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Field notes from the engineers and operators doing the work. No marketing fluff — just plain-language answers to the questions customers actually ask us.

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Articles
5 published
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Our engineers and operators
Practice · 7 min

What it means when a contractor says they "self-perform"

Contractors often say they "self-perform" the work — but the phrase can mean almost anything. Here is what it actually means in practice, why it matters for your project, and the questions to ask in a bid to find out who is really doing the work.

Sasha Reyes, PE · VP Engineering
KEY TAKEAWAYS
  • Self-perform means the contractor’s own employees do the work, not subcontractors.
  • On electrical projects, the most important parts to keep in-house are civil, electrical, and the protection systems.
  • When the same company does every step, schedule slips stay inside that company instead of bouncing between contractors.
  • Ask two questions in a bid: what percentage of the work will be done by your employees, and who signs the final inspection paperwork.

More from our team.

Engineering and operations writing across our different areas of work.
Infrastructure

How AI data center campuses get power: a plain-language guide

AI training campuses are being built faster than utilities can usually supply them. Customer-side substations are how the gap gets bridged. Here is how they actually work — explained in plain language, without the jargon.

Marco Garza · CEO · 9 min
Infrastructure

How large battery storage projects connect to the grid

Battery storage projects look simple on paper and surprisingly complicated in the field. Here is how the connection to the grid actually works, what choices developers face, and why the substation — not the batteries themselves — usually drives the project schedule.

Sasha Reyes, PE · VP Engineering · 8 min
Operations

What happens in the 12 hours after a storm response call

When a storm response call comes in, the clock starts at the call. Here is what happens in the next 12 hours — internal decisions, crews on the road, materials moving, base camp set up — and why the work you did before the storm decides whether you make the window.

Dele Okafor · COO · 8 min
Federal

What "U.S.-owned" means for federal electrical contractors

Federal procurement officers often ask whether a contractor is "U.S.-owned." Here is what that means, why it matters, and how ownership has quietly become a major filter on federal electrical infrastructure work.

Jamie Wen · VP Federal · 6 min

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