SCERT DATA
DICTIONARY
July 9, 2013
Engineering
Southwest Power Pool, Inc.
Revision History
Date or Version
Number
Author
Change Description
5/1/2012
Cary Frizzell
Initial Draft
5/8/2012
Cary Frizzell
Edited by PCWG
5/10/2012
Cary Frizzell
Edited based on comments
from TWG
8/7/2012 (Version
1.0)
Cary Frizzell
Approved by PCWG
1.1
Cary Frizzell
Added field NonTransmission Cost Amount
($) and Project/Upgrade
definitions
1.2
Cary Frizzell
Added definitions for
Expenditures Info and
Status of Construction
Phases
1.3
Cary Frizzell
Removed Internal
Escalation Rate field and
language describing
escalation for multi-year
Projects; added field
Project Status and language
describing process of
escalation for baseline
estimates
SCERT Instruction Manual
Comments
1
Southwest Power Pool, Inc.
Table of Contents
Revision History ...........................................................................................................................................1
SCERT Data Dictionary ..............................................................................................................................3
Overview ..........................................................................................................................................3
Identification Fields .........................................................................................................................3
Cost Estimate Fields ........................................................................................................................6
Line Assumptions ............................................................................................................................8
Station Assumptions ......................................................................................................................12
SCERT Instruction Manual
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Southwest Power Pool, Inc.
SCERT Data Dictionary
Overview
This document provides guidelines to Designated Transmission Owners (DTOs) for completing a
Standardized Cost Estimate Reporting Template (SCERT). The SCERT was developed by the
Project Cost Task Force (PCTF) and later adopted by the Project Cost Working Group (PCWG) as a
Project tracking communication vehicle that will provide a consistent format among all cost
estimates and facilitate SPP’s Project tracking process. Its utilization is described in SPP OATT
Business Practice, 7060 Notification to Construct and Project Cost Estimating Processes Effective
January 1, 2012 (NTC BP). Portions of the SCERT’s content were added by suggestion from the
Design Best Practices and Performance Criteria Task Force who developed the Study Estimate
Design Guide (SEDG). In the SEDG, scoping requirements are listed for the DTO to use when
developing a Study Estimate for a Project. These requirements were incorporated into the SCERT.
A Project is defined as a modification or addition to transmission-related facilities that (i) has one or
more constituent Upgrades, (ii) functions as a unified whole, and (iii) is designed to satisfy a specific
need identified through one of SPP’s planning processes. Every Project is assigned a unique
identification number called a PID.
An Upgrade is a discrete component of a Project. Multiple Upgrades are useful where it is desirable
to separate portions of a Project by ownership, cost-allocation treatment, function, or another
purpose. Every Upgrade is assigned a unique identification number called a UID. Each Project must
include at least one UID.
An individual SCERT must be completed for each Upgrade of a Project. Each estimate should
include information that is known or assumed for that respective Upgrade only.
The SCERT contains four sections of information to be populated:
1) Identification fields that define what is being done
2) Cost estimate amounts and financial data fields
3) Assumptions for transmission line work
4) Assumptions for station work
Identification Fields
Data fields that identify and categorize the Upgrade are populated by both SPP and the DTO.
The following identification fields will be populated by SPP staff:
Field Title
SCERT Instruction Manual
Description
Example(s)
3
Southwest Power Pool, Inc.
Network Upgrade Name
Title given to uniquely identify Upgrade;
typically consists of bus name(s), voltage(s),
and circuit number associated with Upgrade
Project ID
Identification number assigned to each
Project (PID)
Upgrade ID
Identification number assigned to each
Upgrade (UID)
High Voltage
Resulting nominal operating voltage of
facility after the work associated with the
Upgrade has been completed; for Upgrades
involving substations with transformers,
resulting nominal operating voltage of high
voltage side of facility
Low Voltage
Resulting nominal operating voltage of low
voltage side of facility (populated only for
Upgrades involving substations with
transformers)
Project Estimate Stage
The estimation stage that the Project is
currently in, as defined in NTC BP (will be
blank for Projects with a date of NTC
issuance prior to January 1, 2012)
Baseline Estimate (Y/N)
Flag to indicate whether current estimate will
be used as baseline to measure subsequent
estimates
Network Upgrade
Description
Brief description of the work being done as a
part of the Upgrade provided by SPP
Estimate Request Date
Date SPP made request for estimate
RTO Determined Need
Date
Date determined by SPP staff while
evaluating the transmission needs in
accordance with study processes under SPP
OATT
Estimate Provider
(Company)
The name (or abbreviation) of TO designated
to construct Upgrade and providing estimate
Project Status
The current status of the Upgrade related to
the expected in-service date and RTO
Determined Need Date
SCERT Instruction Manual
Emerson - Taylor 345 kV Ckt 1
Study, NPE, CPE
Construct 15 miles of new 345
kV line from Taylor to
Emerson.
