Abstract:
When a contractor wishes to expand their portfolio into new types of work, it can be a daunting task. There are many questions that come up: What equipment do I need? How big do my crews need to be? How many days will this take? These are the types of questions facing contractors who wish to break into any new field. Similarly, engineers may have questions when it comes to the design of helical piles. Often times, this tribal knowledge has to be developed over time and there is some risk during the first projects. Fortunately, in the helical pile industry, this knowledge is readily shared by helical pile supplier’s engineers to both contractors and other engineers. Online training about the fundamentals of helical piles, as well as hands on training with the equipment are available to give a level of confidence that the project will be successful, as well as a certification to provide a level of assurance to the owners of the project. The supplier’s engineering team is a valuable resource to making sure that contractors are able to hit the ground running with their first job, and engineers have confidence their design will be successful. The training does not end with the initial training and certification, continued training in the form of webinars with pdh credits is available to expand their knowledge on both the engineering and construction side of the industry. This relationship also extends into supplemental engineering on a per project basis. When it comes to commercial projects with varied loads, specifications, and soil conditions, the suppliers engineering team can work alongside the contractor and stamping engineer in coming up with an efficient and economical design that meets all the required specifications. The supplier’s engineering team may also be able to identify possible alternates to the specified solution, or complications that may occur based on the plans or soil conditions. When the project gets awarded, this relationship then extends into the construction phase with support for developing submittal packages alongside a stamping engineer, performing load tests, and troubleshooting. When dealing with soils, unexpected conditions may arise and the original intended design may need to be changed. When this does happen, engineering is only a phone call away to determine the best steps to move the project forward with as little downtime as possible. Whether the solution be adding piles, changing the configuration, or coming up with a new solution all together, having qualified supplier engineering support real time to work through these challenges is a vital tool. This relationship between contractor, engineer and supplier engineer has proven to be beneficial model for all involved parties. First, the owner of the project gets an economical design, the contractor has a solution with confidence in their bid and its installability, engineers have the opportunity to stamp submittal packages, and the supplier gets to provide the material.