Transmission Major Projects PMO

With the PHMSA rule changes announced in 2020, gas utilities will be required to implement a 15-year plan to improve the knowledge of their pipeline and station assets, and implement projects to mitigate for a lack of traceable, verifiable, and complete records.  Working with gas utilities, GTS can plan, develop, and establish a Transmission Major Projects PMO to manage the execution of the various major projects required to comply with the new PHMSA regulations and maintain a safe pipeline system. A Transmission Major Projects PMO could include the following activities:

• Hydrostatic testing
• Pipeline replacement
• Pipeline and station upgrades to facilitate ILI pigging
• Station replacements
• Valve Replacement and Automation
• Shorts testing or replacement

In addition to significantly increasing the probability of regulatory compliance, a Transmission Major Projects PMO benefits clients by standardizing the process, lowering costs, increasing efficiency, increasing the communication and collaboration across all stakeholders, increasing the quality of the documentation and record management, and improves customer satisfaction.  GTS takes great care to integrate the PMO processes into the standard processes of the client so that execution and coordination of all activities is seamless.  A GTS PMO not only streamlines the execution of transmission major project activities, it also establishes Project Controls which includes: 

• Governance and Reporting – gathering data, developing management reports for utility executives and regulators, liaison for internal and external audits, coordinates Regulator inspections, and manages program quality assurance
• Performance Measurement – manages development and integration of project schedules, maintains a master schedule, tracks schedule performance, analyzes resource loading and constraints, and develops project and program cost forecasts
• Technology – manages applications needed to manage and track project changes, change orders, project records management and document control, long-term storage of documentation, and project management functions
• Administration and Controls – manages project and program change control, program risk management, construction contract management, quality control, process development and improvement, portfolio and metrics reporting

GTS has managed the execution of major transmission projects for thousands of miles of pipeline (hydrostatic testing, pipe replacement, ILI retrofits, shorts) and hundreds of station projects (station rebuilds, ILI launcher and receivers, valve replacements, valve automations). GTS has developed detailed processes and checklists for each of these major transmission project types to streamline the execution, avoid common mistakes, and ensure high quality work.   Using the GTS PMO processes, GTS has helped its clients meet their compliance dates and lower their construction costs by millions of dollars per year.

For project execution, GTS compiles similar projects into workstreams.  Each workstream  consists of functional teams such as Transmission Integrity Management, Project Management, Land Management, Environmental, permitting (Federal, State, and Local), Government Relations, Customer Relations, Project Engineering, Construction Management, Inspection, NDE vendors, Contract Management, Sourcing, and additional resources as required. GTS personnel provide program management, project controls, project management of the individual projects, development of the permit drawings, coordination of permits, and in-field support during all activities.  GTS can also provide project engineering for each major transmission project type.