Why use an Elevator Consultant?
How to pick the right one.
As a building owner and manager you have the responsibility to look for any edge that gives you a competitive advantage. Everyone is trying to save money and hassle. Knowledge is the answer.
The definition of the word Consult is to ask advice or opinion. Another reason to consult is to get an answer on a subject we have little knowledge, but could impact what we are doing greatly. Too many times we hire a consultant, only to find out that we probably could do it better, cheaper, and faster ourselves. Some consultants mire the client in techno mumbo jumbo and the end result is a mess. Then there is the other type of consultant who teaches their clients along with giving advice. These consultants are not afraid to take the mystery out of what they are doing. They clearly explain, what they are trying to accomplish for their client. The Consultants must show what real value the client is getting. Never should the end result between a client and the consultant wind up costing the client more, this includes the project and consultant cost. There should always be a savings, and a plan of how to take care of these problems in the future.
The consultant is the client’s specialist, and it should be clear to the client that the consultant’s knowledge and experience brings tangible value at all times. Both the savings and operations that the consultant proposes should be significant.
After the first meeting sets out the objectives, the consultant should take the pertinent information and give the client what he thinks should be done. Upon signing an engagement letter stating the scope of work and costs of services, the consultant starts with an analysis. The consultant begins by inspecting the different mechanical and structural portions of the elevator or escalators, including timing, maintenance and above all the safeness of the lift system. (There is a much more extensive list of the above, which will be included in the consultants report.) His evaluation should report on his findings in two parts, one in English the other technical. The consultant should be able to explain clearly what the problem is, and give at least two alternatives, hopefully three, that the building owner and manager can use. The three categories are good; better, best, their costs and what and why the consultant is giving these recommendations.
With agreement on the course of action, specifications should be written in order to implement the process. This is done first if the construction is new. The plans should be done with the Architectural and engineering team designated by the client or in a lot of cases, the client will use the team that the consultant recommends. By having this team in place they make sure that all codes are complied with in the drawings that will be supplied in the pre bid conference. This prevents the winner of the bid (Elevator Contractor) from making mistakes regarding codes and creating change orders and cost overruns. These over runs can amount to up to 80-90 % of the original price. If the elevator contractor is given the right specifications then he can and should be held accountable for the installation at the price accepted.
In today’s segmented and litigious world, people only do what they are told to do in writing, no more. Therefore there are very few contractors who will bring code problems to the attention of the building owners or managers; the contractors will only do what the specs say. The ultimate responsibility lies with the buyer who must make sure the plans are not only complete, but up to code. By doing the above and with the proper guidance for the consultant there will be no question where and who the responsible party is when things go wrong. (Without this the blame game goes on between the architect, engineers, and the elevator contractors, which will cause delays, and overruns.) All of this can be prevented and the cost is minimal compared to the whole project. This is but one example of some of the things that could go wrong.
One quick word regarding maintenance contracts: Did you or the Elevator Contractor write your Maintenance Contract? If your company did not write the contract then you are probably paying much more for service than you should. Bayline would be glad to help regarding this problem. Please believe that if your company did not have a contract written for it by somebody representing your company, there is a significant amount of money to be saved.
In today’s segmented and litigious world, people only do what they are told to do in writing, no more. Therefore there are very few contractors who will bring code problems to the attention of the building owners or managers; the contractors will only do what the specs say. The ultimate responsibility lies with the buyer who must make sure the plans are not only complete, but up to code. By doing the above and with the proper guidance for the consultant there will be no question where and who the responsible party is when things go wrong. (Without this the blame game goes on between the architect, engineers, and the elevator contractors, which will cause delays, and overruns.) All of this can be prevented and the cost is minimal compared to the whole project. This is but one example of some of the things that could go wrong.
One quick word regarding maintenance contracts: Did you or the Elevator Contractor write your Maintenance Contract? If your company did not write the contract then you are probably paying much more for service than you should. Bayline would be glad to help regarding this problem. Please believe that if your company did not have a contract written for it by somebody representing your company, there is a significant amount of money to be saved.
We at Bayline Lift Technologies tell customers that if we can’t save them 10-30% after our fees, while bringing them a more efficient system then we are not doing our job. No consultant is. The only reason for cost changes should be if the client decides they want something done differently or there is an earthquake, hurricane etc. and that should be covered by insurance. Your Elevator and Escalator consultant should be your insurance policy for smooth, safe, efficient lift operations and you shouldn’t settle for anything less.
Although this is a lot of detail to take in about the Consulting procedure we at Bayline Lift thought this information would help explain why a consultant in the elevator field is helpful.
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