Utility Account Matrix
What is the Purpose of the Utility Account Matrix?
The Utility Account Matrix is required on all projects with utilities per Procedural Directive (PD) 90.1. It allows projects to accurately track their utilities as they progress through both design and construction. To follow the standard project delivery process, the Utility Matrix also has two phases: 1. Design and 2. Construction.
This phase is to document all of the existing utility account information (no matter if they will be removed or left in place), where anticipated new services will be needed, and document all temporary utilities needed during construction. Temporary services must be documented during the design phase with the anticipated end date. A key finding from the Utility Audit of 2019 was that temporary services were frequently not closed and services continued to be paid, despite the utility being removed.
For all new services, the responsible asset owner, who will be fiscally responsible for paying the utility bill, must approve the utility service during design. If no party is willing to take on fiscal responsibility for paying the utility bill throughout the life of the asset, then the utility and the asset the utility service is feeding will not be installed.
The Design Project Manager is responsible for working with the design contractor, the Regional Utility Account Coordinator, and the Regional Business office to ensure a complete and accurate project matrix. At the conclusion of design, the Design PM will hand off the matrix to the Construction PM.
How do Project Managers (PM's) Identify the Need for the Utility Account Matrix?
Since the Utility Account Matrix is not in PMWeb at this time, the Utility Account Office will be leveraging the Technology/Systems Engineering Analysis(SEA) Assessment Form, which is part of the SEA process. The Technology/SEA Assessment Form will assist PM's in identifying if a Utility Account Matrix will be needed. If it is not needed, the Technology/SEA Assessment Form will document that it is not needed to prevent any confusion later in design, construction, or project close out.
Where is the Utility Account Matrix?
Email [email protected] to request a utility account matrix!
When is the Utility Account Matrix Submitted?
The Utility Account Matrix has several submissions. Each submission must be emailed to the applicable Regional Utility Account Coordinator(s) and [email protected].
Done by the Design PM.
The Utility Account Matrix must be submitted and approved prior to AD. Make sure to allow enough time for back and forth should there be any errors. The Regional Utility Account Coordinators need at least two weeks to review submitted Utility Account Matrixes.
Done by the Construction PM.
The Utility Account Matrix must be submitted prior to the transfer of the Utility Accounts from the Contractor to CDOT. If transfers are done before submitting the matrix, the Business Office will receive the utility bill and have no mechanism to look up the bill. This may result in utility bills not being paid as CDOT needs to validate utilities prior to payment.
Done by the applicable Regional Utility Account Coordinators and submission is sharing the updated Utility Account Matrix with the Construction PM.
This submission is only the Utility Account Coordinators verifying and documenting in the Utility Account Matrix that CDOT has successfully received the first bill for all new and relocated utilities.
The Utility Account Coordinator also must confirm no billing was received on terminated services.
Both new, relocated, and terminated services take at least a month to be reflected in the billing and for the Regional Utility Account Coordinator to confirm there are no taxes or any other additional fees to the utility bill.
Who Are the Stakeholders and What are Their Roles and Responsibilities?
Although it is mainly the project managers (PM) completing the Utility Account Matrix, there are several groups that support the PM. Exact roles and responsibilities are documented in PD 90.1 The below is a summary, but PD 90.1 takes precedence over this website should any content conflict. Should a visual swim lane responsibilities graphic be more helpful than written explanations, please email [email protected] to request the below info in a visual representation.
Each Regional Business Office can only pay a utility bill if it is tracked in the Utility Database. Should the Business Office receive a bill for a utility service not tracked in the Utility Account Database, then the Regional Utility Account Coordinator will investigate the source of the utility bill.
