Method Grid Helps Digitise National Grid Playbooks
Method Grid CEO Pip Morpeth welcomes Brett King, who brings expertise from Mace and ISG to drive National Grid’s AI-supported digitisation.
UK-based SaaS provider Method Grid has appointed Brett King as its Managing Director. The company’s operational improvement platform transforms project playbooks into streamlined digital interfaces supported by AI.
The appointment follows Method Grid’s partnership with National Grid’s Strategic Infrastructure team as it consolidates and digitises its project delivery cycle amidst a £150bn (US$198bn) critical overhaul of the UK’s electricity grid.
Brett’s time as an Operational Excellence executive at construction service giants like Mace, Multiplex and ISG – where he worked to align technology with operational improvement – will inform his approach to the digitisation of National Grid’s capital project delivery as he leads Method Grid through the partnership.
“If organisations struggle to deploy their CDE, construction technology and management systems consistently across projects, the underlying system of record remains fragmented,” says Pip Morpeth, Method Grid’s CEO. “AI has enormous potential to drive innovation and productivity across capital delivery.”
Operational challenges: why digital governance matters
The scale of National Grid’s transmission reform requires a huge spread of simultaneous capital projects across the UK.
- 17 major projects to deliver low-carbon power across England and Wales
- New pylons, substations and links to offshore wind farms
- A £1bn (US$1.34bn) rewiring of South London
- A new high-voltage direct current (HVDC) connection between Scotland and Wales
- 50,000 kilometres of new conductors installed across the UK
- 60,000 jobs supported across engineering, construction and digital roles
Tier-1 contractors for the project include Balfour Beatty, Morgan Sindall Infrastructure, M Group Services, Murphy and Omexom Taylor Woodrow.
A transmission overhaul at this level of complexity demands fail-safe mechanisms for coordinating workflow, in order to de-risk the synergy of multi-year supply chain frameworks and the regulation of hundreds of active sites.
Unclear documentation and fragmented manual systems threaten the efficient tracking of essential stage gates, like contractor onboarding and Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) checks.
Without a streamlined project management system, high-capital multi-site megaprojects like this one present considerable safety and productivity risks.
A tech-driven solution to the execution gap
By transitioning its capital delivery lifecycle to an accessible digital playbook with Method Grid, National Grid’s Strategic Infrastructure team can embed stage gates into an integrated visual workflow to support safe and efficient delivery at a major scale.
A fully-digitised system will offer several routes for de-risking:
- HSE and quality standards built directly into daily task roadmaps
- Templated onboarding processes and risk assessments for contractors and sub-contractors, maintaining consistency
- In-platform AI assistants that draw from approved playbooks of operating procedures
- A cloud-based platform accessible across its national spread of active sites
- Opportunities for live executive oversight
The team’s investment in technology-led, AI-supported operational excellence signals a transition from embedded legacy systems towards innovative project governance, pioneering a tangible solution to closing the strategy-execution gap.
At a key moment within the clean energy transition, a commitment to tech-enhanced project management within complex infrastructure delivery should be a major consideration for utility operators looking to outpace and innovate.
“This is a once-in-a-generation infrastructure challenge. It will take close collaboration across industry, government, regulators and supply chain partners.”
Key partners for the Great Grid Upgrade
National Grid Strategic Infrastructure: National Grid Strategic Infrastructure is the capital delivery arm driving the £150 billion (US$198bn) Great Grid Upgrade across England and Wales. Dedicated to connecting offshore wind and low-carbon generation to the network, the division partners with digital and engineering leaders to standardise project playbooks, embed digital governance, and accelerate the UK’s transition to a net-zero energy system.
Balfour Beatty: As a major civil engineering partner in the Great Grid Partnership, Balfour Beatty brings extensive heavy-construction and cabling expertise to the upgrade. The business executes critical high-voltage transmission projects across England and Wales, delivering complex underground cabling works, overhead line installations and substation construction required to safely connect regional renewable generation to the main power network.
Morgan Sindall Construction: Morgan Sindall Construction brings high-value civil engineering and large-scale project management capabilities to National Grid’s Strategic Infrastructure framework. Selected to construct vital substations and grid reinforcement routes, the company leverages digital delivery tools and modern construction methodologies to de-risk delivery schedules, ensure stringent Health, Safety and Environmental standards, and support UK decarbonisation targets.
Executives
Brett King
Managing Director
Matt Staley FICE
President, Strategic Infrastructure
Pip Morpeth
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
