Construction Intelligence Glossary
The vocabulary of construction-phase business development — the signals, filings, and milestones that move a project from announcement to groundbreaking.
AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction)
The local government body — usually a county or municipal building department — that reviews permit applications and issues approvals for construction. The AHJ is where building permits, site plans, and zoning approvals are filed and become public record.
Interconnection Queue
The public list, maintained by a regional transmission operator (ISO/RTO such as PJM, MISO, CAISO, ERCOT), of generators and large loads requesting permanent connection to the electrical grid. An interconnection request is filed 12–36 months before a facility needs power, making it one of the earliest reliable signals of a large project.
EPC (Engineering, Procurement & Construction)
A delivery model in which a single prime contractor handles engineering, procurement, and construction for a project. The EPC award — when the owner selects the prime — is the milestone at which subcontract opportunities for specialty trades become imminent, typically 2–6 weeks later.
Pre-Qualification (Pre-Qual)
The process by which a prime contractor or owner vets subcontractors before inviting them to bid. Getting pre-qualified before an RFP is issued is the highest-leverage point in the BD cycle for specialty contractors.
Energization
The point at which a facility is connected to and drawing power from the grid — effectively the operational start for a data center or industrial plant. Energization dates anchor the construction timeline backward to permitting and EPC milestones.
Capex (Capital Expenditure)
The dollars an owner commits to building or expanding a facility. Capex announcements in earnings calls and SEC filings are leading indicators of construction programs months before permits are filed.
Hyperscaler
A large cloud or platform operator (e.g. the major cloud providers) that builds data centers at massive scale. Hyperscaler campuses (100 MW+) are the largest single driver of the AI infrastructure buildout.
RTO / ISO
Regional Transmission Organization / Independent System Operator — the entities that operate the electrical grid across multi-state regions and publish interconnection queues. Examples: PJM, MISO, CAISO, ERCOT, NYISO, SPP.