Substation design projects, whether new or brownfield, are all too often similar to a relay race. The workflow typically consists of a chain of handoffs, where each designer waits for access to the design data, works on their specific projects, and then passes the model along to the next team member, hoping nothing important has shifted in the meantime. Substation design software like OpenUtilities Substation+ enables concurrent engineering, allowing multiple teams to collaborate in real time on a shared digital asset.
In a world of increased energy demand and compressed timelines, that “take turns” model becomes the silent bottleneck. It doesn’t just slow delivery, it breeds clashes, duplicates effort, and leads to decisions made from yesterday’s version of the truth. When internal designers and engineers, EPCs, and contractors are working in parallel on substation projects, sequential workflows become scheduling risks.
At SDSIC 2026, Bentley outlined a new approach that directly addresses this challenge: Concurrent Substation Design, enabled by OpenUtilities Substation+. Here is a deeper look at why traditional approaches break down, and how Substation+ enables utilities to move faster, safer, and more confidently into the future.
Why collaboration bottlenecks slow substation design projects
When substation design delays occur, they’re often blamed on complexity, data quality, or resource shortages. However, the most persistent constraint might be coordination.
Projects can involve multiple disciplines, including physical, electrical, civil, structural, transmission, and protection and control teams, along with numerous organizations working in parallel. Plus, in the case of brownfield environments, teams can perform upgrades that must respect existing assets. Consequently, effective coordination is essential to the success of any substation project.
Yet most design tools still enforce sequential dependencies and file handoffs, where one discipline has to finish before another begins. This workflow can result in conflicts remaining hidden until late in the process, leading to reconciling changes after the fact. The result is perhaps somewhat predictable: engineering teams block each other, projects stall or are forced into artificial sequencing, and decisions are made using outdated information.
Why file based substation design workflows fail at scale
For decades, utilities have relied on file based design exchanges to manage coordination. This system involves exporting models to DWG or DXF formats, importing or referencing those files in other tools, and manually tracking versions, changes, and ownership. While this has become a familiar approach, it can introduce serious uncertainty: are teams using the same coordinate system? Has a referenced model changed, and is it final? Which file version is actually ““orrect”? Are different engineers working from different snapshots?
As projects scale and overlap, these questions multiply. The risk isn’t just inefficiency, it’s rework, late conflict discovery, and safety exposure.
When multiple upgrades occur simultaneously within the same substation, utilities are often forced into flawed choices: forced sequencing, delaying critical work, or independent file copies, where conflicts are resolved later. Both approaches trade short term progress for long term risk.
The shift from file exchange to model based substation coordination
The first step toward resolving these issues is moving beyond individual files entirely. By publishing design data in a live, cloud based format, in the form of iModels, utilities can establish a single source of truth where changes are automatically synchronized. Stakeholders can all understand what changed, when, and why, and can carry out broad, browser based design reviews, without the need for CAD licenses. Coordination issues can be tracked directly on the model.
Model based coordination doesn’t replace existing authoring tools, it connects them. Bentley Infrastructure Cloud enables a shared, continuously updated digital context for collaboration. This context alone delivers meaningful value, but it is only the foundation.
Introducing concurrent substation design with Substation+
True project transformation happens when coordination includes fully concurrent design.
Substation+ is built on a simple but powerful idea: what if multiple projects, teams, and designers could work at the same time, on the same substation, without overwriting each other or losing trust in the data?
To make that possible, Substation+ introduces several core principles, including:
- One living digital asset per substation
Each substation is maintained as a living digital asset where the trusted as built condition remains intact. New work orders start from the same asset baseline, and design changes are integrated safely over time. This ensures every project begins with the same, reliable context, eliminating ambiguity from day one.
- Branching iModels for every project and every user
In Substation+, concurrency is managed through controlled model branching. Each work order automatically creates its own project iModel branch. Each designer then receives their own local working branch. Design work happens locally, preserving performance and flexibility, while synchronization occurs on demand, never blindly overwriting others’ work.
All branches are governed and stored centrally in Bentley Infrastructure Cloud, with access controlled by asset and project owners.
- Built In conflict detection and resolution
Concurrency only works if conflicts are visible and manageable. Substation+ automatically detects conflicts whenever a user synchronizes. Designers see exactly where their changes overlap with others, and conflicts are resolved before merging. Resolution is intentional, transparent, and auditable.
Advance detection replaces late stage surprises with early, informed decision making, dramatically reducing downstream rework and project risk.
How concurrent design improves substation project outcomes
The result is a fundamentally different operating model for utilities. Internal and external teams collaborate in the same environment, and multiple upgrades can proceed simultaneously. Engineers trust the data they’re working with, and asset integrity is preserved while change continues.
Substation+ doesn’t just make collaboration easier, it makes it safe and scalable.
How utilities can adopt concurrent substation design
Importantly, this transformation doesn’t require a disruptive “big bang.” You can progress at your own pace. It starts with federated digital twins using existing tools and scheduled publishing. Then, centralized design review and coordination is enabled through read only iModels. And, ultimately, you can upgrade to editable, governed Substation+ iModels when you’re ready. This staged approach delivers immediate value while paving a clear path to full concurrent engineering.
The benefits of concurrent substation design for utilities
The challenge isn’t just engineering complexity, it’s collaboration at scale. As utilities confront accelerating investment cycles and increasing delivery pressure, the ability to execute work concurrently is no longer optional.
By moving from file based coordination to concurrent substation design, Substation+ enables faster project delivery, reduced risk and rework, greater visibility across teams and projects, and a trusted, continuously evolving digital asset.
For engineering and design leaders, the question is no longer if concurrency is required, but how it can be achieved safely. Substation+ provides that answer.
Apply for early access to next-generation substation design
Substation+ is next-generation substation design software, purpose-built for intelligent 3D design, real-time collaboration, AI-assisted workflows, and connected cloud delivery. Apply for early access to explore how concurrent design can accelerate your projects and improve coordination across teams.
