Geotech Service Offering without the CMT
Geotech Service Offering without the CMT
(OP)
For those of you who procure geotech/CMT services; I am curious about the viability of a geotech firm that focuses strictly on the geotechnical investigation and recommendations but that does not offer compaction testing, concrete testing or special inspections during construction.
1)How important is it to you that the company that performs the geotechnical investigation also provides the construction materials testing services (CMT) during construction?
2)If important, could you be persuaded to separate the services if the geotech was of reputable high quality, very responsive and fee competitive (but not cheap)? Consider turnaround times about half of typical and fee structures about 80 percent of typical. In addition, the geotech company could perform visual pre-pour inspections and third party review of CMT documentation at an hourly rate fee. Also, since there is no competition conflict from losing the CMT work, geotech would be responsive and helpful if issues arise during construction - rather than be unhelpful/unresponsive because the CMT contract was awarded to someone else.
1)How important is it to you that the company that performs the geotechnical investigation also provides the construction materials testing services (CMT) during construction?
2)If important, could you be persuaded to separate the services if the geotech was of reputable high quality, very responsive and fee competitive (but not cheap)? Consider turnaround times about half of typical and fee structures about 80 percent of typical. In addition, the geotech company could perform visual pre-pour inspections and third party review of CMT documentation at an hourly rate fee. Also, since there is no competition conflict from losing the CMT work, geotech would be responsive and helpful if issues arise during construction - rather than be unhelpful/unresponsive because the CMT contract was awarded to someone else.





RE: Geotech Service Offering without the CMT
I would not expect the geotech to do concrete testing. Almost always this is by third party (at least in my area)
RE: Geotech Service Offering without the CMT
I am targeting pretty much any project type or size, but primarily private funded and local in nature. Possibly municipal. Minority status would also be in play for government work, but again, private funded work would be primary focus.
CMT work requires a lot of equipment, personnel, vehicles and space. It is a machine that must be fed. The money in CMT is more in the volume than in the margin. So yes, most firms here are making the majority of their money with CMT, but they also have to feed a small army to do it. Geotech studies are inexpensive relative to the overall project costs, but the margins are much, much higher (especially if you have your own drill which would be the case here) and it only takes one person to run a geotech firm if work is thin.
RE: Geotech Service Offering without the CMT
RE: Geotech Service Offering without the CMT
RE: Geotech Service Offering without the CMT
RE: Geotech Service Offering without the CMT
1.) Long timelines. You almost always bid them out separately, because the geotech investigations will drive huge changes to the scope.
2.) Division of Responsibilities: typically the Owner contracts the geotechnical work and the EPC contractor does the CMT.
That being said, this is obviously a very limited market.
RE: Geotech Service Offering without the CMT
Thaidavid
RE: Geotech Service Offering without the CMT
RE: Geotech Service Offering without the CMT
RE: Geotech Service Offering without the CMT
To be honest: I'd kind of like it. In my experience they turn out to be some of the best, most knowledgeable goetechnical guys. (I.e. geotech isn't just a sideline to them.) It's hard to get a hold of a good one anymore.....so I'd like it.
RE: Geotech Service Offering without the CMT
Food for thought: most clients think that there is an inherent advantage to having one company provide both services. This advantage is, more often than not, perceived rather than real, because the departments within that single company are ran very independently. There are usually even two contracts to sign. The right hand often does not know what the left hand is doing, to the point that the services might as well be separated. But I digress. My inquiry is to see what the existing general consensus might be, rather than provide a persuasive argument one way or another. Perceptions are hard to change. I'm jut taking the temperature on how much work that change might require.
What part of the country are you located in?
RE: Geotech Service Offering without the CMT
Southeast [USA]. But I've noticed this no matter what part of the country the project is in. A lot of the projects I do involve structures and foundations for static & dynamic loads. And on the dynamic part......the knowledge has really been lacking over about the last 10 years. I'm not sure what has happened (although I have a few guesses), but in many instances, I've known more than the geotech I'm talking to. And when it comes right down to it: I shouldn't. I need him/her to make recommendations to me (not the other way around: i.e. references where the problem is addressed).
RE: Geotech Service Offering without the CMT