Complete, Delay - Mitigation
4
Southwest Power Pool, Inc.
The following identification fields will be populated by the DTO when completing an initial SCERT
for an Upgrade, then updated when completing subsequent SCERTs:
Field Title
Description
Estimate Creation Date
Date the estimate is created by DTO (this
field will be auto-populated with the current
date once the estimate is submitted to SPP)
Point of Contact
Individual from DTO to be contacted if
questions regarding the estimate arise
Network Upgrade
Scope
Detailed description of work being done as a
part of the Upgrade provided by DTO
Estimate Provider
Comments
Additional comments provided by DTO to
communicate miscellaneous information not
listed elsewhere regarding Upgrade's status,
cost assumptions, special considerations, etc.
In-Service Date
Date Upgrade is projected to be in service
Mitigation Plan
Required when In-Service Date is beyond
RTO Determined Need Date; description of
action plan to mitigate reliability need until
Upgrade is in-service
Network Upgrade Start
Date
Date work begins on Upgrade
Network Upgrade Lead
Time (Months)
Number of months required to complete the
Upgrade including Right-of-Way,
engineering design, procurement and
construction lead times
Status of Construction
Phases
Indicates the status of the Upgrade related to
each of the following construction phases:
- Engineering/Design
- Siting and Routing
- Environmental Studies
- Permits
- Material Procurement
- Construction
Only one of the three status designations
shall be selected for each phase:
- Not Started
SCERT Instruction Manual
Example(s)
Construct 15 miles of new 345
kV line from Taylor to
Emerson. Replace 2 breakers at
Taylor substation.
5
Southwest Power Pool, Inc.
-
In Progress
Complete
Not Applicable
Network Upgrade In Service checkbox
indicates whether or not the Network
Upgrade has been energized and is in service
Cost Estimate Fields
All cost estimates should be provided to SPP in current year dollars based on the date in which they
are submitted.
SPP will escalate any cost estimate for an Upgrade that is considered a baseline estimate annually at
the rate assumed in the source study that originated the need for the Upgrade. The new escalated
baseline cost estimate will be used for comparison with any updated cost estimate submitted in the
same calendar year to measure cost estimate variance.
The following cost estimate fields will be populated by the DTO for each SCERT entry:
Category Title
Field Title
Description
Line Costs
Engineering Labor
Estimated cost of engineering and design labor for
any portion of the Upgrade related to transmission
line build, rebuild, or modification
Line Costs
Construction Labor
Estimated construction labor cost for any portion
of the Upgrade related to transmission line build,
rebuild, or modification
Line Costs
Right-of-Way
Estimated cost to obtain Right(s)-of-Way for any
transmission line build, rebuild, or modification
Line Costs
Reactive Compensation
(Labor & Materials)
Estimated cost of labor and materials related to the
transmission line to provide reactive compensation
in accordance with the SEDG
Material
Estimated cost of materials for any portion of the
Upgrade related to transmission line build, rebuild,
or modification
Line Costs
SCERT Instruction Manual
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Southwest Power Pool, Inc.
