The Federation of Piling Specialists is pleased to announce the publication of the third edition of ‘The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) Specification for Piling and Embedded Retaining Walls (SPERWall).’

The 2016 version of this preeminent document has been revised in response to developments in piling techniques and changes to European Standards, as well as taking into account modern forms of contract and procurement methods.
Divided into three parts, Part A is advisory, particularly for those procuring piling and diaphragm walling, whilst Parts B (the Specification) & C (Notes for Guidance) are now contiguous to each other for easier reading. Section 1, which discusses general requirements, has been extensively re-written, and the 20 sections which follow now include new chapters on micropiles and helical piles. The reference section has also been refreshed and includes relevant Eurocodes.

It is intended that the publication continues to be used as the UK national standard specification for piling and embedded retaining walls and that clients and designers will continue to refer only to SPERWall so that its standard clauses need not be reproduced for every contract. Where necessary, specifiers can make special amendments with the use of a Project Specification (which again is provided for in the new Specification).

Speaking about the SPERWall publication FPS Chairman Alasdair Henderson said: “A tremendous amount of work has gone into this document and I would like to acknowledge Jim De Waele who has led the revision, and the valued technical input of the FPS members and contributors from the wider geotechnical community. The document defines the UK national standards for piling and retaining wall work and is a must for any geotechnical engineer.”

The document is available for purchase from Thomas Telford and the ICE.