STEP 5. IMPLEMENTATION 33 Integrating minority business enterprises (MBE) or disadvantaged business enterprises (DBE) into the program may be a high priority or perhaps even a requirement for the utility. Undergrounding is a specialty type of work and it is possible that it will prove challenging to source service providers that meet the traditional definitions of MBE/DBE. There is currently a move in the industry to focus on how to utilize a workforce that is diverse rather than simply firm ownership that happens to meet the definition of a minority or disadvantaged business. As an example, the State of Illinois, through the Illinois Utilities Business Diversity Council (IUBDC – www.iubdc.com), has made a concerted effort to encourage utilities and state agencies to ensure the construction workforce is representative of the population where work is taking place. The design of an effective tracking mechanism for MBE/DBEs to validate compliance with agreed or legislatively required use is also critical. For certain types of underground utility construction, operator qualifications will be required for the field and supervision construction workforce. Regardless, training and certification of the internal or external workforce will be required. In some instances, the resilience work will be new to the utility and determining how to structure training and compliance will prove critical. Field Productivity Reporting Given the labor-intensive nature of the undergrounding work that will be part of a resiliency program, tracking of hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly performance will prove critical to process improvement and in demonstrating prudence in the management and oversight of the construction process. Questions that will require answers include the following: What motivates internal crew or contractor success and how can a utility make this visible and impactful? What internal obstacles might we (the utility) create and how can a utility remove these internal obstacles that may slow productivity and the contractor’s ability to meet their productivity goals or reasonable profitability? What is the history or capacity of internal crews to meet their productivity goals? o Traditional examples include approved designs, procuring materials, material logistics, and permitting delays. o Segregation of scopes of work may require specialized process change. As an example, using a third-party contractor for civil or trenching work and internal crews for electrical termination. What technologies can be applied or shared among the program team to support tracking of work, productivity, material installation, etc.? How will standards compliance evaluation and commissioning tests drive the quality and effectiveness of workmanship? How will the quality of work affect contractor or intern crew compensation? How will internal sampling, third-party inspection, and self-testing of construction quality take place? Program Management & Project Management Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) The selection of one to three key performance indicators for the program is necessary to monitor implementation progress. The following section, Step 6 “REPORTING PROGRAM PROGRESS” goes into greater detail on the tracking and monitoring of the entire resilience program. At the program level, the setting of a clear and focused objective at the beginning of the planning process will help drive the development of KPIs for summary reporting. In addition, progress reporting will prove critical in reauthorization and continuation of the resiliency efforts. The connection to clearly defining a program objective will come into play and demonstrate its importance in confirming the prudence of the program and program spend. After establishing a potential resiliency program objective, how a resiliency program can support the pursuit of the objective, how to create a resiliency program, developing the resiliency program plan, obtaining approval, and implementation, the next step in the Playbook is reporting program progress.
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