Module 6 — Design, permitting, and utility coordination

Section 1 · Pre-work (60 minutes)

Required reading

• Operations Manual §7.1 (Design Standards). 15 minutes.
• Operations Manual §7.2 (Permits, Entitlements, AHJ Coordination). 10 minutes.
• Operations Manual §7.3 (Utility Coordination and Interconnection). 10 minutes.
• HiON Site Design Manual on the Partner Portal — read the standard-layout catalog and the design-package requirements at minimum. 25 minutes.

Pre-session knowledge check

Submitted via Partner Portal at least 24 hours before the session.

1. May the franchisee commence permitting on a design that has not received HiON’s written approval? Cite the basis.
2. The serving electric utility has confirmed the site will require a transformer upgrade with a 14-month backlog. What is the franchisee’s [APPROVAL REQUIRED] obligation, and to which §6.4 deadline does the backlog threaten compliance?
3. The franchisee’s electrical engineer recommends a minor cabinet-orientation change after Site Authorization. May the franchisee accept this change in the design package without HiON approval?
4. Within how many Business Days of written Site Authorization must the franchisee initiate the utility service order?
5. In whose name must the utility service account be held?

Bring to session

• The trainee’s authorized Site Authorization Submittal (M04 output) — Desktop Pre-Check, On-Site Audit, Electrical and Utility Assessment package
• The trainee’s executed lease (M05 output)
• A working list of licensed engineers and permit expediters under consideration in the franchisee’s market
• The trainee’s Designated Business Manager

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Section 2 · Learning objectives

By the end of this module, the trainee can:

1. Select a standard layout from the HiON Site Design Manual catalog appropriate for the authorized site’s parking geometry, or correctly identify when a site-specific variant requires [APPROVAL REQUIRED] under §1.2.6.
2. Assemble a complete design package with all 10 required components (§7.1.2), sealed by professionals licensed in the state where the HiON EV Facility is located, and submitted through the Partner Portal for HiON Engineering and Design Review.
3. Operate against HiON’s 15-Business-Day design review response time — Approved / Approved with Conditions / Revisions Requested / Escalated — and never commence permitting or construction on a design that has not received HiON written approval.
4. Pull every required permit from the §7.2.1 typical permit categories, meet AHJ inspection hold-points on schedule, and retain every permit card, inspection record, and sign-off in the site file.
5. Escalate AHJ conflicts under §1.2.6 rather than modifying approved design elements unilaterally to satisfy AHJ feedback.
6. Initiate the utility service order within 15 Business Days of Site Authorization and maintain the utility account exclusively in the Franchisee entity’s name (not personal, not Site Host, not affiliate).
7. Plan around the §7.3 common utility failures (9–18 month transformer backlog; contribution-in-aid-of-construction scope; joint-trench coordination; easement acquisition; utility engineering review; metering disagreements) as schedule realities rather than surprises.
8. Notify HiON at each major utility milestone — service order placed; utility design approved; utility construction scheduled; utility construction complete; meter set; service energized — through Partner Portal.

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Section 3 · Why this matters

The franchisee is the general contractor of record for the build. The Manual states it plainly at §7.2 Purpose: “You are solely responsible for obtaining every permit, entitlement, and approval required to construct and operate the HiON EV Facility.” That responsibility carries through design, permitting, utility coordination, construction (M07), and commissioning (M07). HiON supplies standards, templates, and the design-review and engineering-review counterparts. HiON does not supply general-contractor services — that is the franchisee’s role.

The §6.1.3 framing from M04 carries forward: the electrical and utility assessment is where feasibility succeeds or fails. The §7.3 framing extends it: the utility timeline is where the build schedule succeeds or fails. A 14-month transformer backlog discovered at design phase is a schedule reality that has to either (a) be accepted as the binding constraint on the §6.4 opening deadlines, with a corresponding extension request, or (b) be circumvented through alternative service paths or different sites. What is not an option is treating the backlog as a problem to solve through “we’ll keep pushing the utility.” Utilities run on their own timeline; the franchisee plans around it.

The Site Design Manual is the technical equivalent of the Operations Manual — authoritative, current-version-only, and the standard the franchisee is held to at every design review and at commissioning. The Site Design Manual is also a Confidential Information artifact per §1.3 (M02). The franchisee’s licensed engineer of record needs access; the franchisee provisions that access through the Partner Portal under the §1.3 Tier 3 (Contractor/vendor) framework with a confidentiality obligation.

The five §7.1.1 + §7.1.2 + §7.2 + §7.3 [MANDATORY] standards that the franchisee will most often be tempted to violate:

1. Build to a standard layout (§7.1.1) — the franchisee’s engineer proposes a “small optimization” to post spacing or cabinet orientation. Any departure from a standard layout requires [APPROVAL REQUIRED] under §1.2.6 — even if the franchisee believes the optimization is improvement.
2. No permit until HiON-approved design (§7.1.3 + §7.2.1) — the AHJ permit-review queue is long; the franchisee is tempted to file for permits in parallel with HiON design review. The Manual is unambiguous: no permitting on a design that has not received HiON written approval.
3. No unilateral modification to satisfy AHJ feedback (§7.2 [MANDATORY]) — the AHJ asks for a change that conflicts with HiON’s approved design or with the Site Design Manual. The franchisee files an exception under §1.2.6; the franchisee does not modify the design at the counter.
4. Utility service order within 15 Business Days of Site Authorization (§7.3 [MANDATORY]) — the clock starts at HiON’s authorization, not at lease execution.
5. Utility account in Franchisee entity name only (§7.3 [MANDATORY]) — not personal, not Site Host, not affiliate. The discipline matters at audit, at transfer, and at default — utility account holders have rights that need to align with the franchise.

