Scope of this guide
The technical sequence is based on Main Roads Western Australia Specification 812, which is explicitly for non-displacement cast-in-situ bored reinforced concrete piles without permanent casing and excludes grouted piles. Use it only when the project adopts it. Other pile systems, casing arrangements, geotechnical design and project-specific acceptance criteria are outside this guide.
Confirm the pile system and source hierarchy
Before drafting rows, verify pile type, permanent or temporary casing, support fluid, project jurisdiction and the actual adopted specification. Specification 812 has a clear system boundary; it is not a generic bored-pile recipe. Check the project drawings, ground information, concrete/reinforcement requirements, testing schedule, contract amendments and precedence rules together.
For an adopted Specification 812 contract, clause 812.04 makes the installation plan a Hold Point and identifies proposed methods, materials, test frequencies, sequence, forms and contingency arrangements as submission content. The notice period and release role in that example belong to that contract only.
Plan for each pile before drilling starts
Create the pile register from the approved pile schedule. Give each pile a unique mark and carry it into setting-out, drilling, cleaning, cage placement, concrete, testing, nonconformance and as-built records.
| Control stage | Source-led plan entry | Record key |
|---|---|---|
| Prestart submission | Pile method, equipment, materials, proposed forms, test and contingency plan required by the adopted contract. | Pile ID range; procedure and revision; submission status; contract notice/release reference. |
| Materials | Approved concrete, reinforcement, casing and drilling-fluid requirements from the project documents. | Supplier/batch/cage/casing IDs; submittals; delivery dockets and inspection evidence. |
| Set-out and boring | Approved set-out/design geometry, boring method and project-required support/ground observations. | Pile ID; set-out evidence; date/time; actual depth/strata/support observations as defined in the form. |
| Bore inspection | Project-defined cleaning/inspection criteria and required reviewer before cage or concrete proceeds. | Bore depth/diameter only where measured and required; base-cleaning evidence; inspection and release record. |
| Reinforcement and concrete | Approved cage detail, spacers/cover requirements, placement sequence, mix and continuity controls. | Cage ID; inspection; concrete dockets, batch/time and actual volume; sampling/test IDs. |
| Testing and handover | Project pile-testing scope, acceptance source, report route and as-built deliverables. | Test IDs and reports; deviations; pile coordinates/levels; NCR disposition and closeout status. |
Keep installation events in the same sequence as the pile log
The WA specification headings give a useful event sequence: set out; bore/excavate; clean and inspect the borehole; place reinforcement; concrete; casing extraction; cut-off; installation record; pile testing; as-built and handover. Translate those headings into project-specific rows and do not assume the WA control points apply elsewhere.
| Event | What the ITP should identify | What the contemporaneous log should capture |
|---|---|---|
| Set-out | Approved pile schedule, coordinates/tolerances source, survey check and project release status. | Pile mark, planned location and actual survey reference. |
| Boring | Approved method, sequence, support-fluid requirements if applicable, and project escalation for changed ground or interruptions. | Start/finish times if required, observed strata, tool/method, depth progress, fluid readings only as project-defined, interruption/deviation. |
| Clean and inspect | The project’s bore cleanliness/founding criteria and who reviews it before the next concealed step. | Actual observations, measurements required by the project, inspection evidence, reviewer and formal release reference. |
| Reinforcement | Current cage drawing, cage identity, spacers and placement requirements. | Cage ID, installed position/depth and observations required by the project. |
| Concrete placement | Approved mix, placement method, delivery/testing requirements and contingency controls. | Docket/batch ID, arrival and placement times where required, actual quantities, sample IDs, observed interruption and disposition. |
| After placement | Casing extraction/cut-off only where the system and project require them; project-defined pile tests and as-built data. | Actual extraction/cut-off record, test report IDs, coordinates/levels, discrepancy/NCR and closeout decision. |
Blank pile installation record structure
The specification includes an Annexure 812A Pile Installation Record. The field set below is a practical index to the event evidence, not a reproduction of that annexure or a substitute for the adopted project form.
| Record group | Blank fields to complete |
|---|---|
| Identification | Project / contract: ___ Pile ID: ___ Pile type: ___ Drawing / revision: ___ Adopted specification / revision / clause: ___ |
| Set-out | Design coordinate / level reference: ___ Survey record ID: ___ Actual location evidence: ___ |
| Bore | Drilling method/equipment: ___ Start / finish: ___ Actual depth and observations required by project: ___ Ground change / interruption: ___ |
| Bore acceptance | Cleaning method / evidence: ___ Project criterion locator: ___ Inspection date / role: ___ Release reference if required: ___ |
| Cage | Cage mark / fabrication record: ___ Drawing revision: ___ Delivery ID: ___ Installation check and record: ___ |
| Concrete | Approved mix reference: ___ Docket/batch IDs: ___ Placement start/finish: ___ Actual quantity if required: ___ Samples/tests: ___ |
| Testing | Integrity / dynamic / static test type required by project: ___ Test provider/report ID: ___ Review/disposition reference: ___ |
| Closeout | Cut-off/as-built survey: ___ Deviation / NCR / query: ___ Authorised decision: ___ Recheck/closure evidence: ___ Open items: ___ |
Control technical limits instead of copying a reference project
Specification 812 includes project-specific materials, methods, Hold Points and pile-testing provisions. Do not carry its concrete provisions, notices, test frequency, geometry or release role into another job unless the contract adopts them. Even when adopted, check the current contract issue and annexures; a public PDF is evidence of that source, not evidence that it governs your project.
An ITP can prescribe how the project requires the actual bore and placement to be recorded. It cannot determine the founding stratum, approve a change in pile length, resolve an unexpected ground condition or certify capacity. Record the factual observation and route the decision to the authority named by the project.
Fictional workflow: keep a single-pile record complete
Fictional ID only. No actual bore condition, measurement, test result, acceptance or release is represented.
- Assign the fictional pile mark P-014 from the approved pile schedule and link its drawing revision.
- Complete a separate bore and cleaning event record before the cage is placed, retaining the project-defined inspection evidence.
- Link the cage fabrication mark and actual concrete delivery dockets to P-014 as placement occurs.
- Add the actual test report and as-built survey reference when received; list missing evidence as open.
- Record any change in pile depth or method as a query and retain the authorised written decision before closing the pile package.
Before issuing the plan
- Use a unique pile ID across all events and test reports.
- Confirm the adopted pile system matches the cited specification before using its sequence.
- Keep bore observations, reinforcement, concrete, tests and as-built evidence separate but linked.
- Do not publish generic capacities, depths, pressures, frequencies, criteria or universal Hold Points.
- Leave acceptance and design changes to the project-assigned authority.
Sources and their limits
Public sources explain the planning topics below. Confirm their jurisdiction, contract context and applicable edition; use controlled project documents for the actual requirements.
- Main Roads Western Australia Specification 812 Bored Piles (without permanent casing)
Issue/revision register current to 19 Oct 2020; clauses 812.01–812.04, 812.25–812.39, 812.34 pile installation records, 812.35 tolerances, 812.36–812.39 pile testing, Annexure 812A Pile Installation Record.
Official WA road-authority specification supplies a complete source-specific process map and record/test headings. Its contract conditions, hold point, roles, methods, values and acceptance criteria are not presented as universal requirements.
Source reviewed: 2026-10-10
- NSW Government Quality Management Guidelines for Construction
Construction quality records and contract-specific ITP controls.
Government procurement guidance supports keeping the ITP, event record and authorised project disposition distinct; it does not establish bored-pile acceptance criteria.
Source reviewed: 2026-10-10