Tampa DPC 5/1/2024

COMMUNICATIONS:

  • Utilize your local Sunshine 811 liaison if you find the contact information provided on locate tickets is not working. We can provide a list of USIC and ATT locate supervisors. Contact a liaison to help get in touch with someone that can help you get to work. Let Sunshine 811 know about bad contacts on tickets.

  • Locators should be invited to and attend project meetings to know what areas are being worked.

  • Have site meetings for the contractor and locators.

  • Excavators and locators need to work together. Blanket statements like, “We will not agree to any delay,” is not always the best way to start the communications process.

CONTACTS:

  • Contacts are key to communication.

  • If you know of a bad contact, reach out to that utility, excavator or locator, and try to get them updated.

  • Contact Sunshine 811 to let them know of a bad contact.

  • You can reach out to a liaison for contacts.

EXCESSIVE TICKETS/RENEWALS:

If you think a ticket is excessive, like renewing a ticket where no work is going on, reach out to a liaison.  Contractors need to work with the locators on large projects.

LARGE PROJECTS:

  • There is a big difference between a project that is Design Bid Build or Design Build.

  • (To clarify, a Design Bid Build project is designed prior to advertising the project to the builders. By the time the builder gets the project, all the utility schedules are worked out, many times the utilities are already moved, and the sequencing is established. Basically, the builder gets a set of plans and schedules and builds to those plans. For a Design Build, the design is only a rough concept, and the details are worked out as the project is being built. There are potentially unknown conflicts that are discovered during construction, changes of plans as the project progresses and other reasons that the area of excavation may change quickly.)

  • The contractor may need to keep tickets open for reasons that may not be obvious to locators.

  • They must maintain silt fencing for erosion control and have to be able to do any repairs or adjustments throughout the project duration.

  • They may find a conflict or have delays in an area of planned excavation and need to move to keep crews active.

  • The project owner may make changes or add work that is not planned and needs to be addressed immediately. 

  • Use offset marks that are not constantly destroyed. The Sunshine 811 board may want to consider adding a positive response that indicates offset marks were used.

POSITIVE RESPONSES:

If you do not agree to a delay, go into Exactix in the Service Areas tab and enter that you do not agree to a delay. That documents your response.

PROJECT TICKETS:

The Sunshine 811 board has given management directions to review Project Tickets in other states. This may be a direction to pursue in the future. It may require legislation.

HIRING LOCATORS:

Staffing continues to be a priority. It is difficult to hire, train, and retain quality staff.

LEGISLATION:

The DPCs are a good forum to discuss potential legislative changes to Chapter 556. They can be used to educate and gain consensus from all stakeholders.

 SUCCESS STORIES:

  • RIPA Locate Strategies – They split up large projects into smaller sections and only call in those sections they are actively working. A map of the entire project area is included with each section identified. Each section gets its own ticket. They actively communicate with the locators on the project. 

  • Team Fishel – Myrna Mojica – Communication is key.

    • Use attachments.

    • Breakdown large projects into smaller tickets. Limit to ½ mile.

    • Renewals are done by communication with the field staff. She makes sure the supplies are in before renewing tickets.

    • Get details when 3F or 8 code are used. She will call that locator and get information.

Tampa DPCW SchaeferExcessive ticket renewals, Large projects, Success stories, LegislationComment