Field Inventory - Do’s and Don’ts

Abstract
Field Inventory is usually performed in an uncontrolled environment. The operation occurs out of State when done by Contractors and, at best, in the remote reaches of a large service territory when done by the Company. The field work cannot be closely supervised nor can anyone supervise the great outdoors in which inventory occurs. Extremes in weather can be found year round. Difficult social conditions must be dealt with. Wildlife @ant and animal) is a problem. Distances and locations make logistics difficult. Finally, the process requires committed personnel willing to live a gypsy life-style.

The work of field inventory is exacting and difficult. The ubiquitous circuit trace requires following miles of individual wires, perfectly. Determining the size and material of conductors, which is often needed, is an art requiring training, great skill and self confidence. Intuition and experience are needed in the art of efficiently determining the location of poles. The occasional need to closely approach each pole can be arduous - sometimes dangerous.

Project specifications deeply impact the difficulty and, therefore, cost of inventory. Specific topics include: accuracy levels; client project commitment; clarity of specifications; project completion times; sequence of events; ultimate project expectations; bonding requirements; verification vs. acquisition; project deliverable; proposal requirements; data migration; locational requirements; and source content and availability.

Proposal Requirements

Clarity of Specifications in RFPs
It is beneficial that RFPs for Electric Distribution System Projects be the result of extensive planning and definition. The effort will encourage vendor participation, reduce prices to the client and greatly enhance the chances for a successful project. A number of specifications are critical to the field inventory process and are routinely missed.

Specific data items
A list of the specific data hems to be inventoried should be included in the published RFP. Much inventory is easy and uncomplicated to perform. Listing the easy hems is not so important. Some items included in inventory are very difficult to perform and the data hard to collect. Listing the data hems is important as the impact on cost for some of the items is great. Many items lie in the range in between these extremes

Aspects of inventory which require minimum effort and skill include spotting devices and collecting attribute information. Going to the pole, which is necessitated by reading height and class from brands and pole tagging requir~” mim;m’~m skill but lots of physical effort. Placing facilities in the landbase requires the ability to read and interpret maps and the skills needed to make measurements. Tracing circuitry by phase, which means following the circuit to the termination of each primary, requires great skill and unusual physical ability. Describing wire by size and type requires a confident attitude, extremely accurate eyesight and the ability to drive and perform the operation without getting sick. Each data item must be evaluated on its own merit.