Acknowledged Elephant: the franchisee’s engineer and general contractor are likely experienced builders who have not built a Tesla Supercharger node before. They will have opinions on what should be done differently. Some of those opinions will be technically sound. None of them substitute for the Site Design Manual standard layout or the HiON Engineering and Design Review approval. The franchisee’s role with their engineer is the same as their role with Site Host counsel on the Lease Addendum (M05): escalate, route to HiON, do not freelance the system standard.

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Section 4 · Core content

4.1 — Design standards and the HiON Site Design Manual (§7.1)

The HiON Site Design Manual is the authoritative technical reference for every HiON EV Facility build. It specifies baseline charging-bay configuration, cabinet pad and post spacing, clearance envelopes, accessibility integration, signage placement, lighting, landscape treatment, and required construction details. The Operations Manual does not restate the specifications; the Site Design Manual is the operational document.

Three [MANDATORY] standards in §7.1.1 — standard layouts and authorized variants:

1. Build to a standard layout set forth in the Site Design Manual, or to a site-specific variant HiON has approved in writing
2. Use the current Site Design Manual version. Designing from a superseded version is prohibited and will result in rejection at design review or commissioning
3. [APPROVAL REQUIRED] Any departure from a standard layout — post count, post spacing, cabinet orientation, cabinet pad dimensions, cable routing, bollard layout, accessibility integration, signage placement, landscape treatment — requires HiON prior written approval under §1.2.6

The standard layouts are engineered to be (a) buildable to the civil and electrical constraints most sites present; (b) compliant with accessibility requirements; (c) consistent with the HiON brand hierarchy; and (d) supportable by the Tesla Supercharger equipment HiON supplies. The franchisee’s engineer should think of the Site Design Manual the way a McDonald’s franchisee’s contractor thinks of the McDonald’s prototype building drawings — a baseline that exists for engineering reasons that may not be obvious from inspection.

4.2 — The required design package (§7.1.2)

Before construction mobilization, the franchisee delivers a complete design package through the Partner Portal for HiON’s review. Ten required components:

1. Civil drawings — demolition, grading, cabinet pad, trenching, bollards, paving, accessible routes, striping
2. Electrical drawings — site single-line diagram, conduit runs, panel schedules, grounding, utility service entrance details
3. Structural details — cabinet pad, any canopy, any foundations
4. Signage and wayfinding drawings — locations, dimensions, mounting, illumination, conformance to §2.4 (M03) and the HiON Brand Asset Library
5. Lighting plan and photometric calculations
6. Accessibility plan — accessible route from accessible parking to main entrance, integration with the charging bay, required ADA dimensions and slopes
7. Stormwater and erosion control — where required by the AHJ
8. Landscape and screening plan — where required by the AHJ or by the Site Host
9. Design narrative — selected standard layout, any approved site-specific variant, every conditionally-approved element
10. Professional seals — from the licensed engineers of record

Two [MANDATORY] standards in §7.1.2:

• All design drawings sealed by professionals licensed in the state where the HiON EV Facility is located, consistent with AHJ requirements
• Engineering and design firms used must meet HiON’s vendor-qualification standards under §14 (M12 territory). HiON may designate preferred or required firms for specific scopes.

4.3 — Design review and approval (§7.1.3)

HiON’s Engineering and Design Review team reviews each design package. Four possible outcomes:

Outcome	Meaning	Next step
Approved	Design conforms to the Site Design Manual and is consistent with Site Authorization	Proceed to permitting and construction bidding
Approved with Conditions	Acceptable subject to specified revisions before construction (signage repositioning, lighting adjustment, accessibility correction)	Issue revised drawings addressing each condition; proceed
Revisions Requested	Identified deficiencies require resubmission before approval	Revise and resubmit; review restarts
Escalated	Significant deviation from Site Design Manual requiring exception under §1.2.6 before HiON can approve	Submit exception request; await decision

HiON response time: ordinarily 15 Business Days for a complete design package. Incomplete packages or packages with exception requests take longer.

[MANDATORY] §7.1.3: the franchisee may not commence permitting on a design that has not received HiON written approval — except in jurisdictions where pre-permit design consultation is a formality and does not commit the franchisee to specific drawings. The franchisee may not commence construction on a design that has not received HiON written approval.

The “pre-permit consultation is a formality” carve-out is narrow. Most AHJs treat any drawing they review as the drawing they will inspect against — submitting drawings to the AHJ before HiON approval risks the AHJ stamping a non-approved design that the franchisee then either builds wrong (audit/commissioning rejection) or has to refile (permit-fee duplication + AHJ relationship cost). The safe default: HiON approval first, AHJ permitting second.

4.4 — Permits, entitlements, and AHJ coordination (§7.2)

The franchisee is the general contractor of record (§7.2 Purpose). The Manual supplies standards and templates, not legal or permitting advice — the franchisee retains qualified local counsel and permit expertise.

