Outages are costly to a company such as Massachusetts-based InterGen, which operates power generation facilities on four continents. When a plant goes down, the company often must buy power on spot markets to fulfill its contracts—at $180,000 or more per day.

When a mechanical breakdown causes an outage, InterGen typically hires specialists to fix the problem as quickly as possible. Cost is also a consideration, so InterGen usually seeks a fixed-price contract for the repair work—generally less expensive than paying on the basis of time and materials.

To enable contractors to quote a price for the work,InterGen provides them with drawings, technical data, work orders, purchase information, photographs, access needs, insulation needs, coating systems, heat tracing requirements, and more. This package also lets the contractor get people with the right skills to the job site and give them the right instructions.