Black & Veatch Corporation Work Values

Daily Duties at Black & Veatch Corporation:

I was hired to be the lead control and instrument equipment procurement engineer for two Advanced Boiling Water Reactor nuclear power generation units to be installed in Taiwan China. The assignment included assisting with the development of procurement bid specification formats, development and maintenance of control equipment lists with some inputs by others, development of bid specifications for each different instrument type, sending the specifications out for bid to qualified vendors, analyzing the bids, assist in awarding the bids to successful vendors and meeting project schedules. I developed familiarity with specification requirements and nuclear requirements. Initially most of my time was spent studying specifications from other projects for scope and content. I discussed legal and "boiler plate" specification requirements with B&V specification experts and attended seminars on B&V Nuclear requirements. I learned what would be required of all specifications and to be aware of special nuclear requirements. I developed equipment list formats in Excel, for all instrumentation, to be populated with data by others. I prepared descriptions and examples of entries for each data field for approximately twelve different instrument types. After the information was distributed, for the duration of the project, I monitored the lists submitted by each individual on the project, asked for appropriate corrections, and combined the data into one master list. I prepared or supervised preparation of specifications and bid documents for each different type of control instrument. The specifications included some device types such as instrument shutoff valves and tubing and fittings which were not included in the instrument lists. Approximately fifty different specifications were issue for bid, roughly three for each different device type. Each bid was analyzed for conformance to the specifications, acceptability of offered equipment, and price. The bid prices were adjusted to make all bids equally acceptable, and the contract was awarded to the lowest evaluated bidder. All required contracts were awarded before the project shutdown. Some 'Change Orders' were prepared under my supervision and submitted for execution. Due to political problems in Taiwan in getting the Nuclear plants constructed, the project was put on suspension. In November of 2000, design work was suspended except for a few details which could be quickly completed. The status of suspended work was detailed along with a synopsis of the work to be completed when the suspension was lifted. My work on the project was completed by the end of November. The project was resumed about a year later and others completed the few remaining required procurement tasks as outlined in the synopsis I provided.

What they like about Black & Veatch Corporation:

A hiring company that offers alternative approaches to pay, performance bonuses, and/or equity in the firm is very attractive to you. You're generally less interested in working for an organization offering only traditional, salary-based compensation, one with limited opportunity to acquire equity in the firm, or one that does not actively promote skill development. In addition, you are more likely to choose a company that offers a variety of internal career options, with defined career paths. You view the learning of new skills and development of your expertise as key to your career advancement. These aspects of an organization may become even more important to you as you progress in your field, and are especially critical if you change career or occupation.

Tags

Owner's Engineer, Nucler, Oil, Gas, Coal, Refuse, Panel Design, Supervisor, Procurement, Specifications, Control Construction Supervision

Skills

Logic Diagram Design,, Equipment List Design, Project Management, Schematic Diagram Design, Supervision, Control Systems Design, Specification Writer

These are some of the questions we asked our climbers about their experiences with Black & Veatch Corporation: