St. James Hospital, Butte, Montana | Electrical Switchgear Replacement
The Project
St. James Hospital in Butte, Montana, needed to replace outdated and underperforming electrical infrastructure while maintaining uninterrupted patient care operations.
Project Challenges
Maintaining hospital operations: The replacement required extensive coordination for 50+ planned overnight outages, with each needing independent provisions for temporary power and operational coordination.
Zero room for error: Each breaker deenergization had to be precisely coordinated around patient care schedules with no unplanned interruptions.
Uncertain existing conditions: Existing electrical infrastructure made accurate cost estimation difficult, warranting a flexible contracting approach.
In-place rebuild: Despite increased complexity, the preliminary cost assessment warranted an in-place rebuild based on projected savings.
The Solution
Coordinated 50+ overnight outages with hospital operations, running generators to maintain essential services while crews worked on deenergized equipment.
Executed in-place rebuild by taking a hybrid approach in purchasing new electrical equipment sections and upgrading breakers in existing sections.
Shifted to an alternative contracting method, enabling better cost control given infrastructure uncertainties.
Clarified scope early to identify pricing gaps and position the project for success.
Standout Numbers
under budget upon project completion
MOPs developed and executed
unplanned interruptions to hospital operations
