The SOE sub scope, bid clean against your project manual.
Shoring & Support of Excavation (SOE)
ESC bids and installs the support-of-excavation sub scope for general contractors and construction managers — soldier pile and lagging, sheet pile walls, braced cuts, and tieback or internally braced systems. The scope typically falls under CSI 31 41 00 (Shoring) and 31 50 00 (Excavation Support and Protection). We quote the earth-support scope only. We are a subcontractor and we do not bid work as the general contractor.
Typical spec
Plain-language view of the same typical ranges.
- Typical wall depth
- 15–60 ft
- A typical range for this kind of work.Typical value — confirm against the project's geotechnical design.
- Soldier pile spacing
- 6–10 ft o.c.
- A typical range for this kind of work.Typical value — confirm against the project's geotechnical design.
- Common sections
- W-shapes / PZ & AZ sheets
- A typical range for this kind of work.Typical value — confirm against the project's geotechnical design.
- Lateral support
- Internal bracing or tiebacks
- A typical range for this kind of work.Typical value — confirm against the project's geotechnical design.
- Typical CSI sections
- 31 41 00 / 31 50 00
- A typical range for this kind of work.Typical value — confirm against the project's geotechnical design.
- Design responsibility
- Per contract — PE-stamped
- A typical range for this kind of work.Typical value — confirm against the project's geotechnical design.
How it goes in
- 01
Take off the scope
We price against your drawings, project manual, and geotechnical report — wall line and depth, section, lagging, anchor or brace loads, and the excavation sequence assumed by the design. Inclusions and exclusions are stated on the face of the proposal.
- 02
Install the vertical elements
Soldier piles are driven or drilled and set, or sheet piles are vibratory-driven, along the wall line to establish the support of excavation before the cut is opened.
- 03
Excavate in lifts and lag
The cut is taken down in controlled lifts coordinated with the GC's earthwork, with timber or other lagging placed between flanges as the wall is built down. Excavation never gets ahead of the support.
- 04
Brace or tie back
Lateral support is carried either by internal bracing — walers, rakers, and struts — or by drilled and stressed tiebacks, whichever the design and the GC's need for a clear excavation call for.
- 05
Remove in reverse
Where the system is temporary, bracing is removed and sheets extracted in reverse sequence as the permanent structure comes up and takes the load.
Equipment on this work
Caterpillar 336
Tracked hydraulic excavator
APE 200-6
Vibratory driver / extractor
Equipment shown as illustrative renderings.
Where it fits
- Below-grade structures, garages, and deep basements
- Braced cuts on constrained urban sites
- Excavations tight to adjacent buildings and party walls
- Utility, drainage, and infrastructure cuts
- Temporary SOE removed at structure completion
- Roadway and MassDOT-type infrastructure excavations
Frequently asked
Related projects
Illustrative tear sheets — example case studies pending verification.
Ready to scope your foundation?
Tell us about the project and we'll put together a detailed quote within 3 days. We generally work with general contractors.