Construction inspection should be completed for most construction projects to ensure the installation is going as planned. Even though the contractor and/or engineer has a construction inspector on-site, the system personnel should also visit the construction site as often as possible. This presence during construction can help ensure that construction proceeds according to plan, provide information to the operations staff of construction conditions, provide observations of buried assets, and correct any construction problems before they become permanent. Any time the contractor and/or engineer plan an inspection meeting, utility staff should be advised and should participate in those meetings. 

Testing the operation of the asset before final construction is something that might occur depending on the design and the construction contract. Utility staff should be aware of the testing of any equipment and should participate in those events. For larger projects, a process called “commissioning” often is completed.  This is done to ensure the various system components are functioning properly as a whole. For example, ensure a control system and sensors can communicate and make automated changes to setpoint, as per design. Regulators may also require a plant to operate in compliance with regulations before serving the public – this is common in drinking water treatment.  

Utility staff should make sure construction is well documented. As-built drawings should be tracked daily and added to the system’s GIS map as part of the construction contract. It is important to make sure the as-built drawings accurately reflect what was installed. If possible, the drawings should be provided in an electronic format compatible with whatever software the system uses. The utility should indicate that it will own the electronic files after the project is completed. 

In addition to as-built drawings, utility staff should request information on all the new assets added to the facility. This asset inventory should include all the attribute information desired and should be in a format compatible with the system’s electronic asset inventory. If the utility does not yet have an electronic format, at the very least, the information should be provided in a standard format, such as a spreadsheet or .csv file. This requirement needs to be included in either the construction contractor or engineer’s RFB/RFP and the contract. It must also be clear that the system owns the data after the project. 

Other documents that should be provided upon completion of construction include Operation and Maintenance Manuals, Standard Operating Procedures, Manufacturer’s Warranties and/or Contractor’s Guarantee. The system should always be able to access these documents. The warranties and guarantees should be examined carefully to see if there are any requirements for maintenance or operation to make sure the warranties remain valid. The system would not want to find out after the fact that failure to perform a particular task on a particular schedule resulted in voiding of the warranty. Often this type of work is called “warranty” work and can be specified as such in the work order system. In the case of warranty work, the system should not change any of the procedures or time frames to ensure warranties remain in effect. 

The utility might need to invest in operator training before or right after taking ownership of newly installed assets. Lack of training or improper training can result in resentment, improper operation, or even employee injury. The contract should include adequate training for the operators and maintenance personnel. It is also worth considering the timing of the training. Often, training is provided only at the very beginning of operation. At this time, the situation is likely to be chaotic and activities might seem reasonable. However, after some time (perhaps weeks or a few months), the operators or maintenance personnel might have questions or concerns that could be addressed by additional training. It is suggested that training be done in phases with some at the beginning and additional training happening later in the process. If there is training available for green assets, splitting the training over time might even be more important. These assets can change over time as plants mature.