Monday, September 21, 2026

• Morning: Golf & Disc Golf Outings

• 6:00pm - 7:00pm: Welcome Reception (Sponsored by SSMC)

• 9:00pm: Hospitality Suite Open (Sponsored by LSW Land Services, LLC)

 

Tuesday, September 22, 2026

• 6:50am - 7:50am: Breakfast (Sponsored by WSP)

• 8:00am - 8:15am: Welcome Remarks

• 8:15am - 8:45am: Before You Dig Australia Conference SUE

  • Presenter: Nick Zembillas, Subsurface Utility Engineering, LLC​

• 8:45am - 9:30am: Finding Value in the Unknown: How Dry Holes and Unknown Utilities Improve Project Outcomes

  • Presenter: Andrew Clark, SAM​

  • Description: In Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE), success is often measured by what is found, but some of the most valuable outcomes are what is confirmed. This presentation challenges common misconceptions surrounding unknown utilities and dry holes, demonstrating how these findings reduce uncertainty, improve design decisions, and prevent costly construction impacts. Through real-world examples and practical guidance, attendees will discuss how proper investigation, documentation, and communication transform uncertainty into actionable information that strengthens project delivery.

• 9:30am - 10:15am: Advanced Multi-Channel GPR for Live As-Built Verification

  • Presenter: Daniel Broekhove & Patrick Baldwin, Screening Eagle​

  • Description: This presentation will explore how advanced multichannel Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) technology from Proceq is transforming subsurface utility investigations through live as-built verification. Attendees will learn how high-density multichannel GPR data can be combined with existing design files, utility records, and as-built drawings to verify underground infrastructure in real time. The session will highlight practical workflows for utility mapping, quality assurance, conflict detection, and project risk reduction while demonstrating how cloud-based data sharing, visualization, and advanced imaging technologies are improving confidence in subsurface investigations and supporting more informed field decisions.​​

• 10:15am - 11:00am: Who Owns Utility Risk? The Emerging Role of the Board-Certified Project Utility Engineer

  • Presenter: Lawrence Arcand, 4Sight Utility Engineers​

  • Description: Utility risk often falls between project stakeholders, creating gaps in accountability and decision-making. This presentation examines the evolving role of the Board-Certified Project Utility Engineer (BC.PUE) and how the certification provides a structured framework for managing utility risk from planning through construction. The session will highlight the knowledge domains, competencies, and professional responsibilities that support successful project delivery.  It will also highlight next steps in the process including potential for additional non P.E. certifications.

• 11:00am - 11:45am: Reveal-Underdots

  • Presenter: Sam Wiffen​, Reveal

• 12:00pm - 1:00pm: Lunch (Sponsored by SAM)

• 1:15pm - 2:30pm: I Think I Can, I Think I Can: Panel Discussion on Incorporating SUE into Rail Projects

  • Presenters: Mark Mentele, UPRR; Alex Saar, CSX; Jeremy Tyson, HDR; & David Ferguson, Texas 811​

• 2:30pm - 3:30pm: Annual Meeting

• 3:30pm - 4:00pm: Time with Exhibitors

• 4:00pm - 4:45pm: Defining Demonstrable Need: A Practical Framework for Requesting and Sharing Sensitive Utility Infrastructure Data

  • Presenter: Dan Colby, Utility Mapping Services, P.C.​

  • Description: As demand for utility infrastructure data increases to support engineering, design, construction, and digital delivery initiatives, infrastructure owners and operators face growing pressure to balance data accessibility with security, regulatory compliance, and risk management. Federal frameworks such as DHS Protected Critical Infrastructure Information (PCII), NERC CIP, PHMSA guidance, and emerging infrastructure security practices consistently emphasize the concept of demonstrable need as a prerequisite for accessing sensitive infrastructure information. However, the industry lacks a clear, practical definition of what constitutes demonstrable need and how to document it in a consistent, defensible manner. This presentation introduces a structured, federal-aligned definition of Demonstrable Need and outlines a practical checklist organizations can use to evaluate and document legitimate data requests. Attendees will learn how to align data requests with federal expectations related to authority, purpose limitation, data minimization, safeguards, accountability, and controlled redistribution. The session will also demonstrate a real-world Sensitive Security Information (SSI) Request Generator Tool that standardizes request documentation, improves transparency, and reduces risk for both data requesters and data owners.

• 5:30pm - 8:00pm: Dinner (Sponsored by Diversified Underground Inc.)

• 9:00pm: Hospitality Suite Open (Sponsored by LSW Land Services, LLC)

 

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

• 7:00am - 8:00am: Breakfast

• 8:00am - 8:45am: NAPUA Life Cycle Model

  • Presenters: Grant Piraine, North American Private Utility Association (NAPUA); Lawrence Arcand, 4Sight Utility Engineers; & Tina Sanders, Texas 811​

  • Description: Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) has established a structured approach to identifying and managing buried utility infrastructure during the design phase. However, as projects transition into construction, the quality and interpretation of subsurface data changes, and risk is often reintroduced at the point of ground disturbance. Despite the use of Quality Level B data and supporting records, most field decisions are still made under conditions of uncertainty. This presentation examines the gap between SUE deliverables and field execution, focusing on how buried utility infrastructure is managed once design assumptions meet real-world conditions. Drawing on operational experience across commercial and industrial sites, it highlights the limitations of geophysical locating methods, the variability of records, and the challenges associated with private buried facilities that fall outside traditional SUE and One Call frameworks. The session introduces a lifecycle-based perspective that aligns SUE, public locate systems, and private locating practices within a single framework. Emphasis is placed on the role of the field as the final point of verification, where data must be validated, discrepancies resolved, and risk actively managed before ground disturbance begins. Attendees will gain a clearer understanding of how to extend SUE principles into construction workflows, improve coordination between design and field teams, and apply practical strategies that strengthen due diligence and reduce the likelihood of utility damage.

• 8:45am - 9:30am: Efficiency and Streamlining Digital Twin Corridor Mapping

  • Presenters: Matt Wolf, ImpulseRadar & Clifford Meis, UMS

• 9:30am - 10:15am: Designing Stronger SUE Agreements in 2026

  • Presenter: Mark Amirault, Foundation Risk Partners​

  • Description: Do professional service contracts matter? If you've ever navigated a project dispute, you know the answer to that is a resounding yes. In this session, we'll review three brief examples of costly mistakes, and show how contract improvements can help prevent these issues.

• 10:15am - 11:00am: Locate Performance Management: Measuring the Quality of a Utility Locate

  • Presenters: Gary Schafer, Core & Main LP/Green Equipment/Eastcom Associates & Peter Mann, Radiodetection​

  • Description: The ability to measure the quality of each individual locator and locate mark that identifies underground utilities provides an extra layer of protection and assurance against damage. The data collected to present a performance scorecard drives accountability & quality improvement across this critical damage prevention discipline.

• 11:00am - 11:45am: Legislative Update

  • Presenter: John Palatiello, SUE Association​

• 12:00pm - 2:00pm: Lunch and Board Meeting