Much of the information presented in this article should be considered common knowledge by those who are regularly engaged in geotechnical design or construction. This article was developed to provide the reader an overview of the author’s thoughts and opinions about this important topic. The target audience is engineers or owners that are not commonly engaged in construction involving geotechnical components. The earth provides the foundation upon which construction is performed. Soil can be a cost effective and sustainable building material or the most problematic aspect of a project. Despite the widespread understanding of the importance of a strong foundation, the pre-construction investigations needed to characterize, understand, and define the subsurface are often underfunded and undersized. Anyone who has worked in the construction industry has probably been involved in a claim relating to misunderstandings, misinterpretations, or incomplete presentations of ground conditions. So, why is there a hesitation to perform the studies needed to properly define the baseline conditions? There are three contributing factors: 1. Up-front cost, 2. Up-front schedule 3. Risk aversion.