T2 Utility Engineers Inc. (T2ue) is a multi-disciplinary company that focuses on services related to Utility Infrastructure. They are recognized experts when it comes to managing the risks associated with utilities on complicated infrastructure projects. Since 2002, T2ue have become leaders in Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) services and now provide a range of services including utility mapping, CCTV sewer inspection services, utility coordination and utility design to a wide range of public and private clients across Canada.

One of T2ue’s original parent companies, Tampa Bay Engineering (TBE), was providing SUE services and recognized that there were no providers in the Canadian market. TBE decided to enter the Canadian market via a Joint Venture partnership with Totten Sims Hubicki (TSH) based out of Whitby, Ontario. Together they completed a successful pilot project for the Region of Durham. On the heels of that success they decided that they would make an investment in a key hire, Lawrence Arcand, whose goal was to change how people thought in regards to managing underground utilities in Canada.

T2 Utility Engineers Incorporated (T2ue) grew out of the original joint venture, officially incorporating in 2012. T2ue is led by President Lawrence Arcand, a licensed Professional Engineer who brings almost 20years of experience. “In the beginning it was just me. Jamie Bradburn was hired a couple months after me for his expertise in geophysics and field investigations. Many of the first hires (Matt, Stu, Ryan, Scott) are still with the company today, now holding key roles that are essential to the company’s overall success.”

“The Canadian marketplace had issues with regards to the way that utilities were managed on projects,” says Arcand. “Our concept was to bring some new ideas to the Canadian marketplace and reduce the risks that our clients were experiencing. Since those early days, we have now grown to a strong team of over 60 employees.” Arcand contributes much of their success to setting up a strong social committee, encouraging T2ue sports teams and hosting company retreats. “We create that personal small business atmosphere where we can grow as individuals and also together as a company.”

Arcand is responsible for the overall operations of the company across Canada and Internationally. He attributes one of the keys to the company’s success being the involvement and leadership on key industry groups. In addition to his roles within T2ue, he is a board member of the Ontario Regional Common Ground Alliance (ORCGA) and he sat on the Technical Committee of the CSA S250- Mapping of Underground Utility Infrastructure. He currently co-chairs the TAC Public Utilities Management Subcommittee. “I chair the Transportation Association of Canada’s Public Utilities Management subcommittee where municipalities, Utilities and ministries of transportation and other stakeholders from all across the country collaborate on new ideas and new methodologies that can be used for managing utilities. We have just published the Guideline for the Coordination of Utility Relocations, which I think will be a fundamental document that will shape the way utility coordination work is done in Canada.”

Other key staff including Jamie Bradburn and Ophir Wainer, represent T2ue in other industry groups such as the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers and Centre for the Advancement of Trenchless Technologies.

“What truly gives us a competitive advantage is being on the leading edge in the development of standards and guidelines that our industry follows,” says Arcand. “We try establishing ourselves as leaders in the industry so that we can shape the direction that it’s going in. Our clients know that we have that knowledge and expertise to keep them on the cutting edge.”

T2 Utility Engineers has the personnel and experience to handle any project from small designating jobs to large scale SUE (Subsurface Utility Engineering) mapping projects. “T2ue is a relatively small company but we do work on some rather large and notable projects,” says Arcand. For the past few years, T2UE has worked on 20-25 of the projects listed on ReNew Magazine’s Top 100 projects. “We’ve worked onthe 407 ETR expansion, the Union Station TTC redevelopment, Vancouver Airport Expansion, North East Anthony Henday Ring Road, as well as light rail transit projects across the country including the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, the Finch West LRT, the North Line in Edmonton,Ottawa LRT, the Seventh Avenue Line in Calgary and the Waterloo LRT project.”

One high profile project that T2ue worked on was theEast Rail Maintenance Facility (ERMF). T2ue was excited to have the opportunity work on this project which is located right in their home town of Whitby. The ERMF is an $850 million dollar, 500,000 square-foot facility designed to provide storage for GO Trains, as well as bays for maintenance of the trains. The building is designed to a LEED Silver certification. T2ue provided key SUE Utility Mapping services as well as topographic survey services for the project. T2ue is doingall SUE mapping services in house, and is teaming up with Ivan B. Wallace Surveyors to provide the survey component of the project. T2ue’s strategic relationship with IBW allows them to provide accurate above and below grade mapping for many key clients.

Known for being a niche engineering consulting firm, T2ue manages all SUE capabilities with in-house expertise. Designating, locating and the preparation of deliverables are handled by a strong team of professional engineers, field technicians and CADD technicians who efficiently and effectively complete the projects.

“Our focus is on providing quality services related to underground utilities infrastructure,” says Arcand. “We help our clients manage the utility infrastructure, which is a complicated aspect of their projects; and one of the top risks they face”.

T2ue works to manage that risk by first doing proper utility mapping so theyidentify the exact location of the utilities. “In the past, the standard practice was compiling records from utilities which were often incomplete and inaccurate,” says Arcand. “We’ve proven that through the use of geophysics and proper engineering process, we can produce accurate, reliable drawings of the underground infrastructure which acts as the foundation for our risk mitigation. From there, we’ve developed very effective techniques for identifying what utility impacts exist and coordinating with the various Utility company project designers to minimize the overall impact.”

T2 Utility Engineers is the largest most experienced provider of SUE services in Canada. The two main applications of SUE are at the design stage of capital works projects or to collect accurate information as part of asset management. SUE is an interpretive science and therefore the firm’s experience plays a major role in the overall quality of work completed. “The only thing worse than no data, is bad data,” says Arcand. “A properly planned and executed SUE investigation provides many benefits to the project owner including fewer project delays and lower overall project costs.”

Having reliable utility information allows the project designers to make informed decisions resulting in fewer conflicts and delays throughout the project. “SUE is the cornerstone of what we do,” says Arcand. “Creating those reliable, accurate maps of the underground infrastructure, has been a real growth area for us. Now as people are becoming more conscious of the need for good utility coordinators, we’re seeing that side of our business grow as well.”T2ue’s clientele boasts a roster of some of the most recognized names in the industry. There is no shortage when it comes to the company’s future ventures. “Two of the key projects that we’re excited about are our recent projects with Metrolinx for the Hurontario and Hamilton LRT projects,” says Arcand. “We are also anxiously awaiting the release of the RFP for the Gordie Howe International Bridge project, of which we are bidding with the AECOM team.”

Being on the forefront of innovation, T2ue is currently exploring new methods for the collection of utility data. They have currently invested in some state of the art CCTV inspection technology for the collection of sewer data. They are also using LIDAR technology, specifically as it relates to underground infrastructure, allowing them to tie the underground to the above ground in 3 Dimensions. “More and more now, we’re working to create 3D drawings of the underground infrastructure,” says Arcand. “Using a variety of techniques, we can create a complete 3D model of underground utility networks.”

In the midst of a dynamically changing and evolving world where technological innovation will continue its rapid pace; the world will be intensely interconnected and the engineering industry will need to be multidisciplinary and resilient. T2ue embraces this reality and is always one step ahead with their technological innovation. The team at T2ue is able to meet and exceed the demand when it comes to utility mapping, utility coordination and utility design to a wide range of clients, and supply the resources needed to complete both large and small projects on a national and international stage.

www.t2ue.com