Typical permit categories (§7.2.1) — combinations vary by jurisdiction:

• Building permit — structural, trenching, cabinet pad work
• Electrical permit — service, conduit, panels, grounding, equipment
• Grading or earthwork permit — where trenching, cuts, fills trigger local thresholds
• Signage permit — primary identification, wayfinding, illuminated signs
• Right-of-way or encroachment permit — where utility service extension crosses public right-of-way
• Stormwater or erosion-control permit — where disturbance area or impervious-surface additions trigger local thresholds
• Conditional use, variance, or special exception — where zoning does not permit the use as-of-right
• Fire permit or code review — for electrical work, bollards, and EV charging infrastructure where the local fire marshal is a reviewing party
• Utility interconnection permit — the utility’s own service-order process, separate from municipal permits

Three [MANDATORY] permit-discipline standards (§7.2):

1. Pull every permit required by the AHJ before performing the work that permit covers. Unpermitted work is a material breach and will be rejected at commissioning.
2. Meet AHJ inspection hold-points on schedule, including all utility-coordinated inspections. Retain every permit card, inspection record, AHJ sign-off in the site file.
3. Notify HiON of any AHJ requirement that conflicts with the Site Design Manual or with an approved design element. Do not modify approved elements unilaterally to satisfy AHJ feedback. File an exception request under §1.2.6.

[LOCAL-LAW DEPENDENT] Conditional-use and variance processes, historic-district review, and design-review boards can add months to a schedule. The Manual is explicit: “Factor these into your Development Schedule from site evaluation forward; do not defer them until after permit application.” A franchisee who waits until permit-application stage to discover a conditional-use requirement has lost weeks or months of schedule.

Permit expediters (§7.2.2):

• [RECOMMENDED] In jurisdictions with known permit-process friction, engage a qualified permit expediter early. The FBC can share the Partner Portal’s preferred-expediter list for the region
• [MANDATORY] Any permit expediter engaged must meet HiON’s vendor-qualification standards under §14 and sign a confidentiality obligation consistent with §1.3 (M02)

The cost of a permit expediter in a friction jurisdiction is typically less than the cost of a single month of schedule slippage on a HiON EV Facility build. Default to the expediter where the FBC’s preferred-expediter list flags one.

4.5 — Utility coordination and interconnection (§7.3)

Utility coordination begins at Site Evaluation (§6.1.3 / M04) and continues through energization. A HiON EV Facility cannot commission until the utility has energized the service and the metering configuration is operational.

Five [MANDATORY] utility-coordination standards (§7.3):

1. Initiate the utility service order promptly after Site Authorization — in any event, within 15 Business Days of written authorization. Meet every utility deadline (engineering review, contribution in aid of construction, scheduling, trenching coordination) through the life of the interconnection.
2. Pay all utility costs — contribution in aid of construction, transformer upgrade costs, metering costs, deposits. These are Franchisee expenses; they are not covered by MSA charges.
3. Maintain the utility service account in the Franchisee entity’s name. Not in an owner’s personal name. Not under another business entity. Not under the Site Host’s name.
4. Notify HiON through the Partner Portal at each major utility milestone: service order placed; utility design approved; utility construction scheduled; utility construction complete; meter set; service energized.
5. [APPROVAL REQUIRED] Any proposed deviation from the service size, metering configuration, or interconnection method specified by HiON in the approved design package requires HiON prior written approval.

Six common utility coordination failures (§7.3) — plan around them, do not hope they will not happen:

1. Transformer backlog in the service territory — can add 9 to 18 months
2. Contribution-in-aid-of-construction scope negotiations — utility cost share questions that take weeks to resolve
3. Joint-trench coordination — other utilities sharing the trench, often with their own scheduling
4. Easement acquisition on Site Host property for service extension — typically months
5. Utility engineering review turnaround — utilities have their own design-review queues
6. Metering-method disagreements — primary vs. secondary metering, sometimes contested

The franchisee’s schedule reality: utility timelines drive opening dates more often than construction timelines. A 14-month transformer backlog on a site with a 18-month-from-lease-execution opening deadline (§6.4) leaves 4 months for all other construction work — including design review, permitting, and physical build. That math may or may not work depending on the AHJ and the build complexity. The franchisee who treats the utility timeline as a constraint to be planned around — rather than a problem to be solved by pressure — makes the build work. The franchisee who treats it as a problem to solve loses the deadline.

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Section 5 · Decision drills

Drill 5.1 — The engineer’s “small optimization”

The franchisee’s licensed electrical engineer of record, reviewing the standard layout selected for the Parker site, recommends rotating the cabinet 15 degrees to “improve conduit run efficiency and reduce material cost by about 8%.” The engineer is a 25-year veteran of commercial electrical work.

State the response and the cited basis. State the next two actions.

Drill 5.2 — The 14-month transformer

The serving electric utility’s service-availability response confirms the site requires a new transformer with a 14-month backlog. The franchisee is 75 days post-Site Authorization with no other site in the pipeline at Stage 5 or beyond. The §6.4 deadline math: lease executed at Day 60 post-authorization (so total 135 days post-FA-signing); 18-month outer opening boundary from lease execution = Day 135 + 540 days = Day 675 from FA signing; 14-month transformer = ~425 days, meaning utility energization at ~Day 560; that leaves ~115 days from energization to opening. Tight but technically possible.

