Concrete Scanning in Australia: Scope and Handover for Project Managers

Australian concrete-scanning providers compared

Compare these providers by region, documented targets, operational limits and handover evidence; the reviewed pages do not support a price or accuracy ranking.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

All capability information below is vendor-published. None of the supplied pages states a publication or last-updated date, so this is a scope comparison rather than an independent performance ranking.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

• Geelong Cable Locations — Publicly presented region: Geelong; Documented targets and pre-cut use: Reinforcement, post-tension cables, power cables, water pipes and voids before core drilling or concrete chasing.[1]; Published handover evidence: Format not confirmed in the supplied source.[1]
• SureSearch — Publicly presented region: Sydney; Documented targets and pre-cut use: Publishes GPRC and EML methods; a detailed target list and explicit best-fit conditions are not confirmed.[2]; Published handover evidence: Format not confirmed.[2]
• Dig Safe Geelong — Publicly presented region: Geelong and stated coverage across Victoria; Documented targets and pre-cut use: Rebar, post-tension cables, electrical and plumbing lines, cavities, utilities, conduits, thickness, voids and concrete condition before cutting, coring or drilling.[3]; Published handover evidence: Format not confirmed.[3]
• CSI — Publicly presented region: Queensland; Documented targets and pre-cut use: Pre-cut GPR, slab and post-tension measurement, testing, void and conduit detection, and utility locating.[4]; Published handover evidence: Service recording, reporting and 3D-capable imaging are documented.[4]
• Concrete X-Ray Services — Publicly presented region: Melbourne; Documented targets and pre-cut use: Scans floors, walls, ceilings and other concrete structures before cutting, drilling, coring or demolition.[5]; Published handover evidence: Format not confirmed.[5]
• Supercore — Publicly presented region: Rosewater, South Australia; Documented targets and pre-cut use: Floors, walls, slabs and bridge decks; targets include rebar, post-tension cables, conduits, pipes, voids and slab thickness.[6]; Published handover evidence: Real-time presentation and optional 3D scanning; formal report format not confirmed.[6]
• United Scanning Services — Publicly presented region: Perth and Western Australia; Documented targets and pre-cut use: Concrete and subsurface scanning, coring, drilling, non-destructive testing and potholing.[7]; Published handover evidence: Downloadable sample reports include concrete-scanning and service-locating examples.[7]

“Not confirmed” means the reviewed page does not publish the detail, not that the provider cannot supply it. Except for Dig Safe Geelong’s stated Victorian coverage, city or state descriptions above should not be read as confirmed service boundaries.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] Likewise, an omitted target does not prove a provider cannot detect it.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

Compare the handover, not just the scan

The reviewed pages document different outputs. CSI mentions conduit and service recording, reporting, scrolling images, sectional views and virtual 3D models.[4] Supercore says data can be presented in real time and offers 3D scanning for more complicated work.[6] United Scanning publishes downloadable sample reports for concrete scanning and related investigations.[7]

The supplied pages do not confirm a standard handover format for Geelong Cable Locations, SureSearch, Dig Safe Geelong or Concrete X-Ray Services.[1][2][3][5] Ask each bidder to specify:

• on-site mark-ups and the colour legend;
• scan boundaries and the proposed penetration overlay;
• photos, scan images and digital file formats;
• whether a formal report is included; and
• documented limitations, assumptions and delivery timing.

The sources do not establish consistent mark-up conventions, report inclusions, file formats or delivery timeframes across providers.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

Access, duration, depth and operating hours

The available pages do not provide directly comparable information on access requirements, scan duration, detection depth or operating hours.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] Three providers publish useful operational details:

• CSI, Queensland — Published operational detail: CSI says its GPR requires access to one side, while the X-ray method it describes requires both sides. The quoted method and achievable depth must be assessed for the actual concrete structure; a general maximum-depth claim is not a slab-specific commitment.[4]; Confirm in the quote: Required access, achievable depth and limitations for the structure.
• Concrete X-Ray Services, Melbourne — Published operational detail: No standard duration is published. The provider says timing varies with area, concrete age, moisture, obstructions, wire mesh and reinforcement congestion.[5]; Confirm in the quote: Expected site time after the scan area and conditions are reviewed.
• Supercore, South Australia — Published operational detail: Published hours are Monday–Friday, 7:00 am–5:00 pm; Saturday, 7:00 am–12:00 pm; and Sunday closed. After-hours work is by appointment.[6]; Confirm in the quote: Crew availability for the required date and cutting window.

