Service
Engineering & Technical Assurance
We provide CEM (Contractor's Engineering Manager) and CRE (Contractor's Responsible Engineer) oversight, review designs and technical documentation, and manage the engineering interface with Network Rail. Submissions then arrive complete, consistent and in the form the reviewer expects.
What it is
Engineering assurance is the discipline of demonstrating — on paper, before anything is built — that a design is safe, compliant and buildable in the environment it sits in. On rail-adjacent schemes that demonstration is made to a Network Rail reviewer who has never seen your project, has a queue of others, and will reject a submission that is incomplete rather than guess at what you meant.
The CEM and CRE roles exist to own that demonstration. The CEM manages the engineering effort across the works; the CRE takes responsibility for a discipline's design and certifies that it meets the applicable standards. Between them they are the difference between an approval process that moves and one that stalls in comment cycles.
When you need it
Typical triggers for this work:
- Your asset protection agreement names CEM or CRE roles you do not currently have in place.
- Design submissions are coming back with repeated comments, or are being returned unread as incomplete.
- Temporary works near the railway need to be certified by someone competent in rail standards.
- You are pricing a scheme and need to know what technical assurance the rail interface will actually require.
- A design change during construction needs to be re-submitted and you need it handled quickly.
What Kanoni does
- Take CEM or CRE appointments, or work alongside your existing engineering team where those roles already sit internally.
- Review designs, calculations, method statements and temporary works against the standards a Network Rail reviewer will apply.
- Assemble and check the submission pack before it goes in, so obvious rejections are removed at source.
- Run the comment cycle: log the comments, coordinate responses from the right designer, and close them out.
- Keep an auditable record of what was submitted, approved, and changed.
What you get
- Complete, checked technical submissions in the format the reviewer expects.
- Design and documentation review comments returned to your team with the reason and the standard behind each one.
- A comment and approval register showing the live status of every submission.
- Certification and sign-off appropriate to the appointed role.
No two schemes are the same. The scope above is the shape this work usually takes; what your scheme actually needs depends on the site, the works and what Network Rail asks for. We would rather establish that in a conversation than guess at it.
Other services
Related questions
Frequently asked
What does a Network Rail asset protection review look at?
Broadly: what the works are, how close they come to railway assets, what could go wrong, and how that is controlled. Reviewers typically consider ground movement and its effect on earthworks and structures, loading and vibration, work near overhead line equipment or conductor rails, crane and lifting arrangements including any oversail of railway land, temporary works, drainage and surface water, method statements, and whether possessions or isolations are needed.
When does a developer need an asset protection agreement?
Generally when the works are close enough to Network Rail land or infrastructure that they could affect it. Common triggers include excavation near an embankment, cutting or retaining wall, piling, cranes and lifting operations near the line, scaffolding, demolition, drainage that discharges toward the railway, and anything that changes loading on railway earthworks. Distance alone does not decide it; the question is whether the works could credibly affect the railway, and Network Rail's asset protection team confirms whether an agreement is required.
What is the difference between a BAPA and an APA?
Both are asset protection agreements with Network Rail. A BAPA is the lighter-touch form used where the works are relatively simple and the risk to the operational railway is low. An APA is the fuller agreement used where the works are more complex or the risk is greater, and it normally involves more engineering review, more Network Rail staff time and more detailed conditions.
How early should a rail consultant be involved in a scheme?
As early as possible in the design, ideally at feasibility or pre-application stage. Asset protection conditions can influence the position of a building, the choice of foundation, crane locations, permitted working hours and the programme. Establishing those constraints after the design is fixed, or after planning permission is granted, often means redesign.
Talk to us about engineering assurance
A short conversation early is usually enough to tell you whether this is a formality on your scheme or something that needs designing around.
- Telephone+44 7944 004747
- Emailcontact@kanoniconsultancy.co.uk
- ResponseWithin one working day