Ampirical - Buyers and Specifiers of Outsourced transmission and Distribution Engineering Services

We are conducting research on behalf of an institutional client of Woozle Research into the market for outsourced transmission and distribution (T&D) engineering services in the United States. We are looking to speak with professionals who buy, specify or otherwise influence the appointment of external engineering firms for T&D work — for example substation design, transmission line engineering, protection and control, relay settings, grid and system studies, and related programme support. Ideal participants sit within investor-owned utilities, electric co-operatives, municipal utilities, transmission developers, independent power producers or EPC and construction contractors, in roles such as transmission or substation engineering manager, director of engineering, capital programme or project delivery lead, or a procurement, category or supply chain manager with responsibility for engineering services contracts. We would expect participants to have been personally involved in scoping, evaluating, awarding or managing outsourced engineering contracts within the last two to three years. We are particularly interested in those who have first-hand familiarity with specialist independent engineering providers serving this market, including Ampirical, whether as an incumbent supplier, a bidder or a shortlisted alternative. Those whose exposure is limited to construction labour, equipment supply or general consulting unrelated to T&D engineering are unlikely to be a good fit.

The conversation will focus on how outsourced T&D engineering work is scoped and awarded, and how the providers in this space are perceived by the people who use them. Themes will include the mix of work kept in-house versus outsourced and the drivers behind that split, how suppliers are identified, qualified and placed on approved vendor lists, and the criteria that matter most when awarding work — technical depth, licensure and regional coverage, engineer availability, turnaround, safety and quality record, and price. We will also explore contracting and pricing structures, service levels and account management, reasons that lead clients to expand, reduce or switch suppliers, and how demand for this type of work is expected to develop alongside grid investment programmes.

The format is a one-to-one discussion by telephone or video call, lasting approximately 60 minutes and guided by a structured discussion outline rather than a fixed questionnaire. Calls are being scheduled over the coming weeks at a time convenient to you. Participants receive an honorarium of USD 350 for their time. Participants are asked not to disclose confidential or proprietary information, or information relating to their current employer's non-public plans.