The Situation

A large pipeline company sought survey, land, and title solutions for a multi-segment NGL pipeline project traversing Oklahoma and Texas.  The client awarded Percheron’s survey group spreads in Oklahoma and spreads in Texas (221 miles) and awarded our land group a different spread, Segment 2 (198 miles).  The client initially hired a third-party title provider for Segment 2.  After the title phase of the project began, however, the client determined that the third-party title provider was not performing as needed.  Knowing Percheron’s capabilities to provide accurate and cost-efficient title, the client hired our title team to step-in, resolve the title issues, and finish title on all tracts along Segment 2.  

The Strategy

Percheron’s title team was facing a substantial obstacle – starting from behind to correct title on at least 56 tracts while also completing title on 633 other tracts.  Percheron needed to find a way to close the title gap and complete the project on-time and on-budget. Rather than handling title independently, Percheron’s title team planned to work closely with our land group. The land group would immediately notify Title when they learned of title that did not match with current ownership.  Land would relay details from landowner meetings to try to help Title remedy issues. Because of the working relationship and shared accountability between Percheron’s title and land disciplines, the two groups resolved to work together to finish the project on-schedule despite starting title from behind.

Meanwhile, Percheron’s survey team, working on a separate spread, was tasked with working with multiple firms outside of Percheron.  For our surveying team, success hinged on daily interaction with a high volume of contractors during the as-built and construction phases of the project. As such, the group decided that clear communication with the client would be paramount in completing the project on-time.

The Success

Despite starting from behind, Percheron used online resources and completed 689 title packages on-time due to the teamwork between Land and Title.  Working under the same roof, Title and Land easily teamed together to resolve title issues, keep the project moving forward, and communicate efficiently with the client. Percheron completed both the title and right-of-way acquisition phases within the established schedule and budget, providing the client with 689 digital title and right-of-way acquisition files, each file fully vetted through our quality management procedure.

Over the duration of the project, Percheron’s project management database maintained all title and land documents and notes, fully available to all team members and the client in real time.  Through our reporting tools and data management system, Percheron provided our client with up to the minute reports showing status, budget, schedule, earned value management reporting, and more. 

Percheron also shared these reports between the disciplines to further encourage shared accountability. 

Through clear communication with all contractors, our survey team completed 280 plats as well as construction alignment sheets for all phases, as built surveys for all phases, highway and road permits for all phases and ALTA surveys for the pump station sites.  While this project is still on-going, our survey team continues to rely on consistent and transparent communication with contractors and with the customer to provide each of these deliverables within the planned time frame and budget.