The DPI is a program that has been established by CGA to address systemic inefficiencies in the damage prevention process through the development of a comprehensive participant accreditation and elevated metrics, creating the foundation for a consolidated benchmarking and true peer review process. The DPI, an arm of CGA, will build on Gold Shovel Association’s progress and take the industry to the next level by focusing on measuring the outcomes of all participants in the damage prevention process, while also assessing the systemic impacts on the industry overall.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Damage Prevention Institute (DPI)?
Who can participate in the DPI?
All DPI participants must be members of the CGA. There is no additional cost to participate in the DPI for current CGA members.
Participation in the DPI is voluntary for CGA members. While some stakeholders may choose to require those they contract with to participate in the DPI, CGA will not require participation of any organization.
There will be two types of participation in the DPI, measured and non-measured. Measured participants will primarily be from three stakeholder groups: locators, facility owner/operators, and excavators. Non-measured participants include Engineering/Design/Other participants. DPI participants can register as members of more than one stakeholder group (e.g., a facility owner/operator can register as an excavator and/or a locator if those services are in-house). We are working towards developing ways that 811 (One Call) Centers can participate in the DPI.
How much does it cost to participate in the DPI?
There is no additional cost to participate in the DPI for CGA members. CGA membership dues cover the cost of participation. To participate in the DPI, you must be a CGA member.
Is legacy data submitted to Gold Shovel available in the DPI?
Unfortunately, data submitted to Gold Shovel prior to January 2023 is not available in the DPI. CGA has been unable to incorporate legacy Gold Shovel data into the DPI. The DPI will function on data submitted directly to DPI DIRT after January 3, 2023.
What are the requirements for participation in the DPI?
All DPI participants must:
- Be a current CGA member (yearly)
- Complete the DPI Enrollment Form (yearly)
- Sign a leadership Commitment to Damage Prevention (yearly)
- Submit complete and accurate damage data (monthly)
- Submit complete and accurate metrics data (monthly)
- Agree to participate in the peer review process (cyclically)
What are the criteria for DPI accreditation?
While all DPI participants agree to uphold CGA Best Practices and other general requirements, accreditation criteria are tailored by stakeholder group. Click here to learn more about DPI accreditation criteria.
What is the role of 811 centers (one-call centers)?
We are working with 811 centers on detemining the best way for them to participate in the DPI. 811 centers have a unique perspective on the damage prevention process and can offer tremendous insights into where the process works well and where the process breaks down. Many 811 centers maintain robust databases that can support analysis of the systemic issues impacting the damage prevention process.
What are the requirements for data submission?
DPI participants will submit monthly underground facility damage data and other metrics using CGA’s DPI Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT). All metrics and damages for the previous month are due by the end of the next month (i.e. April data will be due by the end of May). We will send a reminder email 10 days before the end of the month to those who have not verified the previous months metrics.
What are the requirements for peer review?
All DPI members must agree to participate in the peer review process at specified intervals. Peer reviews involve companies whose profiles are similar. The process is facilitated by the DPI and involves a review of procedures, reports, records, and other damage prevention tools. Organization-to-organization feedback will be provided. With the permission of participants, lessons learned from peer reviews will inform case studies and other educational materials for use by the broader CGA membership.
How will the peer review process work?
The peer review process is under development. The DPI will take lessons learned from other associations’ peer review processes and seek to complement — and not duplicate — those efforts. The DPI envisions a peer review process that:
- Can be conducted remotely
- Uses a well-defined, step-by-step process
- Encourages sharing of successes and opportunities related to the processes employed by each organization
- Limits exposure of proprietary or competitive information
More information about the peer review process will be shared in the future.
Is data submitted to the DPI confidential?
Yes, any data submitted to DPI is confidential. However, at your organization’s discretion, participants may share their data with other DPI Participants. At this time, data submitted to the DPI will be used to measure the performance of organizations belonging to the three measured stakeholder groups (locators, facility owner/operators, and excavators).
How will performance be measured?
The DPI will use stakeholder input to develop different performance metrics for each stakeholder group. The metrics will support analysis of each participant’s performance as compared to the performance of that participant’s stakeholder group. Comparisons will be made in the form of standard graphical representations of familiar statistical analyses. The comparisons will not rank participants in relation to each other. Instead, the comparisons will demonstrate a single participant’s performance in relation to a generalized depiction of their peers’ collective performance.
Will there be any changes/expectations for excavators participating in the DPI?
Initially, there will be limited changes to the expectations for excavators participating in the DPI. The criteria for accreditation in the DPI will be similar to the criteria for certification under the Gold Shovel Association. While some stakeholders may choose to require those they contract with to participate in the DPI, CGA will not require participation of any organization.
What happens if a DPI participant fails to uphold its responsibilities?
The success of the DPI depends upon the active participation and commitment to shared responsibility of participants. Organizations that fail to uphold their responsibilities of participating in the DPI will lose their accreditation in the DPI. The CGA will work with those participants to support their return to accredited status as quickly as possible.
Will the DPI notify facility owner/operators about a contractor's loss of accreditation?
The DPI provides a list of all participants in the DPI and their status here, which is updated every Friday by 5 pm ET.
Will the DPI publish guidance documents for participants?
Yes, the DPI will produce guidance documents for all participating stakeholder groups in the near future.
If my company is accredited, is there a logo I can use?
Is the DPI a training program?
No, the DPI does not offer training or testing.
Who do I contact for more information?
Contact us at dpi@commongroundalliance.com with questions, comments, and suggestions.
How do I ensure I receive email communications?
To ensure you receive CGA and DPI emails, you will want to add us to your allowlist/whitelist (trusted sender). All member newsletters and group emails are sent from the connectedcommunity.org and commongroundalliance.com domain. Please whitelist that domain in full *@connectedcommunity.org *@commongroundalliance.com.
For those able to whitelist by IP address, all CGA emails use the following IP addresses.
54.240.14.78, 54.240.14.79, 54.240.14.80, 54.240.14.31, 54.240.14.32, 54.240.14.106, 54.240.14.216, 54.240.14.217, 54.240.14.218, 54.240.14.219, 54.240.14.220, 54.240.14.221