Station Costs
Engineering Labor
Estimated cost of engineering and design labor for
any portion of the Upgrade related to substation
build, expansion, or modification
Station Costs
Construction Labor
Estimated construction labor cost for any portion
of the Upgrade related to substation build,
expansion, or modification
Station Costs
Right-of-Way
Estimated cost to obtain Right(s)-of-Way for any
substation build, expansion, or modification
Station Costs
Reactive Compensation
(Labor & Materials)
Estimated cost of labor and materials related to the
substation to provide reactive compensation in
accordance with the SEDG
Station Costs
Material
Estimated cost of materials for any portion of the
Upgrade related to substation build, expansion, or
modification
Line Sub-Total
Total of all costs for any portion of the Upgrade
related to transmission line build, rebuild, or
modification (this field is auto-populated within
SCERT to sum all costs from Line Costs section)
Summary Info
Station Sub-Total
Total of all costs for any portion of the Upgrade
related to substation build, expansion, or
modification (this field is auto-populated within
SCERT to sum all costs from Station Costs
section)
Summary Info
AFUDC
Estimated cost of Allowance for Funds Used
During Construction
Contingency
Total of amount added to cost estimate to allow for
items, conditions, or events for which the state,
occurrence, or effect is uncertain and that
experience shows will likely result, in aggregate, in
additional costs
Summary Info
Total Network Upgrade
Cost Estimate
Total cost estimate of the work required to
complete the Upgrade (this field is auto-populated
within SCERT to sum Line Sub-Total, Station
Sub-Total, AFUDC, and Contingency)
Miscellaneous Cost Info
CWIP (Y/N)
Flag to indicate whether Construction Work in
Progress accounting principle is being applied
Summary Info
Summary Info
SCERT Instruction Manual
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Southwest Power Pool, Inc.
Miscellaneous Cost Info
Non-Transmission Cost
Amount ($)
Any costs associated with the project that do not
flow through the SPP Open Access Transmission
Tariff (OATT)
Expenditures Info
Expenditures To Date
($)
Total amount spent on the Upgrade at the time of
update
Expenditures Info
Contractually-binding
Financial
Commitments ($)
Total amount of committed dollars; this includes
materials ordered and services contracted, but
NOT included in the above Expenditures To Date
($) amount
Line Assumptions
The Line Assumptions section should be populated if the Upgrade or a portion of the Upgrade
involves a transmission line build, rebuild, or modification. All Line Assumption fields should be
populated with what is known or assumed at the time the estimate is created.
There may instances where work to more than one segment of transmission line is included in the
scope of work for the Upgrade. The SCERT includes data fields for line assumptions for an
additional segment, if needed. If only one segment is involved, the “Segment 2” fields should be left
blank. If the scope of work for the Upgrade involves more than two segments of transmission line,
SPP staff should be notified so that the Upgrades can be properly defined.
The following Line Assumptions fields will be populated by the DTO for each SCERT entry:
Category
Title
Field Title
Description
Number of Circuits
Number of circuits in transmission
line
Line Length
New Line (Miles)
Number of miles of new
transmission line to the system
Line Length
Reconductor/Rebuild
(Miles)
Number of miles of reconductored
or rebuilt transmission line
Line Length
Voltage Conversion (Miles)
Number of miles of transmission
line undergoing a voltage
conversion
SCERT Instruction Manual
Example(s)
15
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Southwest Power Pool, Inc.
Termination
Points
To Bus Name
Name of bus at “To” terminal point
of transmission line
Termination
Points
To Bus Number
Number of bus at “To” terminal
point of transmission line
Termination
Points
From Bus Name
Name of bus at “From” terminal
point of transmission line
Termination
Points
From Bus Number
Number of bus at “From” terminal
point of transmission line
Conductor
Type
Type of conductor being used in
Upgrade
1 Conductor ACSR Bittern
Conductor
Size (kcmil)
Size of conductor being used in
Upgrade in kcmil
1272
Conductor
Voltage (kV)
Voltage of conductor being used in
Upgrade in kV
345
Conductor
Ampacity
Ampacity of conductor being used
in Upgrade
Conductor
Emergency Rating (MVA)
Emergency rating of conductor
being used in Upgrade in MVA
Conductor
Number of Conductors per
Phase
Number of conductors per phase in
transmission line of Upgrade
Structure
Configuration
Configuration of the structures
being built in Upgrade
H-Frame
Structure
Foundation Type
Foundation type of the structures
being built in Upgrade
Direct Embed
Structure
Material
Material of the structures being built
in Upgrade
Steel
SCERT Instruction Manual
Emerson
Taylor
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Southwest Power Pool, Inc.