Before booking, confirm surface access, wall or soffit access, obstructions, access equipment, reinforcement congestion, after-hours availability and estimated time on site. The other reviewed pages do not establish comparable operational details.[1][2][3][7]

GPR versus actual concrete X-ray

Do not assume “concrete X-ray” identifies the method being quoted. Geelong Cable Locations describes GPR as transmitting radio waves and interpreting energy reflected from targets within the concrete.[1] CSI uses terms including scanning and “X-raying” but distinguishes the methods: its GPR houses the transmitter and receiver in one unit and requires access from one side, while the X-ray method it describes uses an opposed source and receiver and requires access to both sides.[4]

CSI also says X-ray involves exclusion zones and may require partial or complete site evacuation; this is a vendor-published comparison, not independent evidence.[4] Require the quote to name the method, access arrangement and site controls.

Price and accuracy cannot be ranked from these pages

No reviewed source publishes a concrete-scanning price, price range or unit rate.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] They also provide no directly comparable data on accuracy, resolution, false positives, false negatives, turnaround time or independently tested safety performance.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

Detection depth and positional accuracy are different questions. Ask for the limits applying to this slab, target type and access arrangement instead of importing a broad equipment capability into the quote.

• How will findings be checked before cutting?
• How will uncertainty and inaccessible areas be marked and recorded?
• Which site conditions could limit interpretation?
• What happens if results are inconclusive?

The published sources do not answer these questions consistently.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

What the written quote should cover

• Commercial charges: GST treatment, minimum call-out, travel, mobilisation, hourly or day rates, report fees, after-hours costs and repeat-attendance charges.
• Terms: payment deadline, quote-validity period, cancellation and rescheduling rules, warranties, liability limits, required site preparation and responsibility for access equipment. These details are not verified in the supplied sources.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
• Technical scope: scan area, structure and accessible faces, proposed penetrations, target classes, scanning method, exclusions, expected duration and deliverables.

Align each bidder’s scope, attendance assumptions, exclusions and deliverables before comparing totals.

Choose the best-documented fit

1. Confirm region and availability. Do not infer statewide or national coverage from a city-branded page. Dig Safe Geelong expressly states Victorian coverage.[3]
2. Match targets to the work. Check that the written scope names the relevant reinforcement, post-tension cables, electrical services, plumbing, conduits or voids rather than only “concrete scanning”.[1][3][4][5][6][7]
3. Check operational fit. Confirm one-sided or two-sided access, obstructions, congestion, operating hours and after-hours requirements. CSI distinguishes one-sided GPR access from two-sided X-ray access; Concrete X-Ray Services identifies congestion and obstructions as timing factors; Supercore publishes restricted weekend and after-hours availability.[4][5][6]
4. Inspect the proposed handover. United Scanning publishes sample reports, CSI documents recording and reporting, and Supercore documents real-time and optional 3D presentation.[4][6][7] This compares published evidence, not service quality.

Set a scan-to-cut handover point

A scanning report is not permission to cut or proof that a slab is free of obstructions. Geoscan’s published GPR terms describe site-dependent limitations and state that an absence of detected anomalies does not establish the absence of subsurface features.[8] This is an example of one contractor’s limitations, not a universal contract. Have the project’s competent technical lead resolve uncertainties, including any structural or post-tensioning concerns, before authorising penetration work.

• Issue drawings or a marked-up plan showing each proposed penetration’s location, size, depth and acceptable relocation zone.
• Ask the provider to record the area scanned, marking legend, detected targets, assumed target orientation, inaccessible areas and conditions limiting interpretation.
• Obtain dated photographs or files of the final markings. If a report, image set or 3D output is included, set its delivery point before release to cut; these outputs are not consistently documented across providers.[4][6][7]
• Record who received the findings and refer changed penetrations or site conditions back to the scanning provider.

Seek clarification where clearance is only verbal, markings are unexplained, boundaries or limitations are missing, or the method differs from the quote.

References

1. Concrete Scanning – Geelong Cable Locations (geelongcablelocations.com.au)
2. Concrete Scanning Sydney | Concrete X-Ray | GPR Concrete Scanning (suresearch.com.au)
3. Concrete Scanning Services | Geelong (digsafegeelong.com.au)
4. CSI Concrete Scanning & Investigation QLD Concrete Testing Service (scanconcrete.com.au)
5. Concrete Scanning Melbourne | X-Ray & Slab Scan Services (concxray.com.au)
6. Concrete Scanning | Rosewater, SA | Supercore (supercore.com.au)
7. Concrete Scanning and underground service locating Perth – United Scanning Services (unitedscanning.com.au)
8. Geoscan — Terms and Conditions, GPR limitations (geoscan.com.au)