Oscar Energy x Black & Veatch | Case Studies

Black & Veatch is a global engineering, procurement, consulting and construction (EPC) firm delivering critical infrastructure solutions across the energy, powerm utilities, water and telecommunications markets. Known for their technical excellence and project oversight capabilities, Black & Veatch supports some of the most complex and safety-sensitive projects in North America and globally, partnering with leading owners and developers across renewable and conventional energy sectors.

Oscar first partnered with Black & Veatch in 2018 to support short-term Construction Management needs across multiple industries. Beginning in 2023, the partnership expanded significantly as Black & Veatch engaged Oscar as a primary talent partner to support large-scale projects execution nationwide.

Since that time, Oscarhas completeted 60+ placements across the United States, supporting both contract and direct-hire needs across utility-scale solar, BESS, conventional power generation, HV substations and T&D projects. The majority of these placements have been senior, highly technical field leadership roles, including I&C Supervisors, Commissioning Leads and Managers, CSU Leads and Project and Field Leadership professionals.

Given Black & Veatch's frequent role as an owner's engineering or commissioning authority, Oscar has fully staffed multiple projects end-to-end - particularly within their Commissioning group - supporting projects with owners and partners such as NextEra, Idaho Power, Avangrid and Repsol, among others.

THE CHALLENGE

Black & Veatch faced ongoing challenges filling high-level, safety-sensitive field leadership roles within extremely competitive and shrinking candidate markets. These positions often required rapid mobilization, niche technical expertise and the ability to integrate seamlessly into multi-stakeholder project environments.

Internal resource constraints, aggressive project schedules and limited visibility into untapped talent pools made it increasingly difficult to identify qualified professionals quickly - without compromising quality, safety or project outcomes.

THE APPROACH

Oscar approached the partnership from a project-first, holistic staffing perspective, rather than treating each role as an isolated requisition. This meant deeply understanding:

Black & Veatch's specific role on each project
Owner and stakeholder expectations
Budget, schedule and compliance constraints
The leadership dynamics between Oscar-provided personnel and internal Black & Veatch teams

Key components of Oscar's approach included:

Targeted headhunting from top competitors and adjacent industries
Building project-specific talent pipelines rather than reactive sourcing
Providing real-time market intelligence on compensation trends, avalibility and candidate motivations
Conducting on-site project visits to better understand operational realities and safety expectations - allowing Osacr to screen candidates at a level most recruiters cannot
Delivering a fully integrated workforce solution, including payroll, compliance, insurance, E-Verify, background and drug screening, tax coverage and contractor administration - all handled in-house to reduce client burden and accelerate hiring timelines

THE SOLUTION

Oscar partnered closely with Black & Veatch through in-depth strategic conversations to determine where and how the greatest value could be delivered within an organization of their scale. This included aligning on:

Technical competencies required for each project and owner
Cultural and leadership based on the project environment
Flexibility between contract, project-based and direct-hire solutions
Long-term workforce planning across multiple concurrent projects

By adapting sourcing for long-term success and embedding deeply into Black & Veatch's commissioning and field operation needs, Oscar became an extension of their internal talent function.

RESULTS & OUTCOMES

60+ placements completed since 2023
80% of placements were contract or project-based, supporting dynamic project timelines
Roles filled nationwide across multiple markets and asset types
Accelerated time-to-fill for highly specialized field leadership roles

ONGOING IMPACT

Oscar has become a trusted, go-to partner for Black & Veatch - supporting scalable workforce deployment across multiple locations, owners and project phases. Through in-house contractor management and compliance services, Oscar has helped Black & Veatch save up to $30,000 per hire in overhead costs, while maintaining speed, quality and safety standards - Not to mention te massive costs saved by our teams completing projects ahead of schedule and in budget.

CLIENT TESTIMONIAL

“As a Commissioning and Operations Leader responsible for supporting numerous projects and for identifying, qualifying, assigning, and managing a constantly evolving group of up to 30 commissioning professionals nationally, I recently became aware of Oscar and Caitlin Cooper.

Over the last two years, Caitlin has consistently provided personnel who meet highly specific requirements in an effective manner where others have not been successful. I would recommend her and Oscar to any manager in need of contingent workforce support.”

— Black & Veatch Executive