When an engineering firm enters the Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) market, establishing strict adherence to professional standards from day one is critical to safety, project budgeting, and corporate credibility.
In this testimonial from the 28th Utility Investigation School (UIS) in Indianapolis, Corey Smith, SUE Manager at Prime AE, explains why he brought his supervisor and entire field crew to BAMI-I’s intensive academy. Because Prime AE is in the early stages of developing its in-house SUE capabilities, Corey recognized that exposing the whole team to ASCE 38/75 standards was the fastest way to ensure lifecycle value and regulatory compliance.
Corey breaks down how a mixed-group learning environment—comprising contractors, consultants, and municipal leads—dismantles industry silos. This shared alignment leads to precise project bidding, significantly fewer change orders, and enhanced public safety on the job site. Aligning with BAMI-I’s objective to utilize post-UIS interviews to highlight broader industry challenges, this discussion emphasizes the necessity of unified field-to-office operations.
Key Takeaways From This Interview:
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Scaling a New SUE Team: Sending managers, supervisors, and field crews together accelerates technology adoption and standardizes data collection.
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Mastering ASCE 38/75: Moving past basic utility locating to provide design engineers with highly accurate, defensible subsurface data.
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Silo-Busting & Better Bidding: Putting contractors and consultants in the same room creates shared alignment, preventing costly design-phase friction and mid-construction change orders.
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The Immediate ROI: Transitioning straight from the classroom to briefing the survey department on optimized project scheduling and conflict avoidance.
About BAMI-I & The Utility Investigation School (UIS)
The Buried Asset Management Institute – International (BAMI-I) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization providing cross-industry, science-based education to protect underground infrastructure.
First introduced in 2016, the Utility Investigation School was brought to BAMI-I through the leadership of Course Director Tom Iseley and relies on the foundational curriculum developed by industry pioneer Jim Anspach. As the premier gateway for firms to master ASCE utility standards, UIS mitigates risk and secures project lifecycles.
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