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