The National Underground Asset Register (NUAR) is here to assist asset owners' contractors
Access to the NUAR service is available, by invite, for authorised contractors working directly on behalf of asset owners
Through its user interface, NUAR can dramatically streamline the ability for authorised users to enable safer and more efficient street works. NUAR does this by providing real time access to integrated underground utility record data from over 350 asset owners to support undertakers in site orientation, planning utility excavations, as well as access to this data in the field.
With over 3.2million kms of pipes and cables published, NUAR has 80% of known underground asset mapped; making it a great time for construction contractors to work with Ordnance Survey and their assets owners to get onboard.
What you can use NUAR for
The end user terms and conditions, which all users agree to when accessing the platform for the first time, explains NUAR can be used for the avoidance of utility strikes and undertaking statutory duties in respect to the design, construction, maintenance, operation or improvement of underground assets under sections 79-82 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 91 (and equivalent provisions contained in The Street Works (Northern Ireland) Order 1995) and/or carrying out safe working practices under HSG47.
Examples of what is allowed:
- Assessing and managing site safety, site orientation, reconnaissance, excavations, site surveys or ground investigations.
Examples of what is not allowed:
- Buying land, selling land, business case development, conveyancing, determining best location(s) for network expansion (e.g. heat, broadband, etc.), determining best location(s) for new assets (e.g. trees, EV charge points, etc).
How to access NUAR
Access to the NUAR service is currently for Telecommunication, Energy, Pipeline, Water, Transport, Local Authority, and Highways Authority asset owners who operate underground infrastructure in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland. Access to the NUAR service is also available, by invite, for the authorised contractors working directly on behalf of the asset owners listed above, to install, maintain, operate, and repair buried infrastructure.
If you are a contractor looking to access NUAR, please ask your asset owner to set you up as their supply chain organisation. If you have any issues, please contact us at adoption@nuar.uk advising which asset owner you are working for. We will then assist the process of the asset owner inviting you to the NUAR platform.
Once you have received, completed, and submitted the registration form, your designated administrator will be given access and can invite and manage your company’s users, of which there is no restriction on the number of eligible users. Your asset owner can then establish a link with you and share a job, enabling you to access the specified data.
Following many questions on how contractors should be set up on NUAR, we have put together the following diagram to explain:
Asset owner admins should only add users from their own company, not add users from the supply chain contractor company they want to work with. This is because a user can only be created once, and if a supply chain contractor individual is created under an asset owner company, they will be 'locked' to only working with and seeing the geographical area of that single asset owner.
Asset owners should create links/relationships to the supply chain contractor companies they want to do work with. This enables the users within the supply chain contractor company to access NUAR when they are carrying out work for the relevant asset owner company.
The supply chain contractor admin adds users from their own company. With the links set up, when the contractor user logs in, they select which asset owner company they are working for, using a pulldown. This then brings up the geographical area of the selected asset owner and all of the assets published on the platform in this area.
This is important because supply chain contractor users may be working for multiple asset owner companies, so needs to select the relevant asset owner from the pulldown on the login screen to then see their relevant geographical areas.
There is also a video on the NUAR portal in the help and guidance section that covers how to set up a supply chain relationship.
Accessing NUAR as a Supply Chain Contractor
Once the admin for your company has added you, take the following steps:
Go to the NUAR Portal:
- https://portal.nuar.uk
Log in:
- If you have logged in before: simply enter your email address and password.
- First-time users: You will need to submit your email address, create a password, and provide your mobile number to set up your account.
Select Asset Owner:
- From the drop-down menu, choose the Asset Owner you are working for.
- This selection gives you access to their geographical area and the assets from all asset owners within that area.
Complete Two-Factor Authentication:
- Request an access code to be sent to your mobile phone.
- Enter the code on the portal to verify your identity and ensure security.
Access NUAR Homepage:
Once authenticated, you will be taken to the NUAR homepage. Here you can access the map, bookmarks, help and guidance, and other features.
Key uses of NUAR include:
- To avoid utility strikes during excavation, to reduce the current 60,000 accidental strikes that happen annually.
- To assist site orientation and planning, through access to a secure standardised authoritative map of underground asset data. Simplifying the previously complex process of aligning varied formats and scales.
- To increase operational efficiency through instant access to data, rather than having to request and wait an average of six days to receive data from asset owners.
There is no limit to the number of users you can create within your organisation. We encourage you to involve all relevant teams to ensure comprehensive engagement and efficient collaboration across your projects, such as:
- Design / Pre-Construction
- Reactive / Emergency Response
- Construction / Planned Works / Upgrades
- Operational Sponsors and Communication Specialists
Contractors already benefiting from NUAR
There are currently over 100 construction contractors on NUAR, one of which is Esh Construction. Esh’s spokesperson Jordan Richards, Site Engineer, said:
“NUAR is a great tool, we use it every day as part of our safe excavation process. NUAR is used to identify hazards ahead of works, helping to minimise dangers for our site teams, and providing access to a 24/7 live system of underground cables. I find looking at multiple paper maps at different scales and formats very tricky. With NUAR it’s a much better way to identify buried assets. I can see everything in one place on a common platform. I can switch layers on and off and receive the attribute data that I require to enable me to understand what buried assets are in the ground.”
Norman Barnett, Framework Director at Esh said: “The benefits NUAR could offer were quickly apparent and were brought into by the field teams during the trials; NUAR now makes the old process look very outdated and the flexibility it offers is hugely beneficial. This needs to be the industry norm going forward.”
Support to get you started
Once you are on the platform, there is written and video ‘how-to’ content available on the Help and Guidance page, including a demo on how to navigate NUAR and make the most of its main features. We also host a series of regular webinars to help get you started.
If you would like further assistance or require tailored training for your organisation, our adoption team are on hand to assist you. Please contact us at adoption@nuar.uk.
Find out more about NUAR
Including what NUAR is, who it's for, the benefits, product roadmap, and more.
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