Building a case for certainty in utility construction: A DTECH Conversation with Locusview

At DTECH 2026, Danny Petrecca of Locusview made a simple but urgent case: If utilities want predictable project outcomes, they must move beyond viewing construction as a back-end execution step and instead treat it as an invaluable data source that can fuel future grid operations. 

In our exclusive Power Perspectives conversation with Petrecca, he shared how digital construction management turns messy, paper-bound field workflows into reliable signals that shrink blind spots; cut rework; and connect planning, procurement, and operations.

For utility stakeholders, the upshot is clear: Modern grid operations are only as strong as the construction and component data that feeds them. When field workers remain paper-bound or otherwise disconnected, it means that visibility gets obscured, planning assumptions crystallize into bigger blind spots, and long-term resilience suffers. And these aren’t down-the-line problems to address—instead? Foundational work should focus on closing the digitalization gap in construction. 

Here are some of the biggest learnings from our conversation with Petrecca at DTECH ➡️

1️⃣ Consider the scale—and not just the scale of money.

When approaching major construction projects, it’s natural for decisionmakers to be most cautious when it comes to the budget. But through experience with boots on the ground, Petrecca confirmed that the budget is actually rarely the limiting factor.

“[Utilities] have the money to do it, they have the capital to do it. They don’t have the construction crews to do it,” he said. “They can’t find the transformers, they can’t find the poles.”

The message here is clear: Supply chain visibility and workforce management are underutilized points in making decisions. While most executives in any field may be thrilled to hear that the budget isn’t the problem…when the funds are there but the assets and people you want to spend the money on are hard to come by, frustration abounds.

So, what are those decisionmakers to do? To start, use available tools to simplify and more accurately plan…

2️⃣ DCM = certainty provider: Close the blind spots or live with costly surprises.

The core pitch is simple: Construction uncertainty is one of the biggest hidden costs of grid modernization and scaling initiatives. We think about the physical infrastructure to be built, we think about the software to then run and manage the grid…but scaling construction programs is where complexity really multiplies. When workflows remain paper-based or disconnected from enterprise systems…visibility lags, progress updates remain manual, construction records see small errors snowball into rework and delayed closeouts. 

In short, that’s how assumptions turn into operational risk. 

As Petrecca noted, “We like to think of ourselves on the DCM side as a certainty provider...There are a lot of blind spots in the construction of infrastructure for electric utilities, and blind spots cause uncertainty.” For utilities running multi-year programs, seemingly minor inefficiencies and gaps can snowball and create timely and costly course corrections. By acting as the sixth sense the utility executives may not have known they were missing, DCMs can instead translate directly into faster forecasting, fewer rework orders, and clearer capital prioritization.

But another key point that Petrecca teased out: Initial construction and implementation is just half the battle. Next comes properly managing, updating, and using that newfound visibility.

3️⃣ Field usability wins adoption, and as-built data hygiene is mission-critical.

For one, any newly implemented tech is only useful if crews use it. Petrecca’s mantra: Get the pencil out of the picture and put a tablet in its place.

Even well-funded digital initiatives fail if the field tools are slow, crash when offline, or don’t immediately demonstrate value (e.g., safety gains, fewer return trips). 

For program leaders, the takeaway is practical: Prioritize lightweight offline-capable apps, reduce friction in workflows, and show immediate and tangible wins for frontline workers.

And you want those fieldworkers bought into the tech, because they are a key demographic in ensuring regularly cleaned and updated data systems. Clean GIS and as-built records are the foundation for ADMS/DERMS and similar systems, but one-off cleanup projects are fragile.

Petrecca warned that construction data lags can be measured in months, if not longer. Worse, cleaned datasets erode as new paper-based as-builts come in. “10 to 25% of any ADMS project budget goes to GIS data cleanup,” Petrecca said. “That data is eroding the second you start pushing more paper-based as-builts that are two years old into your GIS.” 

Continuous digital capture—rather than periodic scrubs—is the only scalable remedy.

🤝 The bottom line: Partnerships turn point solutions into lifecycle plays.

Petrecca highlighted how integrations with meter and analytics players change the conversation from tactical fixes to lifecycle value. “When you combine those things, you really start to create this ecosystem around unifying different sources of data…How do you plan better, how do you build better, operate, protect, and maintain those assets better?” He added, “We don't directly sell resiliency, but we make resiliency better. We make it more proactive instead of reactive. We make it more efficient and we make it safer.”

For utilities, that means evaluating vendor strategies not by single-feature checklists but by how data flows from planning to the field to operations and back again.

Want to hear the rest of Locusview’s valuable insights? Don’t miss the full interview, out now.