State the franchisee’s immediate next two actions and the cited basis. State whether the franchisee files a §4.2.1 Development Extension Request.

Drill 5.3 — The AHJ’s design conflict

The franchisee’s permit application is rejected by the AHJ. The reason: the AHJ requires a bollard at a location that conflicts with the standard layout’s clearance envelope per the Site Design Manual. The AHJ inspector has offered a verbal accommodation — “if you just shift the cabinet 18 inches west, we’ll approve it.”

State the response and the cited basis. State the next two actions.

Drill 5.4 — The pre-permit AHJ consultation

The franchisee’s permit expediter has scheduled a pre-permit consultation with the AHJ in two weeks. The expediter has asked for the design drawings to bring to the consultation. The franchisee’s design package has not yet been submitted to HiON Engineering and Design Review.

State whether the franchisee may bring the drawings to the AHJ pre-permit consultation and the cited basis. State the next action.

Drill 5.5 — The utility account in personal name

The local electric utility informs the franchisee that the utility’s policy is to set up new commercial service in the name of the property owner (the Site Host) or in the name of the principal of the contracting entity (the franchisee’s primary owner personally). The utility representative says the entity-name option requires additional underwriting and a 4–6 week delay.

State the response and the cited basis. State the next two actions.

Drill 5.6 — The Site Host’s pre-permit feedback

The Site Host’s facilities manager has reviewed the design package draft and emails: “We need the cabinet moved closer to our service entrance — about 22 feet east. Our maintenance team prefers it. It also lines up better with our existing electrical pathway. Can you have your engineer update the drawings before submitting to HiON?”

State the response and the cited basis. State the next action.

Drill 5.7 — The unsealed drawing

The franchisee’s design firm, eager to meet a deadline, has submitted the civil and electrical drawings for HiON Engineering and Design Review without professional seals — promising to add the seals “within the week after HiON reviews and we know nothing else needs to change.”

State the response and the cited basis. State the next two actions.

Drill 5.8 — The utility milestone notification miss

The utility’s design approval has come in for the franchisee’s Parker site. The franchisee, busy with the construction bidding, files the utility design approval in the franchisee’s records and forgets to notify HiON through the Partner Portal. Six weeks later, at a routine FBC touchpoint, the FBC asks about utility status.

State the response, the cited basis, and the corrective action. State whether this constitutes a finding.

Drill 5.9 — The exception request workaround

The franchisee identifies that the site’s lighting plan does not meet the Site Design Manual photometric standard because of an existing Site Host security floodlight that creates a hot spot. Rather than file a §1.2.6 exception, the franchisee’s engineer proposes adjusting the HiON pole-mounted fixtures to compensate — bringing the overall photometric back to standard, but with a different distribution than the Site Design Manual specifies.

State the response and the cited basis. State whether the engineer’s proposal is acceptable.

Drill 5.10 — The post-approval design tweak

HiON has approved the design package. Three weeks into permit review, the franchisee’s contractor suggests moving a bollard 4 feet to accommodate a delivery-truck turning radius — the change does not affect the cabinet, accessibility path, signage location, or lease structure.

State whether this change requires HiON approval and the cited basis. State the next action.

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Section 6 · Common operator errors

6.1 — Designing from a superseded Site Design Manual version

The franchisee’s engineer of record has a copy of the Site Design Manual downloaded six months ago and works from it through design completion. By the time the design package is submitted, the Site Design Manual has been updated — a clearance envelope changed, a signage specification updated.

• Consequence: §7.1.1 [MANDATORY] violation. Design rejected at HiON Engineering and Design Review; resubmission with current-version drawings; weeks of schedule slippage.
• Discipline: the engineer of record pulls the current Site Design Manual at design kickoff and verifies version before each major design milestone. The Partner Portal version is authoritative (§1.4 / M02 + §2.4.6 / M03 + §7.1.1).

6.2 — Permitting on a HiON-unapproved design

The franchisee, eager to compress schedule, submits the design package to the AHJ for permit review in parallel with HiON Engineering and Design Review. HiON’s review surfaces a required change; the AHJ-stamped drawings now don’t match.

• Consequence: §7.1.3 [MANDATORY] violation. The AHJ-approved drawings are not buildable; refile with the AHJ; permit-fee duplication; AHJ-relationship damage; schedule loss.
• Discipline: HiON approval first, AHJ permitting second. The “pre-permit consultation is a formality” carve-out is narrow and rarely applies to actual permit applications.

6.3 — Modifying approved design unilaterally to satisfy AHJ feedback

The AHJ requires a change. The franchisee’s engineer accepts the change at the counter to keep the permit moving, then notifies HiON afterward.

• Consequence: §7.2 [MANDATORY] violation — no unilateral modification of approved elements to satisfy AHJ feedback. The HiON-approved design no longer matches the as-built drawing; commissioning may reject.
• Discipline: the AHJ requirement becomes a §1.2.6 exception request. The franchisee files the exception, gets HiON’s written approval (or alternative direction), and only then modifies. If the AHJ will not wait the §1.2.6 timeline, the franchisee notifies HiON the same Business Day and files the request within five Business Days under §1.2.6’s emergency-deviation provision.

