Our Project Success

TOP Engineers Plus has served clients across the United States providing Communications Engineering solutions to turn complex challenges into simple, actionable solutions. Learn about our project capabilities from the detailed descriptions of current or recent communications engineering infrastructure improvement projects (project details of installation, system and locations have been sanitized to protect our clients in critical infrastructure).

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As each phase of an installation is completed, our clients can independently manage the installation with confidence and flexibility. We have called upon the communications engineering experience of our seasoned team members to strategically approach each project to ensure the projects are completed on target, on time and on budget. TOP Engineers Plus recognizes the importance of effective communication to support the progression of a project or program. A culture of communication is established to provide an opportunity to resolve outstanding issues in a timely manner by systematically providing updates, documenting progress and enabling cooperation.

FIBER OPTIC REPLACEMENT PROGRAM

TOP Engineers Plus was selected to provide a turn-key communications engineering design and implementation for the installation of 97 miles of fiber into 26 substations as part of a program to replace existing aged fiber optic infrastructure. Implementation of this project has drawn on our extensive knowledge of the electric distribution overhead and underground standards. TOP Engineers Plus brought to the project our experience with critical infrastructure in the electric utility industry, extensive experience with fiber infrastructure, and understanding of the National Electric Safety Code standards for utility pole contacts.

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The turn-key project involves Preliminary Engineering, Field Survey, Development of Issue for Review Documents, Pole Attachment Application Process, Make-Ready Engineering, Communications Make-Ready Design, Highway and Railroad Crossing permits; Development of Issue to Construction documents; Installation, Splicing, Testing and Documentation.

TOP Engineers Plus establishes foundational processes to report status, reflects issues, and offers a communication forum to address challenges that could affect project scope, schedule and budget. As issues or opportunities are presented that may impact design components, they are evaluated, addressed and documented.

FIBER BACKBONE PILOT

TOP Engineers Plus provides design services to an electric utility organization for their critical communications infrastructure backbone. The program began with a Master Plan, moved into a Pilot Project for a demonstration of deliverables, and then into a comprehensive multi-year System Implementation Program to implement a backbone network of fiber to efficiently connect over fifty (50) substations.

TOP Engineers Plus teamed with the utility to ascertain their immediate and long-term needs. We engaged in the development of a Master Plan including a complete bill of materials, phased budget and implementation plan to meet their overall goals.

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We conducted field surveys, performed make-ready assessments, and analyzed and determined routing and facility entry requirements for the development of detailed engineering packages. All these efforts supported the development of a comprehensive bill of materials, prioritization of phases, establishment of budgetary requirements, and production of construction estimates.

Implementation of this project has drawn on TOP Engineers Plus’s extensive knowledge of the Electric Distribution Overhead and Underground Standards. TOP Engineers Plus was brought into the project for our experience with critical infrastructure in the Utility Industry, extensive experience with Fiber Infrastructure, and understanding of the NESC standards for Utility Pole contacts. TOP Engineers Plus has worked with utility engineers to establish internal standards for the deployment of fiber optic cable in every aspect of their infrastructure.

ASSET INVENTORY

TOP Engineers Plus was called upon to perform this audit of fiber optic infrastructure assets for an electric cooperative because of demonstrated experience in the field of fiber optic infrastructure. We implemented a coordinated approach to document existing facilities using laser-based field tools and mobile software applications to measure, model and document facilities. We identified and documented existing fiber optic assets, tracked fiber path, identified routes, and labeled fiber. Documented underground facilities and coordinated with the aerial team regarding transformation from overhead to underground.

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Nearly 1.5 million feet of cable metadata surveyed; nearly 1800 network features documented with GPS; all survey data placed into Fiber Management tool. The information was used to develop confirmable documentation for the client to reflect the magnitude and complexity of an extensive network of fiber. We utilized established foundational processes to capture information, provide documentation and facilitate communication to keep projects on task, on schedule and on budget. By systematically providing updates, documenting progress and enabling cooperation, a culture of communication was established to provide an opportunity to resolve outstanding issues in a timely manner.

FIBER BACKBONE AND FIBER TO THE HOME

TOP Engineers Plus provides design services to an electric utility organization for their critical communications infrastructure backbone and their Fiber to the Home (FTTH) program. TOP Engineers Plus performs field surveys starting from the electric substation going out through the electric distribution feeders to the customer homes. The tasks have drawn on TOP Engineers Plus’s extensive knowledge of the Electric Distribution Overhead and Underground Standards.