Structure
NESC Assumptions
Description of NESC Assumptions
Structure
Dead Ends (Qty)
Expected number of dead ends
needed for Upgrade
Structure
Tangents (Qty)
Expected number of tangents
needed for Upgrade
Structure
Storm Structures (Qty)
Expected number of storm
structures needed for Upgrade
Structure
Running Corners (Qty)
Expected number of running corners
needed for Upgrade
Structure
Underbuild (Y/N)
Flag to indicate whether the
transmission line construction
includes underbuild
Shield Wire
Number
Number of shield wires used in the
transmission line
Shield Wire
Type
Type(s) of shield wire used in the
transmission line
EHS and OPGW
Shield Wire
Size
Size(s) of shield wire used in the
transmission line
7/16" and 0.614
Width (ft)
Width of Right-of-Way in feet
required for transmission line
corridor
Right-of-Way
Acquisition
Description of what acquisitions are
required for Right-of-Way for
transmission line corridor
Fifteen miles of new Rightof-Way to be purchased
between Taylor and
Emerson
Right-of-Way
Clearing Requirements
Description of required vegetation
management in transmission line
Right-of-Way
Percentage of Right-of-Way
requiring tree clearance is
10%
Weather Loading
Description of weather loading
design assumed in estimate; weather
loading considerations discussed on
page 5 of SEDG
Extreme Wind (20.9 psf, 60
F); Extreme Ice (1.25"
radial, 15 F, 6 psf)
Right-of-Way
Design
Criteria
SCERT Instruction Manual
Heavy
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Southwest Power Pool, Inc.
Design
Criteria
Live Line Maintenance
Flag to indicate whether line design
will be capable of live line
maintenance
Design
Criteria
Unbalanced Structural
Loads
Description of unbalanced structural
loads considered in estimate;
unbalanced load considerations
discussed on page 5 of SEDG
Broken conductors on storm
structures
Permitting
Traffic Control
Requirements
Description of traffic control
requirements for transmission line
corridor
KDOT Traffic Control
Regulations
Permitting
FAA Requirements
Description of FAA requirements
for transmission line corridor
Environmental
Study Requirements
Description of environmental
studies being conducted for
Upgrade
Environmental
Wetland
Requirements/Mitigation
Description of wetland requirements
and mitigation plans
Environmental
Threatened and Endangered
Species Mitigation
Description of threatened and
endangered species evaluation and
mitigation plans
Environmental
Cultural/Historical
Resource Requirements
Description of cultural and/or
historical resource requirements and
mitigation plans
Type of Terrain
Description of general terrain type
of transmission line corridor
Switch Requirements
Description of switch requirements
for transmission line
Legal Requirements
Description of legal requirements
for Upgrade
CCN, state siting permit
Geotechnical Assumptions
Description of geotechnical
assumptions for Upgrade
Clay, limestone at 5-15 ft
Special Material
Requirements
Description of special material
requirements for Upgrade
Preliminary Line Route
(Rough location when
practical)
Known or assumed route of
transmission line
SCERT Instruction Manual
Environmental Assessment
(EA) for BIA lands
Rural, rolling hills
Taylor due east 15 miles to
Emerson
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Southwest Power Pool, Inc.
Access Road Requirements
Description of access road
requirements for transmission line
corridor
Generally travel down the
Right-of-Way
Distribution/Joint Use
Requirements
Description of distribution/joint use
requirements for Upgrade
Maintain clearance over
distribution crossings
Station Assumptions
The Station Assumptions section should be populated if the Upgrade or a portion of the Upgrade
involves a substation build, expansion, or modification. All Station Assumption fields should be
populated with what is known or assumed at the time the estimate is created.
The SCERT contains data entry points for two substations in an Upgrade. In addition, the substations
involved in the Upgrade may contain transformers, in which case the work could occur in any or all
of potentially three sides of each substation based on voltage. As such, the SCERT contains data
entry points for the high, low, and tertiary sides of each substation for each data field. For
substations that do not contain transformers, all “High Side” data fields should be used to populate.
