Cost Containment: How Liberty Prevents Cost Overruns on Long-Term Scaffold Rentals

Scaffold Cost Overruns Should NOT Be Standard Operating Procedure

We hear this from clients all the time: “You guys saved me 20% over my last scaffold contractor.”

We LOVE to hear this. Over 75% of our business comes from repeat clients, so keeping our customers happy is our primary objective. Our goal is to establish a long-term relationship with every single client. We strive to develop a working partnership with each customer. As in all successful relationships, we believe in and promote full transparency. We don’t like secrets or surprises, and we suspect you don’t, either.

Maybe this is how your typical bidding process has gone in the past: Your scaffold contractor guesstimates as best he can, but you know from experience that more scaffold will be needed or, worse yet, he’ll overbid and you’ll see a yard full of unused scaffold that your company is paying for. We’re here to tell you: this is not standard practice at Liberty Industrial Group. Once again, SCAFFOLD COST OVERRUNS are NOT par for the course.

Liberty’s Innovative Approach Starts Before We’re Hired

So how do we save you 20% on your bottom line? Do we compromise safety? Quality? Professionalism? Absolutely not! In fact, we’ve received awards and accolades for our safety program. Our workforce is the finest in the industry, made up of highly trained scaffold experts. We use the highest quality materials and complete daily safety inspections.

“There’s a common misconception in our industry that scaffold overrun costs are just part of doing business.”

– Ed Jarmin, Liberty’s Vice President of Business Development

How Liberty Implements Scaffold Cost Control

Here at Liberty, we take great pride in reducing these cost overruns. Two things contribute to our success and accuracy when bidding and maintaining a project.

1. We are scaffold experts. While Liberty also provides insulation, painting & coating, and safety & hole watch services, we were founded as a specialty contractor specializing in industrial scaffolding. Our management team has over a century of cumulative experience. We’re one of 100 companies who’ve been certified by the SAIA (Scaffold & Access Industry Association) as a qualified Scaffold Training Institute. We know our scaffolds.

2. To augment our knowledge and expertise, we utilize cutting-edge technology to bid each project and to maintain a meticulous daily record of your inventory. These innovative solutions include (but are not limited to) Virtual Reality (VR) Scaffold Design and our proprietary inventory and inspection app, LIBERTY INSPECT.

Let’s take a closer look at the technologies we use to accurately bid and maintain your project.

VIRTUAL REALITY (VR) SCAFFOLD DESIGN: Our 3D Rendering Software Saves Time and Money

At Liberty we understand that time is money. Every hour that your facility is under repair affects your bottom line. So we use a virtual reality scaffold design program to maximize worker efficiency and ensure that you aren’t paying for scaffold you don’t need.

We pre-build your project with Virtual Reality (VR) Scaffold Design. Liberty uses a state-of-the-art VR Scaffolding Design program to create a rendering of your scaffolds, including a complete parts list, scaffold weights, project details, planners, and dates. You and your co-contractors can use this rendering to walk the scaffolds prior to erection. Used in conjunction with our LIBERTY INSPECT materials and inventory app, we further increase productivity by knowing exactly which pieces to pull for each part of your project.

Scaffold Design Features:

• Automated materials list leads to accurate estimations resulting in bottom-line savings
• Exact quantity and parts list saves time and money
• Increased workforce efficiency — workers know exactly which pieces to pull (and when)
• Owners and subcontractors can virtually walk the scaffolding prior to erection, increasing productivity of all jobsite crews
• Combination of augmented and virtual realities provide realistic views for planning purposes
• Multiple access and egress points identified, clearance issues addressed
• Increased safety with automatic, full load-rating calculations

“By providing a 3D rendering that our clients can walk through virtually (prior to the actual build), Liberty is able to minimize cost overruns that usually take place due to modifications and rebuilds. We really strive to be dedicated business partners to our clients.” – Ed Jarmin

LIBERTY INSPECT: Our State-of-the-Art Inventory and Inspection App

In order to better serve our customers, Liberty developed a resource-tracking and report-generating tool which we use on every project. The details matter, and we track the minutia in real time. As our client, you get real-time access to all data about your project. Daily tracking reports assure you that we’re on time and on budget.

LIBERTY SCAFFOLD INSPECT: TRACK INVENTORY & INSPECTIONS. Liberty’s cutting-edge, one-of-a-kind suite of applications guarantees that you’ll be able to follow every detail of your project in real time. From the exact number of scaffolds on your job site to the very latest safety report, our proprietary software keeps you up-to-the-minute and in the loop.

Inspect App Features:

• Complete Tracking, Scheduling, and Planning
• Daily Scaffold and Equipment Inspections
• Material Tracking and Onsite Location
• Planning and Estimating: no more unexpected, end-of-project bills
• Load Rating
• Equipment and Materials Needed
• Daily Audits
• Utilization and Reconciliation Reports
• Productivity Reports
• KPIs — Key Performance Indicators

INVENTORY MANAGEMENT

Liberty developed our Scaffold Material- and Inspection-Tracking app for both our customers and our employees. You can track materials, tools, truckloads, scaffold location, POs, and man-hours. This data can predict potential shortages, which then allows us to redirect materials before an actual shortage occurs. After a project is finished, we can use the data from the INSPECT scaffold app to accurately plan for your next project. With the INSPECT SCAFFOLD APP, both Liberty and our customers know exactly what’s taking place onsite at all times.

INSPECTION TRACKING

Once a scaffold is erected, the information is entered into the INSPECT app. Before each work shift, as scaffolding is inspected with the date and time, we record the status of each scaffold onto the app. This way, Liberty always has an accurate record of all inspections completed. We track who performed the inspection, when it was completed, any modifications, and how long the scaffold has been in use. As our customer, you know exactly how long each scaffold has been erected and the associated rental costs, which helps you manage your bottom line.

To learn more about our cost-saving solutions, email [email protected], or visit our CONTACT page to speak with your regional office.