Burns & McDonnell Earns ISO 9001 Certification for Electrical Transmission and Distribution Engineering

Certification Reinforces Already Rigorous Quality Control Processes

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Nov 20, 2017, 10:10 ET

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Nov. 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Burns & McDonnell was notified on Oct. 18 by the International Organization for Standardization that it has achieved ISO 9001: 2015 certification for engineering design of electrical transmission, distribution and network telecommunications for power infrastructure. The certification is a globally recognized standard ensuring that quality principles are incorporated, including strong customer focus, senior management support and involvement, process approach and commitment to continuous improvement. There are currently more than 1 million companies and organizations in 170 countries certified to ISO 9001 standards.

"ISO 9001 certification is a significant investment of time and resources but is well worth it because of the benefits it will bring to our clients," says Jim Hogan, senior vice president of Burns & McDonnell's Transmission & Distribution division. "Earning this certification reinforces our already strong commitment to quality. Every aspect of what we do — from engineering to management oversight and client consulting — is guided by consistent standards and processes. It really bolsters our methods and requires an enormous commitment to total quality in everything we do."

ISO 9001:2015 is a certification that validates that rigorous quality control processes and standards are being followed. For Burns & McDonnell, this certification was specifically given for: "The design and engineering of electrical transmission and distribution facilities, including electrical transmission, substations and network integration and automation." ISO certification assures clients they can expect accurate final designs and documents that are crucial steps to ensuring little or no rework once the project enters construction phases. Though Burns & McDonnell has maintained rigorous quality control processes for many years, the ISO certification ensures that a common set of standards will be applied as all work products are reviewed, audited and documented prior to development of construction plans.

The process required an extensive self-audit of all internal processes and has led to development of design work instructions and a project management manual that create standards for all steps of projects that often pose unique challenges. Electric infrastructure projects are particularly complex and benefit from high quality work being completed on every assignment.

"Continuous improvement processes and total quality management are concepts that are well-known in many industries and by many of our clients," Hogan added. "We are taking this step because it is obvious that the engineering industry can benefit from demonstrating a commitment to eliminating variables that can create errors and rework."

About Burns & McDonnell

Burns & McDonnell is a 100-percent employee-owned firm providing innovative engineering, quality projects and constructed value to electric and gas utilities, industries and a range of power providers throughout North America and abroad. Ranked the No. 1 for Power and Electrical Transmission & Distribution by Engineering News-Record magazine, Burns & McDonnell provides design/build EPC, program management, SCADA and telecommunications engineering, studies, planning, routing, permitting, physical and cyber security and much more. Burns & McDonnell currently has more than 40 offices across the country and throughout the world. We strive to create amazing success for our clients and amazing careers for our employee-owners. Burns & McDonnell is proud to be No. 16 on Fortune's 2017 list of 100 Best Companies to Work For. For more information, visit burnsmcd.com.