica robotic total stations — calibrated, maintained, ready to go
No more calling someone out at lunchtime to re-check a line.
No more discovering that your “setting out engineer” has never used a robotic total station.
AKN engineers arrive knowing the job, knowing the equipment, and knowing what your QA file needs to look like.
WHY CHOOSE AKN ENGINEERING
✅ Constructionline Gold, SSIP & Achilles Accredited
Meeting the pre-qualification requirements of Tier 1 and Tier 2 main contractors, including Galliford Try, Kier, Sisk, Octavius and Milestone Infrastructure. No barriers to supply chain compliance.
✅ 17 Directly Employed PAYE Engineers
Every AKN engineer is employed directly on PAYE — not sourced from an agency. This means consistent quality, accountability, and engineers who are invested in your project's success.
✅ Trimble & Leica Equipment
Our team use the latest robotic total stations, GNSS GPS receivers and data collectors from the industry's leading manufacturers, including the Trimble X9 laser scanner for as-built and verification work.
✅ Fast Mobilisation — Typically 48–72 Hours
When your programme is tight, you need an engineer on site fast. AKN Engineering can typically mobilise within 48–72 hours of instruction across our core coverage area.
✅ Regional Experts — Not a National Call Centre
We are a regional firm with deep knowledge of the East Anglia, Hertfordshire and Essex construction market. You'll speak to someone who knows your area, not a generic booking team.
✅ Flexible — Day, Week or Long-Term Placement
From a single setting-out visit to a 12-month site presence, AKN Engineering scales to your project requirements. We work around your programme, not ours.
✅ Constructionline Gold ✅ SSIP Accredited ✅ Achilles Registered ✅ Trimble & Leica Equipment
✅ All Engineers PAYE — No Agency Workers ✅ £5m Public Liability & £5m Professional Indemnity
SETTING OUT SERVICES
Our setting out engineers are experienced across all construction project types and can handle the full scope of on-site engineering requirements:
📍 Foundations & pile positions
📍Floor levels & slab extents
📍Building grid lines & control
📍Concrete shutter lines
📍Road & highway alignments
📍Drainage & utility layouts
📍As-built verification surveys
📍RC frame — columns & walls
📍Construction layout from BIM/CAD
📍Steel frame & holding-down bolts
📍Setting out from Trimble or Leica robotic TSDrone surveys & 3D laser scanning (ask about combining this with your setting out package).
OTHER SERVICES
MEASURED BUILDING SURVEYS
AS-BUILT SURVEYS
CONTROL POINT SETTING OUT
MACHINE CONTROL
TOPOGRAPHICAL SURVEYS
SITE ENGINEERING
PILING SETTING OUT
DRONE SURVEYS
DESKTOP UTILITY SEARCH
UNDERGROUND UTILITY SURVEYS
3D LASER SCANNING SURVEY
GPR SURVEYS
Get an Experienced Setting Out Engineer on Your Project — Fast
Contact AKN Engineering today to discuss your setting out requirements. We'll confirm availability, agree rates and have an engineer on site quickly.
LOCATIONS WE COVER
HERTFORDSHIRE
BEDFORDSHIRE
CAMBRIDGESHIRE
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
LONDON
ESSEX
KENT
OXFORDSHIRE
BERKSHIRE
NORFOLK
SUFFOLK
LINCOLNSHIRE
RUTLAND
AKN Engineering is based in Bishop's Stortford, CM23, and covers the following regions as standard. Projects outside these areas considered — please call to discuss.
SECTORS AND PROJECT TYPES
✅ Commercial buildings
✅ Highways & roads
✅ Industrial & logistics
✅ Residential development
✅ Rail & transport
✅ Civil engineering & infrastructure
✅ Data centres
✅ Energy & renewables
✅ Utilities & drainage.
✅ Education & healthcare
✅ Piling & groundworks
✅ Landscaping & environmental
FAQs
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A setting out engineer transfers design data from drawings and digital models directly onto a construction site. Using robotic total stations, GNSS GPS equipment and software such as Trimble Access, they mark precise locations for foundations, drainage, pile positions, floor levels, grid lines and structural elements — ensuring the build matches the design exactly from day one.
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Setting out costs vary by project type, duration and complexity. Day rates for specialist setting out engineers in the UK typically range from £350–£550 per day. AKN Engineering provides competitive rates for both one-off visits and ongoing site placements across East Anglia, Hertfordshire and Essex. Contact us for a project-specific quote.
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AKN Engineering typically mobilises engineers within 48–72 hours of enquiry for projects across our core regions. For urgent requirements, same-week availability is often possible. Call 01279 927 033 to discuss your programme.
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For supply chain compliance with main contractors, look for Constructionline Gold (or Silver), SSIP accreditation, and £5m public liability and £5m professional indemnity insurance. AKN Engineering holds Constructionline Gold, SSIP and Achilles accreditations and all engineers are directly employed on PAYE — no agency workers.
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Setting out is required on virtually all construction projects: residential and commercial building, civils and infrastructure, roads and highways, drainage and utilities, RC frame, groundworks, piling, and industrial structures. AKN Engineering has experience across all these sectors with main contractors and specialist subcontractors.
Request a Quote
Ready to request a quote for a Setting Out Engineer?
Fill out the form below, and you can expect to hear from us within 24 hours.
(If you do not receive a response within 24 hours (Mon-Fri) please email office@aknengineering.co.uk)
Get an Experienced Setting Out Engineer on Your Project — Fast
Contact AKN Engineering today to discuss your setting out requirements. We'll confirm availability, agree rates and have an engineer on site quickly.