6.4 — Utility service order beyond the 15-Business-Day window

Site Authorization issues. The franchisee, focused on the lease execution and design package, waits until lease execution to initiate the utility service order. By then, three weeks have passed since authorization.

• Consequence: §7.3 [MANDATORY] violation — utility service order must be initiated within 15 Business Days of Site Authorization. Audit finding; potential schedule impact when utility timelines compound the delay.
• Discipline: the utility service order initiation is on the post-authorization checklist immediately. Day 1 post-authorization, the franchisee opens the utility service-order with the utility. Day 1 post-lease, the franchisee starts the design-package work in parallel.

6.5 — Utility account in the wrong name

The utility’s preferred process puts the account in the property owner’s name or the principal’s personal name. The franchisee accepts this to expedite service.

• Consequence: §7.3 [MANDATORY] violation. Audit finding. Transfer-event exposure — if the franchisee’s entity transfers under §15.3, the utility account does not transfer with it.
• Discipline: the utility account is in the Franchisee entity name. If the utility’s standard process resists, the franchisee escalates with the utility’s commercial services team — sometimes requiring additional underwriting paperwork that is worth the delay. If the utility ultimately will not accommodate, the franchisee escalates through Site Acquisition Support and files an exception under §1.2.6 if needed.

6.6 — Skipping milestone notifications to HiON

The franchisee files utility milestones in their own records but does not push the notification to HiON’s Partner Portal at each step.

• Consequence: §7.3 [MANDATORY] violation. HiON’s visibility into the build’s progress degrades; downstream commissioning scheduling becomes harder to coordinate; potential schedule slippage.
• Discipline: each of the six utility milestones (service order placed; utility design approved; utility construction scheduled; utility construction complete; meter set; service energized) is a Partner Portal notification within 1 Business Day of the event. Build the notification into the franchisee’s project-management cadence.

6.7 — Site Host design feedback treated as authoritative

The Site Host’s facilities manager provides design feedback. The franchisee, eager to keep the Site Host happy, instructs the engineer to incorporate the changes before submitting to HiON.

• Consequence: the Site Host is not an approval authority on HiON design. HiON’s review surfaces the changes as a §1.2.6 exception requirement; potential rework. If the franchisee accepts Site Host feedback that conflicts with the Site Design Manual, the violation cascades into permitting and construction.
• Discipline: Site Host design feedback is acknowledged but routed through HiON’s review. The franchisee can incorporate Site Host preferences only if those preferences are consistent with the Site Design Manual standard layout (or with an HiON-approved variant). Anything else gets escalated.

6.8 — Engaging an unqualified permit expediter

The franchisee finds a permit expediter through a personal contact. The expediter is experienced in commercial work but has not been vetted against HiON’s §14 vendor-qualification standards and has not signed a §1.3 confidentiality obligation.

• Consequence: §7.2.2 [MANDATORY] violation. The expediter’s access to HiON design materials, Site Design Manual references, and AHJ communications is uncontrolled; potential §1.3 confidentiality violation.
• Discipline: every permit expediter, like every vendor in the build, meets §14 qualification standards and signs §1.3 confidentiality. The FBC’s preferred-expediter list is the starting point.

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Section 7 · Competency assessment

Knowledge check (12 questions; 80% pass)

1. Every HiON EV Facility must be built to: (a) the franchisee’s engineer’s preferred layout for the site geometry (b) a standard layout from the Site Design Manual, or a site-specific variant HiON has approved in writing (§7.1.1) (c) any layout permitted by the AHJ (d) the Site Host’s preferred configuration

2. The franchisee may commence permitting on a design that has not received HiON’s written approval: (a) yes, to compress schedule (b) no, except in jurisdictions where pre-permit consultation is a formality and does not commit the franchisee to specific drawings (§7.1.3 [MANDATORY]) (c) yes, with FBC verbal authorization (d) yes, in friction jurisdictions only

3. HiON Engineering and Design Review responds to a complete design package within: (a) 5 Business Days (b) 15 Business Days (§7.1.3) (c) 20 Business Days (d) at HiON’s discretion

4. Any departure from a standard layout (post count, post spacing, cabinet orientation, accessibility integration, signage placement): (a) is acceptable if the engineer of record certifies the deviation (b) requires [APPROVAL REQUIRED] under §1.2.6 (§7.1.1) (c) requires FBC verbal authorization (d) is acceptable if the AHJ approves it

5. Design drawings must be sealed by: (a) any licensed engineer (b) professionals licensed in the state where the HiON EV Facility is located (§7.1.2 [MANDATORY]) (c) HiON’s preferred engineer (d) the franchisee’s general contractor

6. The franchisee must initiate the utility service order within: (a) 5 Business Days of lease execution (b) 15 Business Days of written Site Authorization (§7.3 [MANDATORY]) (c) 30 calendar days of Site Authorization (d) at the franchisee’s discretion

7. The utility service account must be held in: (a) the property owner’s name (b) the franchisee’s principal’s personal name (c) the Franchisee entity’s name (§7.3 [MANDATORY]) (d) the Site Host’s name

8. When an AHJ requirement conflicts with an approved design element, the franchisee: (a) modifies the design at the counter to keep the permit moving (b) refuses the AHJ requirement (c) notifies HiON, files an exception request under §1.2.6, and does not modify approved elements unilaterally (§7.2 [MANDATORY]) (d) escalates directly to Senior Management Referral

