Three things to know
- Identify the supply section and responsible electrician.
- Provide trench dimensions from the relevant documents.
- Order backfill and reinstatement as follow-on work.
Contents of this guide
- Identify the part of the supply you are addressing
- Provide trench dimensions from the documents
- Check existing services before equipment arrives
- Separate earthworks from electrical installation
- What changes the price in a garden or finished surfaces
- Break the route down by surfaces and handover points
- What to send for a specific quote
Identify the part of the supply you are addressing
State which part of the supply needs excavation and attach the relevant documents. Identify the electrical contractor and handover requirements. SORTI can be asked to quote for earthworks; cable installation, connection and necessary verification are not automatically part of digging. Trench dimensions must follow the requirements for the particular service.
Provide trench dimensions from the documents
Length helps describe scope but does not determine the workload alone. A quote also needs designed width, depth and details where the route turns or crosses other structures. Include base preparation, backfill and reinstatement requirements if these are part of the order.
We give no universal depth here. Execution must match the particular documents and site conditions. If you only have a possible route, have the relevant professional complete the information first; an excavator bucket's size is not a cable installation design.
Check existing services before equipment arrives
Identify the affected utility operators and documents needed to prepare the work. Marking can be ordered for ČEZ Distribuce's underground equipment. This covers that operator's equipment, not every utility on site. Confirm beforehand who arranges marking and how operators' conditions reach the contractor.
Do not rely on a previous owner's memory or an assumed route along the fence. Mark uncertain locations as unverified in the enquiry. Photographs can aid orientation but do not establish a safe underground service position.
Separate earthworks from electrical installation
The excavation brief should distinguish digging, loading, any removal, backfill and surface finishing. Arrange electrical installation, wiring, inspection and the actual connection with the relevant specialists. This guide helps prepare earthworks; SORTI does not promise electrical services here.
Agree who confirms the trench is ready for the next stage and who authorises backfilling after the necessary checks. If the next contractor needs a survey or other record before covering, allow for it in the programme. Backfilling must not be an automatic end to the excavator's shift without a clarified handover.
What changes the price in a garden or finished surfaces
Give the route length and divide it by surface type. Digging in an unpaved part of a property involves different follow-on tasks from lifting and reinstating a finished path. Attach photographs of access, soil storage and any loading area. Material movements or other agreed equipment can also affect cost.
For illustration, one route crosses an open garden while another of equal length passes through a finished path and a narrow space beside the house. Differences in the quote may concern preparation, handling and reinstatement. This is neither a tariff nor an actual project description.
Break the route down by surfaces and handover points
Prepare a simple list of sections for the quote. For each, give the length from the documents, surface and required finished condition. This does not replace the electrical design; it adds information a line on a plan may not explain. Identify restricted-access sections and finished areas to be retained separately.
A purely organisational example is a garden section, a section through paving to be lifted, and a separate connection point defined by the documents. Each may have different follow-on requirements. The result should be a shared list showing the earthworks contractor and electrician who accepts what. Nothing in the table prescribes depth or electrical installation details.
Swipe sideways to see all columns.
| Section or step | What to include in the brief | What to confirm before proceeding |
|---|---|---|
| Unpaved area | The route, documented dimensions and soil storage. | The prepared trench condition required by the next trade. |
| Finished paving or path | The scope of lifting, material retention and reinstatement. | Who reinstates the surface and to what condition. |
| Handover to the electrical contractor | The contractor's contact and requirements. | What must be ready before their work starts. |
| Before covering | Required checks and records from the documents. | Who authorises backfill and after which steps. |
What to send for a specific quote
Send the municipality, a route plan, dimensions from the documents and photographs of the complete access route. Explain who provides the electrical work, when they can accept the trench and whether removal or surface finishing should be included.
For work in Prague and western Central Bohemia, we can then assess equipment and earthworks requirements. Before starting, confirm the ordered scope, follow-on dates and how variations are approved if obstacles are uncovered.
Frequently asked questions
Does booking excavation arrange the entire electricity connection?
No. Address distributor conditions, documentation and electrical installation separately. An enquiry with SORTI concerns explicitly agreed earthworks.
Can the trench be backfilled straight after laying the service?
Confirm timing with the person responsible for the next work package after the checks and records needed for the particular project.
Must I distinguish lawn and paving in the enquiry?
Yes. Describe the sections and required reinstatement. Route length alone does not explain surface lifting, material handling or finishing.
Who should authorise backfilling?
Agree the contact and conditions for proceeding in advance for the particular project. Required checks and records must not remain unresolved between contractors.
Have the route and documents for earthworks?
Send the plan, documented dimensions and surface breakdown. Add the electrical contractor's contact and required excavation, transport and reinstatement scope.