Pre-Construct Archaeology
Quality Control & Expertise
Quality
PCA has established a considerable reputation for providing its clients with Professional archaeological services, for not losing sight of Commercial realities and for being Accountable.
At PCA we are acutely aware that many of our clients commission
archaeological works in order to obtain planning permissions. For
some clients this may be an unwanted and unwelcome problem. That's
where we come in. PCA is here to provide you with professional solutions
to these problems. Although we operate in a commercial environment
our Project Managers will ensure that all tasks are completed to
the highest standards whilst ensuring that all planning requirements
are met. Being a Registered Organisation (RO) with the Institute
of Field Archaeologists you can be assured that we are accountable.
As no formal kite mark system exists for contact archaeologists,
the Institute advises that being an RO is the same as being in a
Quality Assurance scheme.
We work to English Heritage, Institute of Field Archaeologists
and Local Planning Authority excavation and archiving guidelines,
standards and procedures. We have internal quality control systems
for ensuring both accuracy of content, quality of delivery and visual
appeal, and compatibility of the final deposited archive. Initial
site records are checked by site supervisors and then again by the
archive officer. Graphics are checked by the CAD manager and reports
are checked by the post-excavation managers and the relevant project
manager prior to being sent out. Regular management meetings and
reviews of excavation, post-excavation and publication schedules
enable all project work and resource levels to be monitored and
deadlines maintained.
Policies
PCA is committed to ensuring that our activities and procesures
operate within a set of robust company policies, which underpin
and provide a framework for the way we work and the high standards
our clients can expect of us.
Our full range of company policies can be downloaded through the
following links.
Quality Control Policy
Health & Safety Statement
Environmental Policy Statement
Resources
PCA currently employs approximately 100 full time and part time
staff but can gear up significantly if required. A recent excavation
at Drapers Gardens, London required over 50 staff and on occasions
the Company numbers exceeded 150. The company is run by a senior
management team comprising the Managing Director and four Directors,
three of whom are members of the Institute of Field Archaeologists.
Five managers are responsible for setting up, and managing projects
during the field work phase, two are responsible for managing the
post-excavation phase and one is responsible for graphics, and they
are aided by six assistant managers. Each member of staff possesses
a university degree or higher, or a commensurate level of experience
and the skills levels of the staff are highly regarded within the
profession. PCA considers that the skills and experience of its
staff to be its greatest asset.
PCA has since its foundation recognised the importance of information technology
for the success of its service. PCA operates 60 fully networked
computers. Computing is used within the organisation for word processing,
database applications, spreadsheets and statistical packages for
data analysis. The software and hardware systems, programs and applications
are regularly reviewed and updated to ensure continued efficiency
consistency and effectiveness of the service.
The graphics section consists of 7 full time staff, four of whom
work mainly in AutoCAD 2009, but also in Indesign, Illusttrator
and Photoshop, to produce drawings and images for a wide range of
purposes, from site-specific feature analyses and interpretation
to high quality graphics for display and publication using our own
large size digitisers and plotters. A Geographic Information System,
ArcGIS, has recently been purchased which will also enhance our
capabilities. All staff are fully trained and have between them
extensive experience in the graphic representation of a full range
of project types, including deeply stratified urban sites, standing
building recording and rural landscape studies. Other types of specialisation
include use of topographical and contour modelling software, and
3-dimensional reconstruction of both buildings and other archaeological
features. In addition three staff undertake hand drawing of artefacts
for display and publication.
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