9. Typical transformer backlog in the franchisee’s planning: (a) 1–2 months (b) 3–6 months (c) 9–18 months (§7.3) (d) negligible if the franchisee coordinates aggressively

10. The franchisee must notify HiON through the Partner Portal at each major utility milestone: (a) only at energization (b) only when the franchisee identifies a schedule risk (c) at each of: service order placed, utility design approved, utility construction scheduled, utility construction complete, meter set, service energized (§7.3) (d) on the monthly Pipeline Refresh

11. A permit expediter must: (a) be HiON’s designated expediter only (b) meet HiON’s §14 vendor-qualification standards and sign a §1.3 confidentiality obligation (§7.2.2 [MANDATORY]) (c) be licensed as an attorney (d) be a member of the franchisee’s general contractor team

12. A post-approval design change to the cabinet location: (a) is acceptable if the engineer certifies no functional impact (b) requires HiON prior written approval — cabinet location is a material change under §6.3.3 (M04 cross-reference) (c) requires FBC verbal authorization (d) is acceptable if the AHJ permits the change

Application demonstration — the design package review

A 60-minute live exercise. The trainer presents the trainee with a Design Package Review Pack containing:

• A draft design package with 10 expected components (one component missing; one component non-conforming)
• A draft electrical drawing with a non-standard cabinet orientation (deviation from Site Design Manual)
• A draft AHJ communication proposing a bollard relocation that conflicts with the design
• A utility service-availability letter with a 13-month transformer backlog
• A permit expediter engagement proposal from a non-vetted firm
• A Site Host email proposing a cabinet relocation for the Site Host’s convenience

The trainee must:

1. Identify the missing component and the non-conforming component in the design package
2. Identify the [APPROVAL REQUIRED] cabinet-orientation deviation and state the §1.2.6 submission
3. Identify the §7.2 [MANDATORY] violation in the proposed AHJ bollard accommodation and state the correct response
4. Plan the §6.4 schedule against the 13-month transformer backlog and identify whether an extension request is required
5. Identify the §7.2.2 violation in the permit expediter proposal and state the correct vetting path
6. Identify the Site Host’s design influence as outside the §7.1.3 review and state the correct routing

Pass criteria: trainee correctly identifies every gap, every [APPROVAL REQUIRED] item, every [MANDATORY] violation, every schedule impact, and every routing decision. Citation of section numbers preferred but not required if substantive actions are correct.

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Section 8 · Job aids

Job Aid 8.1 — Design package 10-component checklist

The 10 required components of the design package (§7.1.2) as a checklist. The franchisee runs through it before submission to HiON. Includes the professional-seal verification and the §14 vendor-qualification check on engineering and design firms.

File: modules/M06-jobaids/M06-design-package-checklist.md

Job Aid 8.2 — Standard layout vs. variant decision card

Front: when to use a standard layout (default); when to seek an approved variant (specific site geometry); when [APPROVAL REQUIRED] applies. Back: the 8 categories of departure that trigger [APPROVAL REQUIRED] under §7.1.1.

File: modules/M06-jobaids/M06-layout-variant-card.md

Job Aid 8.3 — Permit category checklist

The 9 typical permit categories (§7.2.1) as a jurisdiction-specific checklist. The franchisee’s permit expediter customizes for the local AHJ. Includes the conditional-use / variance / design-review schedule warning.

File: modules/M06-jobaids/M06-permit-checklist.md

Job Aid 8.4 — AHJ conflict response template

Template for the §1.2.6 exception request when an AHJ requirement conflicts with an approved design. Pre-formatted fields: AHJ requirement (with documentation); HiON design element in conflict; proposed alternative; risk assessment; temporary or permanent.

File: modules/M06-jobaids/M06-ahj-conflict-template.md

Job Aid 8.5 — Utility coordination timeline tracker

A tracker for the 6 utility milestones (§7.3) with notification dates to HiON. Each milestone has expected date, actual date, Partner Portal notification reference, and any schedule impact note. Built to integrate with the §6.4 backwards-planning calendar from M04.

File: modules/M06-jobaids/M06-utility-tracker.md

Job Aid 8.6 — The “design freeze” decision tree

At what point the franchisee freezes design (no further changes without [APPROVAL REQUIRED]). Includes the post-Site-Authorization freeze (§6.3.3), the post-design-review freeze, and the pre-construction freeze. Maps each freeze to its [MANDATORY] discipline.

