Managing Change During Utility Construction Projects

Much of the work constructing utility infrastructure is repetitive. Millions of miles of conduit, fiber optic cable and power lines have been placed underground by directional drill, or open cut trenching. These jobs may be a thousand feet or hundreds of miles in length. The distance adds up quickly. To our customers each job is an important capital outlay.

At Electric Conduit Construction (ECC) we look at each job as an opportunity to not only deliver high quality work and meet the customer’s schedule, but as an opportunity to find ways to save cost and time.

A recent project involving a drilled segment and open cut segment is a good example. This project’s scope of work (SOW) called for:

Total Length                 1,650’

HDD                               4 shots, 400’ each (original scope)

Open cut                       1,250 ft. (Changed scope)

Conduits                       7 – 6” HDPE power, fiber, and spares

Depth (DTOP)               60” HDD and 36” opencut

Final scope                   400’ HDD, 1250’ of open cut

ECC always inspects the job, reviews prints and specifications, before bidding and, in the case of award, before the start of the job. In this job the first drill shot was completed and then a shelf of rock at 30” was encountered. This feature was not revealed on the geotechnical report. ECC project managers and the drill superintendent, formulated a plan that involved open cutting the remaining 1,250’ by using hydraulic rock breakers and moving the DTOP from 60” to 36”. ECC called a meeting with the customer, the customer’s engineering firm to seek approval.

Click on any image to start slide show. Place cursor on image to stop scrolling. Top row HDD images. Bottom row open cut. 

All parties agreed to the change. This only took two days to accomplish and ECC removed the drill rig replacing it with a 300 series track hoes and breaker equipment. The job was completed on schedule and with no change to the overall cost. 

Thinking ahead, designing and plan and clearly communicating the plan led to overall success of this project. 

Inner duct was placed, fiber and distribution lines were pulled through and the project was completed with no safety issues. ECC will always look for ways to execute and complete the project in a way that is best for our customers.

If you have a project and are interested in collaborating with a company that offers, safety, innovation and productivity call Electric Conduit Construction and consult with one of our Project Managers.Or call Carl Oko, Business Development at 630-360-7903.