By Ryan Eilers, P.E.
As AI clusters and hyperscale data centers proliferate, utilities face an unprecedented surge in peak demand. The grid that once handled relatively steady residential loads must now adapt to rapidly changing and highly concentrated power requirements. Meeting this challenge is not simply a matter of adding more poles and wires. It calls for a new level of collaboration in project planning.
In my experience leading BHMG’s delivery teams, I have seen that successful projects are the ones where utilities and partners work side by side from the start. When expectations are aligned and risks are surfaced early, upgrades can be delivered on time and on budget. The following seven practices form a roadmap for how collaborative planning can prepare today’s grid for tomorrow’s growth.
1. Align Stakeholders from Day One
On one substation project, we began design work believing the assignment was limited to a small connection point. Early coordination with the utility’s planning group revealed that the entire substation was slated for an “aging infrastructure” overhaul. Catching that bigger picture early was critical. By adjusting our design to fit the broader plan, the utility was able to invest in a long-term upgrade rather than a patchwork fix.
Moments like this show why it is essential to gather utility operations, planning engineers, field crews, and contractors at the very beginning. When each discipline can share outage constraints, new load forecasts, and design considerations, blind spots shrink and late-stage change orders become far less likely.
2. Create a Unified Scope Document
On another project, the scope began as a handful of verbal requirements spread across different departments. Without a common reference, it was clear how easy it would be for details to slip through the cracks. By working with the utility team to consolidate requirements into a single scope document, we created a central reference everyone could rely on.
At BHMG, we build this collaboration into our process through milestone design packages. At each stage, from preliminary to detailed design, we present packages for client review and approval. This decision-gate approach gives clients confidence that changes are being surfaced at the right time, when a drawing can still be modified without disrupting the whole project.
3. Build an Integrated Master Schedule
Effective project delivery depends on weaving design milestones, long-lead equipment deliveries, outage windows, and construction resources into one integrated master schedule. Even when the utility provides the overall schedule, BHMG develops a detailed engineering schedule that maps directly to it and adds the extra activities and resource assignments our team requires. This level of granularity helps everyone anticipate deadlines, surface potential conflicts between engineering, procurement, and construction, and resolve them long before they turn into costly delays.
4. Mitigate Supply-Chain Risks
Lead times for critical gear continue to stretch well beyond historical norms, making proactive coordination essential. Standardizing on a limited catalog of breakers, relays, and control devices, while also building inventory buffers into the schedule, helps neutralize delays that would otherwise threaten the entire project. At the same time, relying too heavily on a single vendor introduces its own vulnerabilities if that supplier faces production or staffing issues. BHMG works with utilities to maintain a shortlist of approved suppliers, track their performance continuously, and keep vendors competitive on price, quality, and delivery. This balanced approach adds resiliency so that even if one source falters, the project can move forward.
5. Establish Real-Time Communication Cadences
Weekly all-hands briefings are essential to keep the full team aligned. In these meetings, each discipline reports against key metrics such as percentage of design complete, permit status, equipment deliveries, and outage readiness. This structure provides visibility and accountability across the board. When an undocumented conduit or missing material appears in the field, utility staff and BHMG engineers do not wait days for an email thread to resolve it. Instead, the right people convene immediately, identify the root cause, and get the project back on track.
6. Proactive Risk Management
Strong planning accounts for the unexpected. BHMG works with utilities to catalog potential challenges such as permitting delays, severe weather, or supply-chain disruptions. Our project schedules incorporate time to absorb potential delays and budgets include contingency lines for minor change orders. By agreeing on these buffers at the outset, utilities and partners can handle surprises without contentious negotiations. This foresight not only keeps projects on track but also strengthens trust across the team.
7. Capture Lessons Learned
Every project provides insights that make the next one better. After completion, BHMG convenes a short evaluation with the utility team to review what went smoothly and where improvements are possible. Through our Continuous Improvement Process (CIPS), we document everything from minor coordination gaps to major scope adjustments, then share those findings openly. Whether it’s eliminating a weekend outage or streamlining an overall scope review, documenting successes and pain points ensures that every project raises the bar for the next.
Conclusion: A Future-Ready Grid
Utilities face some of the most demanding growth curves in history, but they do not face them alone. When utilities and partners commit to collaborative planning, co-creating scopes, integrating schedules, managing risks, and standardizing equipment, they gain the agility to deliver critical projects smoothly and reliably.
Final Thought: Before launching your first AI-driven load project, consider hosting an off-site strategic planning session. Bringing stakeholders together, from engineers to executives, creates shared understanding and sets clear, actionable goals. At BHMG, we facilitate these conversations to help utilities start projects not as a collection of silos, but as a united team building a resilient, efficient, and future-ready grid.
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Planning your next utility upgrade? Explore how these principles can work for you. Feel free to contact us—we’re happy to discuss our approach, no strings attached.
Disclaimer: This article is for discussion purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. For engineering services or specific guidance, please consult a qualified, licensed engineer.