Gas Transmission

Gas utilities seeking effective project and program management call on ENTRUST Solutions Group to implement PMI philosophies within their individual projects and on-going multi-year programs. Our expertise includes standard operating procedures developed by our firm that exceed the Project Management Institute standards for initiation, planning, execution, monitor & control, and project closeout. That attention to detail is critical in order to maintain budget and schedule performance. Our system of earned value provides clients with progress reports in real-time. That active approach delivers accurate, up-to-date tracking of project costs, schedules, permits, as-built documentation, and compliance with all appropriate regulatory measures. ENTRUST Solutions Group employs an advanced Enterprise Work Management System (EWMS) to drive communication and collaboration within project teams. Comprehensive program and project management delivers a path to better performance and outcomes. ENTRUST Solutions Group delivers on that promise.

Ensuring the safe delivery of natural gas requires a commitment to safety and reliability, which inevitably involves replacing aging and underperforming infrastructure. ENTRUST Solutions Group excels in guiding accelerated main replacement programs, including all types of mains and services; cast iron, bare steel, Aldyl-A, PVC, and more. ENTRUST teams of engineers and consultants offer years of experience in modernizing gas delivery systems from total program development to individual segment design and component replacement. When the public utility commission and potential safety concerns call for accelerated infrastructure upgrades, our gas main replacement experts help utilities meet demands that are critical for the timely completion of replacement programs. ENTRUST collaborates with our clients on the necessary steps to properly develop, execute, and complete a main replacement program. ENTRUST’s design teams have the capacity to ramp up and provide complete program execution or handle specific tasks or segments. Our services include program development, project management, safety leadership, cost analysis, engineering and design services, drafting, GIS implementation, mapping, construction management, permitting, system operation procedures, system design modeling, and compiling material lists. ENTRUST Solutions Group offers this full suite of gas main replacement services nationwide.

Demand and dynamic requirements place pressure on utilities to ensure safe and reliable service. ENTRUST helps with expansion and reinforcement projects to ensure our clients’ ability to meet the needs of their system and customers. ENTRUST’s comprehensive and nationwide experience offers our clients a best practices approach to supporting expansion projects that often begin with feasibility studies and pre-engineering assessments. As an extension of your engineering team, ENTRUST can provide full project design, including project management, construction support, and as-built services that include an emphasis on traceable, verifiable, and complete records.

ENTRUST’s design teams begin by coordinating a topographic survey or providing detailed field data collection supported by GIS mapping. Our experts help gas utilities plan for the existing conditions that will impact construction and the feasibility of the proposed system expansion. ENTRUST’s analysis includes pipeline routing, alignment sheet creation, environmental assessments, and any constructability challenges that may be encountered. As part of the “ENTRUST Experience,” our clients can be sure of getting the most cost-effective solution for project completion. Whether your project is a capacity reinforcement, main extension, station modification, or high-pressure pipeline project, ENTRUST Solutions Group is your one-stop-shop for all gas system expansion design projects.

GIS is the fundamental system of record for field-deployed assets in a gas distribution facility. At ENTRUST Solutions Group, we have GIS and other data experts with extensive experience assisting our gas utility clients when extracting actionable information from their GIS data. This allows clients to make informed decisions regarding operational efficiency, safety, and risk management. Our team also assists clients by addressing inaccurate, incomplete, and out of date information to ensure they have high-quality data. As a result, our clients are better able to make operational decisions and use advanced analytics to support operational, safety, and regulatory decisions.

Gas utilities seeking complementary expertise in underground gas storage count on ENTRUST Solutions Group to provide technical insights on reservoir conditions, geological and environmental factors, and practical strategies on gas hedging and storage outcomes. Our services include setting up observation and withdrawal wells, gathering systems, and gas-well workovers. We help our clients achieve maximal operation by developing construction drawings and diagrams by engineers certified in well control and supervisory capability to ensure that all facilities and systems work seamlessly. These services all contribute to effective underground storage strategies and utilities’ ability to store, prepare, and bring gas resources to market in the safest, most efficient, and profitable way.

ENTRUST experts have extensive experience helping clients with system planning. Whether developing long-term system improvement plans or assessing the current state of the system, applying a risk assessment approach helps enable efficient and effective use of resources. These projects range from a single pipeline assessment to review of an entire system. Our team performs comprehensive reviews for current and future capabilities and includes threat identification and risk assessment, so clients have all the information they need to prioritize projects. Our knowledge of regulatory compliance requirements and industry best practices allows ENTRUST to work closely with clients, supporting capital improvement programs through the jurisdictional approval process.

