Stake-out survey checks the actual elevations of control points in a construction field against known coordinates as per the engineering design. Yet, stake-out survey relies highly on manual work in the construction field and thereby results in productivity losses, quality defects and safety hazards. This research presents a novel solution for conducting a stakeout survey in construction engineering. By developing and field-testing an automated stakeout survey system, comprising a survey robot (off-the-shelf Leica robotic total station) and a cost-effective custom-built rover, it substantially lowers the barrier to real-time data acquisition in the dynamic environment of a construction site. This system not only enhances efficiency and safety but also serves as a practical, low-cost bridge between the physical and virtual worlds, facilitating the implementation of Digital Twins for earthwork construction. The innovation of this work lies in its potential to overcome one of the primary obstacles to digital transformation in the construction industry—high data collection costs. By demonstrating a cost-effective method to accurately track changes in the construction field, this research lays the groundwork for the future development of Digital Twins for earthwork construction.