Asset Management

Steel Asset Management

QUES offers transmission asset management solutions enabling the power company to leverage capital funds to extend the life of its steel transmission circuits. The result benefits the electric power company and the rate payer via a lower cost, capitalized steel asset life extension and management program. Steel Transmission Tower & Steel Pole Management Solutions for Asset Life Extension may include:

Pole Inspection

IOUs, Co-ops, EMCs and other power companies spend large sums of money to inspect and maintain their pole plant every year. They do this to reduce replacement costs, extend the life of the pole plant and to increase the safety and reliability of the system. An effective inspection program paired with remedial treatments has proven to prevent unnecessary pole replacements and keep costs to a minimum.

On average, most distribution poles will have a service life of 30 to 35 years. If a pole is properly inspected and proactively treated, this service life can be much greater. With effective on-cycle remedial treatment and inspection, poles can have a service life of more than double the average distribution pole…that’s more than 70 years of serviceability.

QUES acknowledges and understands that no two contracts are alike and prides itself on the ability to adapt to the needs of the customer by providing customized Intrusive Pole Inspection Programs. Current customers range from small, rural electric cooperatives to nation-wide IOUs with contracts ranging from 1,000 poles to 350,000 poles annually.

QUES has partnered with Vector Force Development to assist veterans’ transition to the civilian sector by providing job placement and world class training at the Lazy Q Ranch in La Grange, Texas. All candidates attend an 8-week, veteran-based program, which provides the tools and knowledge to become a successful inspection foreman in the utility industry.

Pole Remediation

As a supplemental service to utility pole inspections, QUES offers Pole Reinforcement Services for the purpose of system hardening, system reclassification and the reinforcement of decayed structures. We currently perform reinforcements across the U.S. on distribution and transmission applications extending the serviceability of in-use poles without service interruption often at a fraction of the cost of pole replacement.

Stub Pole Asset Management

QUES tackles a common challenge for utility companies: managing the removal of thousands of unused “stub poles.” We’ve discovered the current process of utilities and competitors is inefficient, so QUES developed a new system to strategically remove these “clean” poles. The Quantum Application is the key tool. This software provides field crews with a map view of each pole’s location, allowing for easy navigation and site assessment. They can capture notes and photos directly within the app, ensuring all information is readily available. Safety remains paramount throughout the process, with procedures like locating buried utilities and careful cutting techniques to minimize risk. Our experience has allowed us to streamline the process of removing stub poles.

Meter Exchange

QUES’ Meter Exchange Software has performed over one million meter exchanges to date, boasting a 99.9% data acceptance rate by our utility partners. Data validations are performed during each transaction and upload, ensuring the highest possible data integrity. All meters and exchanges are tracked from “cradle to grave” with GIS, photos and all related meter exchange activity recorded during each transaction through our proprietarily written, web-based client portal, QManage. We can provide a true “Turnkey” solution with QUES and its sister construction companies to design and install the network systems to support the meter exchange process.

QUES’ Meter Exchange Services include: