OGI Groundwater Specialists Ltd

OGI has more than 20 years of experience in providing groundwater related services to clients and contractors in the United Kingdom. We supply specialist design and consultancy for some of the most challenging natural ground conditions encountered by the construction industry.

Our solutions are delivered using unique specialist design techniques and in-house developed software. The solutions are implemented by an experienced field team within a tight and appropriate Health and Safety framework.

The principle areas of OGI’s work are in the field of Construction Dewatering, Geotechnical Design Services, Computer Modelling and Ground Source Energy.

OGI Groundwater Specialists Limited is an independent, privately owned British company, incorporated in 1989. The company was founded by managing and technical director Dr Stephen Thomas in Oxford.

In the early years, the company was known as Oxford Geotechnica International and undertook specialist consultancy services and training in groundwater disciplines in the UK and Europe. Many of our clients were general consultancy companies that had no in-house groundwater capability.

During the 1990’s the company expertise was engaged to support a number of projects following ground failures. It became clear to all concerned that had a groundwater specialist been engaged on these projects from the start, the contractor and project would have benefited financially from specialist design and installation.

In response to this commercial opportunity, in 1997 OGI began developing specialist contracting services for the UK construction industry from a base in the North East of England, alongside the established consultancy services. The North East offers a good strategic location for OGI as it is situated approximately half way between the South of England and Scotland. Following a move to our current purpose built base at Durham in late 2006, the company changed its name to OGI Groundwater Specialists Limited, a description that more accurately portrays the services we deliver

Between 2004 and 2010, OGI formed a number of partnerships within the UK and Europe to provide a comprehensive design and contracting service for the installation of ground source heating and cooling systems.

During recent years of national austerity, OGI recognised an opportunity to offer our Clients cost saving solutions to the challenges they face which can make the difference between them winning or losing a contract. Examples of this include the design of steep batter slopes as an alternative to costly retaining wall approaches to enable the construction of deep base structures.

This approach sometimes requires soil strengthening requiring dewatering.  To ensure the most cost effective dewatering solution, OGI have withdrawn from the Contracting aspect of dewatering, but are able to provide detailed specifications which can then be sent out to tender. OGI are then able to verify and adopt the installation as part of the design.