Category: PILLAR Talk

PILLAR’s Dan Dennis, Vice President of Public-Private Partnerships was quoted on the positive trend of risk allocation in the P3 model. 

Read the full article to see Dan’s comments on risk allocation.

If you are performing an outsourced O&M project, it is very likely you have a fixed budget based on your contract price. Your cash flow is known upfront, the day you sign the contract. As the Maintenance Manager, your job is to meet the contract performance requirements as efficiently as possible while meeting your budget. How do you do this? Simple: Spend resources wisely and efficiently. Basic planning can help you do this.

A typical example could be: The roadway shoulder has accumulated dirt, weeds, etc. in the longitudinal joints on a narrow shoulder next to a barrier wall. Simple enough to clean up, right? But the work area is three feet wide and adjacent to the left (high speed) lane on a 75-mph urban interstate. MOT requirements called for a full lane closure – in both directions.

What does this all mean? Before any work starts, you have already spent $2,800 for the two lane-closures. To save money and be efficient, how many other tasks can be done in that lane closure?

• Burn out the roots with a propane-hot lance torch.
• Seal the joints with hot or cold-pour asphalt joint sealer = no more weeds for five years.
• Jet-vac all the drop inlets within the lane closure.
• Install barrier-wall mounted delineators.
• Repair any potholes or crack-seal the longitudinal joint
• Sweep/vacuum the dust and debris.

These additional tasks will be required at some point. Why not do it all at once? The additional labor is minimal, and you likely have all the small tools; if not then rent them. By combining the activities, you have saved multiple lane closures and perhaps up to $10,000. This adds up.

This is basic preventive maintenance. And all it takes is – a little planning.

To learn more about how Pillar can help more efficiently manage your P3 project, contact Mark Boenke at mboenke@PillarOMA.com

There have been numerous developments in recent years in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) that are transforming our daily lives. Among the most commonly recognized are self-driving vehicles and voice recognition devices such as Amazon’s Alexa.

While perhaps not as flashy as having your virtual personal assistant, Pillar Operations & Maintenance Advisors is a leader in the important integration of AI into the world of transportation asset management.

Using AI, Pillar can collect and assess vastly larger datasets in less time with fewer resources than ever before. What once took months to identify, collect and assess transportation assets can now take as little as three days.*

Why does this matter?

Pillar can help clients make cost-effective, data-driven transportation maintenance decisions and plans based on actual priorities derived from clear and comprehensive data. This data results in safer, better-maintained roadways for the traveling public.

For example, we gathered guardrail length inventory by assessing its condition in accordance to the Maintenance Rating Program for a state Department of Transportation. This data enabled the state DOT to develop a maintenance plan, allocate the workforce and secure a budget for the project.

Here’s a more in-depth look at how AI is being used in Pillar’s proprietary CAPE approach to transportation asset management:

Collection – We are using AI to help identify assets for gathering a database of inventory. To do this, we have trained algorithms that scan our imagery and point cloud data to locate assets. We also utilize a system that automatically extracts these features into a legible format. The two systems provide a level of redundancy and quality assurance that is integrated with your GIS. Together, these systems create a sophisticated level of detail that was previously unattainable.

Assessment – AI helps us assess the condition of transportation assets by using algorithms to identify items such as a leaning sign, clogged ditch, and much more.

Planning – AI is an extremely useful aid in conducting research. By combining “big data” with the inventory collection and assessment data, we developed algorithms to build predictive analytics that make proactive maintenance possible.

Execution – We use AI to monitor operations to ensure quality standards are met. Further, the data stays current as tasks and projects are completed.

*Timeliness will vary from project to project based on size and number of assets collected.

What is outsourcing?

Outsourcing is simply using contractors to do things traditionally done by in-house staff.

In the P3 space, virtually the entire project is outsourced, by definition. In a traditional, publicly owned and operated roadway, the Owner (DOT/Ministry, etc.) provides operations and maintenance for the roadway with in-house staff, trucks, equipment and materials. Similarly, a facility such as a hospital, manufacturing facility, port or other large fixed asset will have maintenance staff and operational support.

What are the benefits?

In a word, “Efficiency.” But how? For one, you get more efficient use of your people resources.

Good workers generally want to do a good job – finish it properly and move to the next task. Contractors and mechanics know this. If they have a lump-sum price to replace your HVAC system, they will get it done quickly and efficiently and move on to the next job. If you pay all of your subs a T&M rate, you won’t get this benefit. If all your maintenance personnel are hourly in-house staff, you are essentially paying them a T&M rate. They are not motivated to get the job done faster.

What’s so special about specialists?

With today’s technology and ever advancing and inter-related systems, it is much more difficult to hire, train and keep a “jack-of-all-trades” maintenance staff on hand. It is more efficient, safer, faster and cheaper to utilize a team of highly trained, on-call specialists. With new technologies on the horizon, you may not even need to “fly in” the technician.

Get better use of your equipment resources

• Don’t let it sit idle: If the machine sits in the yard most of the time, you don’t need to own it. Maybe it seemed to make sense when you bought it, but you are not in the business of amassing a fleet of equipment that sits most of the time. Instead, try subcontracting, renting or leasing it. Construction companies know this and have a fleet of lowboys working every night to get idle equipment to the site of a (paying) job.
• Paid-for equipment is not free: Maybe that motor grader sitting on your property is paid for. But if it’s not being used, that’s a $150,000 pile of cash sitting in your yard that could get another thousand feet of ditch cleaned or 200 potholes filled. At a minimum, share it or make it available to another location.

Finally, we mention profit. The profit motive drives efficiency and productivity. Although it can be a dirty word sometimes, the profit motive – coupled with performance standards – will undeniably drive innovation and ultimately result in lower costs.

About PILLAR, Inc.
PILLAR is a multi-discipline firm focused on collecting, analyzing, and turning data into efficient and effective strategies for operating and maintaining roadways, bridges, tunnels, and other forms of infrastructure. We are a trusted partner that DOTs, municipalities, and P3 stakeholders rely on for expertise in safely managing roadway infrastructure in a fiscally sound and responsible manner.”