File: modules/M06-jobaids/M06-design-freeze-tree.md

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Section 9 · Facilitator notes

Pacing — 150 minutes (2h 30min, two 10-minute breaks built in)

Time	Section	Notes
0:00–0:10	Opening — the “small optimization” gotcha	Read a redacted version of an actual engineer’s recommendation that proposed cabinet rotation. Ask the room how they’d respond. Most operators will hedge — the experienced engineer carries authority that competes with the Site Design Manual. Sets tone for §4.1.
0:10–0:35	§4.1–4.2 (Standard layouts + design package)	Walk the §7.1.1 [MANDATORY] standards. Project the Site Design Manual’s standard-layout catalog if available. Walk the 10 design-package components. Distribute Job Aids 8.1, 8.2. Run Drill 5.1 (engineer’s optimization).
0:35–0:55	§4.3 (Design review and approval)	Walk the 4 outcomes + 15-BD response. Heavy emphasis on the [MANDATORY] no-permit-without-HiON-approval standard. Distribute Job Aid 8.6. Run Drill 5.4 (pre-permit AHJ consultation) and Drill 5.10 (post-approval design tweak).
0:55–1:05	BREAK
1:05–1:30	§4.4 (Permits, entitlements, AHJ coordination)	Walk the 9 permit categories. The conditional-use / variance / design-review schedule warning is the most operationally significant — emphasize. Distribute Job Aids 8.3, 8.4. Run Drill 5.3 (AHJ design conflict).
1:30–1:55	§4.5 (Utility coordination)	Walk the 5 [MANDATORY] standards and the 6 common failures. Distribute Job Aid 8.5. Run Drill 5.2 (14-month transformer) and Drill 5.5 (utility account in personal name).
1:55–2:05	BREAK
2:05–2:30	Drills + close	Work through Drills 5.6 (Site Host design influence), 5.7 (unsealed drawings), 5.8 (milestone notification miss), 5.9 (exception request workaround). Distribute the application demonstration brief for the post-session 60-minute exercise.

SME handoffs

• §4.1–4.3 (Design): Tony Cuomo (CX) is the right SME on the Site Design Manual rationale and brand-execution dimensions. Engineering and Design Review team SME if available.
• §4.4 (Permits): Joe Frank (Ops) per the Training Matrix on operational rhythm; the franchisee’s own permit expediter (if engaged) adds the most operational value.
• §4.5 (Utility coordination): Joe Frank (Ops) on the utility-relationship discipline; Jim Frank (CEO) on the strategic rationale for entity-name account discipline (transfer events, etc.).

Decision drill — model answers (abbreviated)

Drill 5.1 — Engineer’s optimization. Decline. §7.1.1 [MANDATORY] — build to a standard layout. The engineer’s 25-year experience does not override the Site Design Manual. If the optimization is genuinely an improvement, file an [APPROVAL REQUIRED] request under §1.2.6 with the engineer’s analysis. Wait for HiON written approval. Do not modify the design unilaterally.

Drill 5.2 — 14-month transformer. Immediate next actions:

1. Open Partner Portal ticket under Engineering and Design Review documenting the utility response and requesting HiON’s evaluation of timeline acceptability
2. Schedule FBC touchpoint within 5 Business Days. Begin preparing the §4.2.1 Development Extension Request — the 14-month transformer pushes opening beyond the 18-month-from-lease boundary if any other construction step takes longer than 4 months. File the extension request no later than 30 days before the affected §6.4 milestone

Drill 5.3 — AHJ design conflict. Decline the verbal counter-accommodation. §7.2 [MANDATORY] — no unilateral modification to satisfy AHJ feedback. File §1.2.6 exception request documenting AHJ requirement + Site Design Manual conflict + proposed alternative + risk assessment. Wait for HiON written approval before modifying. If the AHJ will not wait the 20-BD §1.2.6 timeline, invoke the §1.2.6 emergency-deviation provision (notify same Business Day, file within 5 BD).

Drill 5.4 — Pre-permit AHJ consultation. Do not bring HiON-unreviewed drawings to the AHJ pre-permit consultation. §7.1.3 [MANDATORY] — no permitting on a design that has not received HiON written approval. Pre-permit consultations are within the narrow carve-out only if they are “a formality and do not commit you to specific drawings” — but bringing drawings to the consultation is exactly what commits the franchisee to specific drawings. Submit the design package to HiON Engineering and Design Review now; defer the AHJ consultation until HiON approves.

Drill 5.5 — Utility account name. Decline the utility’s preferred name. §7.3 [MANDATORY] — utility account in Franchisee entity name. Escalate with utility’s commercial services team; provide the entity’s underwriting documentation. Accept the 4–6 week delay rather than the wrong-name account. If the utility will not accommodate after escalation, escalate to Site Acquisition Support and file a §1.2.6 exception with documented utility unwillingness.

Drill 5.6 — Site Host design feedback. The franchisee acknowledges receipt but does not instruct the engineer to incorporate. Site Host is not a HiON design approval authority. If the Site Host’s preference is consistent with the Site Design Manual standard layout, the franchisee can consider it; if it requires a variant, file [APPROVAL REQUIRED] under §1.2.6. The franchisee replies: “Thanks for the feedback. I’ll evaluate against the Site Design Manual and HiON Engineering’s review; if the change is consistent with our standards, I’ll incorporate. If it’s not, we’ll work to the approved design. I’ll update you once HiON’s review is back.”

Drill 5.7 — Unsealed drawings. Reject the submission. §7.1.2 [MANDATORY] — all design drawings sealed by professionals licensed in the state. Request the firm seal the drawings before submission to HiON. The “seal after HiON reviews” approach is a category error — the seal certifies the drawings; without seals, the drawings are not the final document for HiON to review.

Drill 5.8 — Missed utility notification. §7.3 [MANDATORY] violation (notification at each major utility milestone). Corrective action: notify HiON immediately of the missed milestone; back-file the utility design approval into the Partner Portal with the actual approval date; commit to notification cadence going forward. This is a finding if discovered at audit (§3.3 / M02) but the timely self-correction at FBC touchpoint typically resolves before it escalates.

