We Have LIFTOFF! The Alternate Locate Provider Launches

Mike Sullivan - President - Utility Safety Partners

Aug. 1, 2024 will go down in Alberta’s damage prevention history as the day when the digging community finally had an option to choose how they wish to have locates performed. Yes, after over two years of work, the Alternate Locate Provider (ALP) program launched in Alberta!

If you’re not familiar with it, the ALP provides professional excavators with the option to secure a private locator to locate and mark participating buried utilities rather than proceed through the conventional route of consortium members dispatching a contract locator to site. The advantages of the ALP is that project owners can receive locates in line with their project requirements and provide certainty around project timing and costs. The ALP works directly for the project owner on their timeline and can serve to reduce unnecessary downtime to improve project outcomes.

The ALP locate request is submitted through Utility Safety Partners’ standard ticket creation process by selecting “YES” in the Alternate Locate Provider Option field (watch this video to see just how easy it is). Once submitted, the ticket requestor works directly with their selected Alternate Locate Service Provider to agree on payment and project execution to have locates completed for members participating in the ALP Program. Members who are not participating in the ALP Program will receive a copy of the ticket and respond to the request following normal procedures.

So how did our first month go?

Utility Safety Partners processed over 45,000 locate requests in the inaugural month of August and close to 10% of those requests chose the ALP! We’re happy with the results and judging by the response, so is everyone else!