After providing outside plant (OSP) Engineering Services to a national telecom carrier for many years, TrueNet Communications proposed a radical redesign of their procedure for awarding work. Under the old model, local operations management requested quotations from multiple contractors for even the smallest OSP Engineering jobs. TrueNet proposed replacing this highly inefficient piece meal approach with one where work units and rates are established for each job function and all work is assigned to a single selected turf vendor.
Scope of Work
TrueNet was awarded a contract to assist the carrier in developing the new “plant engineering turf” model. Over the next twelve months, the two organizations worked together to establish work units and associated budgetary rates. After presenting their work to upper management, the project was green lighted and TrueNet was awarded the pilot phase of the project covering the carrier’s northeastern Florida district. A little over a year later, the client was comfortable enough with the new model to expand the coverage area to include all of central Florida via a formal RFP process – which was again awarded to TrueNet.
Results
Over a 90 day period after contract award, TrueNet hired and on-boarded more than 40 engineers, project managers, quality auditors, drafters, inventory control and management personnel. As the TrueNet Turf Team coalesced, it was assigned both business as usual (service orders, road moves, drafting, PLANET database updates) and project work such as fiber to the cell tower, metro Ethernet, new subdivisions and commercial building entrance facilities. From the very beginning, it was apparent to everyone that the OSP Engineering turf model was a success.
“The old work flow process had prevented any contractor from achieving economies of scale or implementing best practices,” stated TrueNet Communications founder, Jim True. “With the turf model, the carrier takes a hands-off approach. TrueNet personnel are located on-premise with the carrier but management and job production is strictly our responsibility – as long as we deliver a timely and quality product.” To that end, the client has instituted a strict quality control process involving both weekly and quarterly reviews with formal quality feedback occurring each month. “There’s a QA/QC checklist which the client uses to gauge both internal and contractor product. We’ve consistently achieved both their timeliness and quality objectives since the turf contract was let.”