Drill 5.9 — Exception workaround. Decline the workaround. §1.2.6 (M02) is invoked when the franchisee cannot meet a [MANDATORY] standard; the exception process is the only acceptable path. The engineer’s proposal to “compensate” the photometric is a unilateral design modification. File the §1.2.6 exception with the Site Host floodlight as supporting documentation; propose the photometric adjustment as the alternative; wait for HiON written approval.

Drill 5.10 — Post-approval bollard relocation. Yes, this requires HiON approval. §6.3.3 (M04) — material changes to an authorized site include cabinet location AND any change that would require AHJ permit modification. A 4-foot bollard move likely affects the permit. File the change through HiON Engineering and Design Review with the contractor’s reasoning and the AHJ permit-amendment implication.

Recommended visual aids

• A real (redacted) Site Design Manual standard-layout page projected during §4.1
• A real (redacted) utility service-availability letter during §4.5
• A real (redacted) AHJ permit-application drawing set during §4.4
• The Partner Portal Engineering and Design Review ticket queue during §4.3

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Section 10 · Cross-references

Modules

• M02 (Governance, Manual, Support, Escalation) — §1.2.6 exception process is invoked routinely in this Module for any AHJ conflict, layout variant, or utility deviation
• M03 (Brand Promise and Brand Execution — §2.4) — signage and wayfinding requirements drive the design-package signage component (§7.1.2 item 4)
• M04 (Site Acquisition and Feasibility — §6) — the Electrical and Utility Assessment from §6.1.3 carries forward into the §7.3 utility coordination here; the §6.3.3 post-authorization no-material-change discipline applies through every design decision; the §6.4 deadlines are the planning backbone
• M05 (Lease, Site Host Relationship — §5) — the lease’s 24/7/365 access provisions (§5.4.1) enable construction access; the §5.3 division of obligations frames the Site Host’s role in design feedback
• M07 (Construction Management and Commissioning — §7.4–§7.6) — picks up where this Module ends, at construction mobilization on the HiON-approved design
• M12 (Vendors, Technology, and Network Boundaries — §14) — vendor qualification standards apply to engineers, designers, and permit expediters
• M14 (Compliance, Safety, Insurance, Risk — §13) — ADA accessibility and stormwater compliance flow through the design package; construction-period insurance addressed in M14

External documents

• Operations Manual §7.1–§7.3 (Design, Permitting, Utility Coordination)
• HiON Site Design Manual on the Partner Portal
• HiON Brand Asset Library on the Partner Portal (signage specifications)
• Operations Manual Appendices B (Site Acquisition and Build Checklists)
• AHJ permit-process documentation (jurisdiction-specific)
• Utility service-availability process documentation (utility-specific)

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Section 11 · Source verification log

Claim	Manual reference	Status
Site Design Manual is authoritative; standard layouts; current-version-only	§7.1.1 [MANDATORY]	verified
[APPROVAL REQUIRED] for any departure from standard layout	§7.1.1	verified
10 required design-package components	§7.1.2	verified
Sealed by professionals licensed in state	§7.1.2 [MANDATORY]	verified
Engineering and design firms meet §14 vendor-qualification standards	§7.1.2 [MANDATORY]	verified
4 design-review outcomes + 15-BD HiON response time	§7.1.3	verified
No permitting on un-approved design; no construction on un-approved design	§7.1.3 [MANDATORY]	verified
9 typical permit categories	§7.2.1	verified
3 [MANDATORY] permit-discipline standards	§7.2	verified
[LOCAL-LAW DEPENDENT] conditional-use / variance / design-review schedule warning	§7.2	verified
Permit expediter [RECOMMENDED] + §14 vendor qualification + §1.3 confidentiality [MANDATORY]	§7.2.2	verified
5 [MANDATORY] utility-coordination standards	§7.3	verified
15-BD utility service-order initiation post-Site-Authorization	§7.3 [MANDATORY]	verified
Utility account in Franchisee entity name only	§7.3 [MANDATORY]	verified
6 utility milestone notifications	§7.3	verified
6 common utility coordination failures (9–18 month transformer; CIAC; joint trench; easement; engineering review; metering)	§7.3	verified

Outstanding unverified items

#	Claim	Primary source needed	Resolver
M06.OUT.01	HiON Site Design Manual specific specifications (clearance envelopes, post spacing, etc.)	Partner Portal Site Design Manual	Tony Cuomo / Engineering and Design Review
M06.OUT.02	Partner Portal preferred-expediter list (regional)	Partner Portal	Joe Frank (Ops) / FBC
M06.OUT.03	Site Design Manual utility upgrade threshold for [APPROVAL REQUIRED]	Partner Portal	Engineering and Design Review
M06.OUT.04	Operations Manual Appendices B (Build Checklists) current contents	Manual Appendices	Joe Lewis (COO)

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Section 12 · Change log

Version	Date	Author	Changes
v0.1	2026-05-19	Claude (draft)	Initial draft against Operations Manual v1.0 Working Draft. All Manual citations verified. Opens Phase C (Build, Commission, Launch). Four outstanding items defer to Partner Portal current contents (Site Design Manual, preferred-expediter list, utility upgrade threshold, Appendices B).