The following Station Assumptions fields will be populated by the DTO for each SCERT entry:
Category
Title
Field Title
Description
Voltage (kV)
Voltage level in kV of
applicable side of substation
Location
Bus Name
Name of bus at applicable side
of substation
Location
Bus Number
Number of bus at applicable side
of substation
Transformers
Quantity
Number of new or replacement
transformers at substation
Transformers
Voltage (High kV/Low
kV/Tertiary kV)
Voltage levels in kV of new or
replacement transformers at
substation
Transformers
Rating (MVA)
Maximum rating of transformers
at substation in MVA
Breaker
Scheme
Quantity
Expected number of new or
replacement breakers or circuit
interrupting devices
Breaker
Scheme
Configuration
Breaker configuration of new or
replacement breakers
SCERT Instruction Manual
Example(s)
Ring bus
12
Southwest Power Pool, Inc.
Breaker
Scheme
Ampacity
Ampacity of new or replacement
breakers or circuit interrupting
devices (minimum level if
multiple ampacities exist)
Breaker
Scheme
Interrupting Capacity
Rating (kA)
Interrupting capacity rating in
kA of new or replacement
breakers (minimum level if
multiple ratings exist)
Wave Traps
Quantity
Expected number of new or
replacement wave traps
Wave Traps
Ampacity
Ampacity of new or replacement
wave traps
Switches
Quantity
Expected number of new or
replacement switches
Switches
Ampacity
Ampacity of new or replacement
switches
Stand Alone
CTs
Quantity
Expected number of new or
replacement stand alone CTs
Stand Alone
CTs
Ampacity
Ampacity of new or replacement
stand alone CTs
PTs
Quantity
Expected number of new or
replacement PTs
PTs
Voltage (kV)
Voltage level in kV of new or
replacement PTs
CCVTs
Quantity
Expected number of new or
replacement CCVTs
CCVTs
Voltage (kV)
Voltage level in kV of new or
replacement CCVTs
Capacitors
Quantity
Expected number of new or
replacement capacitors
Capacitors
Size (MVAR)
Size in MVARs of new or
replacement capacitors
Reactors
Quantity
Expected number of new or
replacement reactors
Reactors
Size (MVAR)
Size in MVARs of new or
replacement reactors
Control Panels
Quantity
Expected number of new or
replacement control panels
Control Panels
Voltage (kV)
Voltage in kV of new or
replacement control panels
SCERT Instruction Manual
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Southwest Power Pool, Inc.
Environmental
Study Requirements
Description of environmental
studies being conducted for
Upgrade
Environmental
Wetland
Requirements/Mitigation
Description of wetland
requirements and mitigation
plans
Environmental
Threatened and
Endangered Species
Mitigation
Description of threatened and
endangered species evaluation
and mitigation plans
Environmental
Cultural/Historical
Resource Requirements
Description of cultural and/or
historical resource requirements
and mitigation plans
BIL Rating (kV Crest)
BIL rating measured by kV
Crest of substation insulators,
power transformer bushings,
potential transformer bushings,
current transformer bushings,
and power PTs
Required Substation
Property/Fence
Expansions
Description of any required
substation property and/or fence
expansion activities to complete
Upgrade
The Waldo substation
site will require land
purchase for site
expansion to
accommodate the 345kV
bus upgrade work.
SCADA Requirements
Description of any SCADA
requirements to complete
Upgrade
New RTU required in
345 kV control center at
Waldo substation.
Mobile Substation
Requirements
Description of any mobile
substation requirements to
complete Upgrade
During the cutover of
the distribution station
Control Enclosure
Expansions
Description of any control
enclosure expansions required to
complete Upgrade
New equipment
enclosure required.
Fiber Optic Requirements
Description of any fiber optic
requirements to complete
Upgrade
OPGW along with
ADSS will be required
at all installations
Remote End Requirements
Description of any remote end
requirements to complete
Upgrade
Relay upgrades may be
required at the remote
line end terminals.
Metering Requirements
Description of any metering
requirements to complete
Upgrade
New extended range
metering CT's are
required to meet the
3000A minimum
requirement.
SCERT Instruction Manual
Environmental
Assessment (EA) for
BIA lands
14
Southwest Power Pool, Inc.
Contamination
Requirements
Description of any
contamination requirements to
complete Upgrade
Oil containment
Unusual Site Prep
Requirements
Description of any unusual site
prep requirements to complete
Upgrade
Extensive site
prep/landscaping will
likely be required as a
condition of the
Conditional Use Permit.
SCERT Instruction Manual
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