Advice on commissioning archaeological work in Buckinghamshire

Archaeological work should be carried out under the guidance of a brief.

This will be issued on behalf of the local planning authority by the County Archaeological Service.

The brief will reference various published Standards and Guidelines.

These ensure the work is undertaken to a professional standard. Briefs will be issued by the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) and Historic England.

All briefs require that work is undertaken by qualified personnel. We do not maintain a list of 'approved' archaeological contractors.

We prefer that projects are:

• undertaken by a CIfA Registered Organisation (RO)
• under the direct management of a Member of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (MCIfA)

Information on professionally qualified archaeological contractors can be obtained from the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists.

When commissioning archaeological work, make sure that the organisation or individual used:

• has the necessary experience and understanding to meet the brief. This includes those aspects relating to reporting, publication and archiving
• can provide personnel with the appropriate skills, qualifications, and CIfA membership grades for the task. This should include consideration of sub-contractors
• can meet the required timetable
• has a suitable infrastructure and a track record of undertaking work of a similar scale

If archaeological requirements are not met, enforcement action may be taken. This is in accordance with our Archaeology Enforcement Policy.