Permitting assistance to comply with jurisdictional agency requirements is a valuable resource when requirements can impede a project’s schedule performance. ENTRUST Solutions Group partners with our clients to ensure that designs and plan sets are in full compliance with all local, state, and federal regulatory entities. Our broad-spectrum engineering services cover it all, including right of way, environmental, railroad, traffic control, and building permits. Through often complex situations, we lead our clients through the permitting process to ensure that even when a project crosses state lines, passes through deep embankments, or calls for precise engineering estimates, ENTRUST brings the project to fruition. We provide the resources and knowledge to deliver client permit submissions complete and on time.

From gas and liquid transmission to gas utilities, clients seeking integrity management rely on ENTRUST Solutions Group for the diverse array of services we provide. These services include Transmission Integrity Management Program (TIMP), Distribution Integrity Management Program (DIMP), Storage Integrity Management Program (SIMP), and the Hazardous Liquids Integrity Management Program (HL-IMP). Also offered are system studies, including ASV/RCV and assessment methods such as External and Internal Corrosion Direct Assessments (ECDA & ICDA respectively), In-Line Inspection (ILI), and pressure tests, all in accordance with TIMP. In addition, High Consequence Areas (HCA), Moderate Consequence Areas (MCA), and Class Location studies are offered services where our experts help clients determine which other requirements apply to a pipeline segment.

Another requirement, and an essential service we perform for our clients encompasses Maximum Allowable Operating Pressure (MAOP); including historical record validation, new installation documentation protocols, material verification procedures and analyses, and MAOP Reconfirmation. Additional scrutiny is driven by regulatory changes (Mega Rule) that include firm code requirements to reconfirm MAOP in certain situations if existing documentation does not adequately support the MAOP. MAOP reconfirmation commonly involves replacement, pressure testing, pressure reduction or Engineering Critical Assessment (ECA) of affected segments.

Surveying and field data collection is an essential component to engineering, design, and construction. ENTRUST Solutions Group’s Survey team utilizes the latest GPS, conventional, and 3D scanning equipment to collect and assess accurate existing conditions. Our GPS is RTK (real-time) capable using the HxGN SmartNet Control Network with global coverage. ENTRUST’s staff also includes FAA Part 107 certified remote drone pilots enabling our design teams to offer a more cost-effective approach to data collection and scanning. This is especially useful for areas that are inaccessible due to terrain or security issues. Our survey technicians process field data to create imagery of complex environments and deliver mapping in various formats compatible across software platforms such as AutoCAD, MicroStation, and ArcGIS. Our technicians also specialize in compiling field collected data in conjunction with land records research to prepare topographic surveys, boundary surveys, right of way and corridor studies, ALTA/NSPS surveys, easement plats, metes and bounds descriptions, and subdivision plats for recordation. Additionally, ENTRUST’s Integrity Consulting team also performs field data collection and provides data analysis services to determine factors such as metallic facilities, impinging corrosion conditions, remediation recommendations, and oversight. From start to finish, ENTRUST’s Surveying & Field Data Collection team plays a vital role in every phase of a project, from concept, design, construction, to post-construction as-builts, we ensure a quality product that meets the needs and deadlines of our clients.

ENTRUST’s Corrosion Engineering team provides engineering and consulting solutions to preserve and protect critical infrastructure from corrosion in the oil and gas, water and wastewater, solar power and transit sectors. Our knowledgeable, industry-leading corrosion team is comprised of NACE-certified project managers, Professional Engineers (PEs), technicians and drafters who have decades of hands-on experience and world-class expertise. Services include cathodic protection design, AC and DC interference analysis and mitigation design, construction oversight and commissioning, annual or periodic code-related surveys and assessments, integrity and corrosion control field services (CIS, DCVG/ACVG, PCM, HDD coating, DOC, atmospheric) and assessments, E-Log-I testing and CPP oversight for gas storage facilities, full application of External and Internal Corrosion Direct Assessments (ECDA and ICDA), program and procedure review and development, and many more.

At ENTRUST Solutions Group, our experts in procurement view every project as an opportunity to help our clients evaluate suppliers, obtain bids, identify critical materials, provide solutions for time-sensitive projects, and conduct research for comparisons on best purchasing options. Through these services, we help our clients fulfill RFPs and RFQs, make sub-contracting decisions, and proceed with confidence. With decades of experience developing gas utility specifications, ENTRUST procurement specialists collaborate with our top-level engineers to identify each project’s best resources and pricing. This purchasing data affords our clients a fuller perspective on market trends, predictive factors, and product selection, making service comparisons and technical decision-making far easier. Most of all, ENTRUST Solutions Group delivers procurement insights to conduct accurate bid analysis and accountability in financial, regulatory, and construction requirements.