TOP Engineers Plus has worked closely with utility engineers to implement cutting edge FTTH requirements in the Outside Plant Designs. TOP Engineers Plus incorporates the use of Corning Fiber Configurator to support the development of a comprehensive bill of materials and the use of CrescentLink for Fiber Management documentation. Detailed Engineering Design Packages are produced that include data from Field Surveys, Make-Ready assessments, detailed route analysis, and facility entry requirements.

FIBER BACKBONE

TOP Engineers Plus provides communications engineering design services for critical communications infrastructure backbone that has drawn on TOP Engineers Plus’s extensive knowledge of electric distribution overhead and underground standards. TOP Engineers Plus worked with the client’s engineers to establish internal standards for the deployment of fiber optic cable in every aspect of their infrastructure. This includes developing a comprehensive bill of materials, establishing design standards, prioritizing routes, establishing budget requirements, and producing anticipated construction estimates. Detailed engineering design packages are produced that include data from field surveys, make-ready assessments, detailed route analysis, and facility entry requirements. The detailed engineering design packages are then used to support the bid process to obtain construction resources for installation. TOP Engineers Plus has supported the installation process of a pilot and one phase of construction and is preparing to go to the construction of the next phase of infrastructure installation.

OUTSIDE/INSIDE PLANT DESIGN & IMPLEMENTATION

TOP Engineers Plus was involved with a multi-phase, multi-discipline, fast-paced effort for the renovation of two existing buildings to serve as a call center for an international company. This project involved both Outside Plant Design and Inside Plant Design.

Outside Plant Design for the installation of connective pathways provided an inter-building route for fiber optic cable to be used both by the client for intra-company data and the by the owner for inter-building management systems.

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TOP Engineers Plus used its extensive knowledge of the underground system to properly survey, identify route and conduit options and document for future design use. After the desired route was selected, TOP Engineers Plus conducted the survey, design, and installation of the fiber optic cables. Some manhole to manhole paths included the installation of Maxcell, a multi-envelope system for dense cable pulls, to maximize the flexibility for the owner to use in the future. Efficient use of the underground ducts, even by communications providers, is absolutely critical because the placement of a new duct bank is prohibitively expensive. TOP Engineers Plus also designed the layout for the demarcation between the outside plant and the internal low voltage wiring.

Inside Plant Design for the installation of structured wiring for data and telecom required the technical expertise necessary to properly design the low voltage structured wiring for Data and Telecom in a multi-disciplinary fast paced construction environment. TOP Engineers Plus was responsible for consolidating the designs for other disciplines such as Security, Access Control, and Multi-media. Through collaboration and creative problem solving, TOP Engineers Plus was able to play a key role in moving this project forward. TOP Engineers Plus directed the services of a key subcontractor to provided installation of the Designs that TOP Engineers Plus developed. Schedule constraints, changes between disciplines, and physical obstacles were evaluated and addressed in a timely manner to make sure that the client obtained the desired outcome. Unique circumstances that presented variations to the design included access from crawl spaces below the building to serve multi-dimensional uses on the floor above. TOP Engineers Plus was able to overlay the infrastructure design to make sure the paths avoided critical facilities in the basement but still provided useful location for the desks on the first floor.

FIBER MANAGEMENT & FIBER MONITORING

TOP Engineers Plus provided a turnkey solution for Fiber Management and Monitoring System that included all required software and hardware, installation and configuration, optional GIS maps, training, and optional database population services.

The turnkey solution involved technical oversight, discovery, overall design concept, development of GIS mapping of the system, development and population of database, integration of software, hardware, installation and configuration of monitoring system; as well as, training, testing and documentation.

TOP Engineers Plus utilized a Remote Fiber Monitoring System resource for the installation, configuration, and operation of the monitoring system. This proven resource develops and manufactures the world’s leading Remote Fiber Test System (RFTS) that monitors the physical integrity of fiber-optic networks and has been field deployed and proven for more than a decade in telecommunications networks around the globe.

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NETWORK DATABASE PROGRAM

TOP Engineers Plus was selected to identify and provide content for a comprehensive circuit inventory database platform to support a new district-wide optical transport network with expansion capabilities to include the client’s transport facilities.

TOP Engineers Plus provides services in reviewing existing transport network documentation and completing a detailed inventory of existing system – including Outside Plant and Inside Plant network equipment, circuit/services, connectivity, ports, routing and configuration. TOP Engineers Plus is developing Rack Layout Drawings for ninety sites.

TOP Engineers Plus has served as a facilitator in recommending a short list of Circuit Management Database vendors and conducting a needs assessment to account for organizational constraints. TOP Engineers Plus developed a ranking system and lead group in selecting a vendor/application based on how well the vendor satisfied the assessed needs of the client.