Speed, certainty and overcoming challenges: Utilities solutions that go beyond cost

Price isn’t everything with utilities. Speed, certainty and creative ways of overcoming challenges all offer a significant value in a sector which can be complex and unpredictable.

Supplying a complete utilities infrastructure solution means offering all of that on top of a competitive price. Here’s some solutions we offer for standard problems to speed up programmes and save you money and time:

Pre-payment RFIs, draft designs turned around within one week

We can issue our RFI form upon acceptance and review information provided ahead of payment. This allows us to commence works on our draft design as soon as payment lands.

Once we have all the information requested, we turn our draft design around within just one week. 

Accelerated design approval process

DNOs and IDNOs have standard service level agreements which give them 28 days to approve the draft design. However, we push on a weekly basis to get those approvals as quickly as possible.

This method allowed us to secure design approval with the DNO and IDNO at the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Institute of Technology in only 14 days. That’s twice as fast as the guidelines and a two-week saving on the client’s construction programme.

Sped up legal approvals with specialised professional assistance

We can’t guarantee a specific timeline for legals as every contract is different, but we have processes in place to speed up the work as much as feasibly possible.

Firstly, we understand the legal process well, know the right people to call in every DNO and how to push constructively to make slow processes go faster.

Secondly, we utilise a company that specialises solely on wayleaves, easements and land consents for utility infrastructure installations. Working in collaboration with them, our client, the DNO and IDNO, we can accelerate most legal timelines providing the client’s solicitor is efficient in their responses.

This is not a service that sits within our standard contracts, but we can offer it as an optional extra for more complex legal matters.

Smarter procurement of long-lead items to cut waiting times

We purchase allocations of most long lead items with our suppliers ahead of time. This enables us to procure substations, ACBs, supply cubicles etc. for your projects with shorter lead times than many competitors in the sector.

For example, on the recent Speller Metcalfe job mentioned above, we procured substations and got legal completion within eight weeks. That’s compared to a normal timeline for substations of 20+ weeks and 16 weeks for legals.

Nick Reay, Senior Project Manager at Speller Metcalfe, said:

“We needed to get the power on as quickly as possible. Zenit worked to minimise the impact of connection and reduced how late the site was connected.”

Off-site works started early, multi-utility works under the same permits and schemes

For any off-site works, we file permits once we have clarity from the legal representatives that heads of terms have been agreed and signed. This enables swifter mobilisation for off-site works and real monetary savings.

We also make every effort to programme works in for multiple utilities at the same time for off-site under the same permit and same traffic management schemes. For example, we have saved clients months on the programme by scheduling back-to-back electric and water off-site connections.

Bespoke sequencing of works to take advantage of unique project conditions

We don’t necessarily follow the usual ‘off-site to on-site’ process when laying. Instead, we respond to circumstances. For example, if we find that approval of our Section 50 has a longer lead time (usually due to Local Authority restrictions), we will begin works on-site and/or internally to stay ahead of the programme.

On a recent job, we installed all the internal sub mains cabling and MSDBs in an apartment block before we started the offsite as the permit had a four-week lead time. Our client was ready and we had teams available.

On another, we installed the on-site substation and dual HVs ahead of the off-site works being completed. Again, this was possible because we pushed to secure permit approval from the Local Authority. 

National supply chain with multiple providers in each region

We work with many suppliers across the UK. For civils, cable laying, jointing, substation installation and terminations work, we have a fully vetted, accredited and diligent supply chain with multiple providers in each region.

This enables maximum flexibility to deliver projects in the most efficient manner no matter where you are located.

Strong relationships with DNOs, IDNOs and Local Authorities

We have very good relationships in all regions across the UK with the DNOs, IDNOs and LAs. Their processes differ in different regions, but we have a clear understanding of them all. If we do encounter issues, we know the escalation routes and who the right people are to get to a solution and keep pushing forward.

The Zenit team prides itself on our understanding of all the processes along with the positive relationships we have with all areas of our sector. On a recent project, we had a last minute design change requested by our client which required IDNO approval.

The lead time for approval was two weeks. However, we managed to achieve a 48-hour turnaround purely based on the working relationship we have with our IDNO. In this period we managed to:

• Confirm the new specification
• Design a new layout to suit
• Go through our internal checking procedure following design
• Re-confirmed it with the client to ensure we captured it properly
• Re-submitted it to the IDNO for approval and the DNO for visibility
• Pushed on the IDNO for approval which we got the next day

That’s a significant time saving for the client thanks to our strong relationships across the sector.

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