Strategic and Legal Considerations

By Tom Olson

Anyone who performs below-grade construction recognizes that one of the most important stakeholders on a project is someone who is not a contracting party: utility companies. Without accurate information from utility companies, contractors experience extra costs, delay and significantly increased safety risks. The related problem of late utility relocation is equally problematic. Insofar as contractors do not have a contract with utility companies, the question is how can they protect themselves against these problems?