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BUSINESS NEWS JACOBS SELECTED FOR FIRST EVER RAIL MICROGRID PROJECT JACOBS ENGINEERING GROUP INC. HAS BEEN SELECTED BY NJ TRANSIT TO PROVIDE DESIGN AND GENERAL ENGINEERING SERVICES FOR THE NJ TRANSIT MICROGRID PROJECT. The objective of the $577 million NJ TRANSITGRID project is to implement a microgrid capable of providing reliable power for core critical transit infrastructure supporting rail systems operated by NJ TRANSIT and other operators of the Northeast Corridor. The microgrid will be capable of supplying highly resilient power during critical times when the regional electric grid may be compromised due to storms or other events. Key design components of the new microgrid include a central, natural gas-fired power plant and associated substations, transmission/ distribution lines to substations that electrify the tracks and operating controls for critical portions of the NJ TRANSIT and the NEC systems, as well as connections to the PJM commercial grid. Under the terms of the contract, Jacobs is providing owner’s engineering services including regulatory and economic advisory services, conceptual and preliminary design, procurement support, contract packaging for the procurement of design-build contracts, and construction assistance to support the development of the NJ TRANSITGRID project. Jacobs Senior Vice President Buildings and Infrastructure Randy Pierce stated, “We are very pleased and excited to partner with NJ

TRANSIT in developing this unique project. NJ TRANSITGRID is set to make a tremendous difference in the lives of the commuting public during the times when they need it most when events disrupt New Jersey’s critical infrastructure, isolating the local population from their jobs, families, and other important services. This project continues to advance NJ TRANSIT’s leadership in resiliency and recovery.” SIEMENSANDBENTLEYSYSTEMSAGREETOJOINTLY OFFER PLANNING AND DESIGN SOLUTIONS FOR UTILITIES SIEMENS’ ENERGY MANAGEMENT DIVISION AND BENTLEY SYSTEMS HAVE ANNOUNCED AN AGREEMENT TO JOINTLY DEVELOP SOLUTIONS TO ACCELERATE DIGITALIZATION OF PLANNING, DESIGN, AND OPERATIONS FOR POWER UTILITIES AND INDUSTRIAL POWER CUSTOMERS. BENTLEY SYSTEMS IS A GLOBAL LEADER IN SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS FOR ADVANCING THE DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, AND OPERATIONS OF INFRASTRUCTURE. THE FIRST OF THE NEW OFFERINGS WILL INTEGRATE BENTLEY SYSTEMS’ UTILITY DESIGN AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS CAPABILITIES WITH SIEMENS’ POWER SYSTEM SIMULATION SUITE, WITH SPECIFIC SOLUTIONS FOR POWER TRANSMISSION, POWER DISTRIBUTION, AND INDUSTRIAL FACILITIES. COMBINING THESE TWO PLATFORMS PROVIDES CUSTOMERS WITH BENTLEY’S EXPERTISE IN 3-D INFRASTRUCTURE ASSETMODELING AND GIS WITH SIEMENS’ KNOWLEDGE AND RENOWNED EXPERIENCE IN ENERGY

SYSTEM PLANNING AND SIMULATION. “The energy industry trend toward decentralization represents a significant challenge as well as a great opportunity for power producers and consumers alike, and our strategic alliance with Bentley Systems will help our customers better leverage this changing landscape through the combination of our powerful solutions,” said Ralf Christian, CEO of the Siemens Energy Management Division. “Siemens and Bentley share a commitment to openness, interoperability, and the common goal of helping our customers drive the digital enterprise across their supply chains.” Bentley Systems Chief Product Officer Bhupinder Singh said, “We are excited to collaborate with Siemens to help our power utilities users advance in ‘going digital.’ Siemens’ expertise in electrical power systems planning and simulation are the perfect complement to our GIS and infrastructure engineering solutions, and we will work together to bring new innovations and tangible business benefits to our users around the world.” Distributed energy resources, like microgrids and their off-grid on-grid mode, require more advanced planning approaches to ensure system reliability and stability. Bentley’s OpenUtilities solution for utility power grid design and GIS will be integrated with Siemens’ PSS Suite for power systemplanning to provide seamless workflows and data integration, while supporting optimal network design for both operational and economic performance.

should apply to every engagement? How do we communicate these expectations to our own team members? Our clients? How do we hold ourselves accountable? Each of these three lessons comes with significant nuance and a lot of balancing among competing priorities. Especially if you are like me, and tend to err on the “I’ll just do it myself” side of the spectrum – which does not accomplish a single one of the lessons articulated above! As leaders in your firms and as consultants yourselves, I welcome any pointers and additional lessons learned from The Zweig Letter ’s readers! No – really – email me your thoughts! JAMIE CLAIRE KISER is Zweig Group’s director of consulting. Contact her at jkiser@zweiggroup.com. “If the firm has no consistent approach to a project – communication, billing practices, managing the relationship, etc. – we have already limited our ability to successfully serve the client by adding a stress factor of unpredictability.”

JAMIE CLAIRE KISER, from page 9

client as a trusted partner. As we bring more members of our team into the fold, we also increase the opportunity to come up with a unique solution that we may not have thought about if we had not expanded the circle. We risk eroding the firm’s brand when the relationship is purely held with one person. What if one of the parties leaves (on either side – you or your client)? How do we entrench ourselves deeply within the client organization so that the client thinks that their partner is the firm, not just the principal or PM they work with most often? “We are all busy, but we need to make time to share with our co-workers what we’ve learned about our clients if we want to best help them achieve their goals – and be seen by our client as a trusted partner.” ❚ ❚ Consistency is a virtue. If the firm has no consistent ap- proach to a project – communication, billing practices, man- aging the relationship, etc. – we have already limited our ability to successfully serve the client by adding a stress factor of unpredictability. What are some hallmarks of our firm that

THE ZWEIG LETTER March 20, 2017, ISSUE 1192

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