Winter is Coming to the Northern Latitudes this year.
Duh...
Every year we get at least one call
in October wanting to know how quick we can build a ground system.
My standard answer is, "It will take about a week start to finish
for a single tower and probably less than 2 weeks for multi-tower
arrays".
The caller meant but didn't state;
"It is 33 degrees here today. Even though I have had my CP for
two and a half years, I have waited until the forecast is calling
for a FREEZE warning and I still haven't gotten my station built.
AND the CP runs out in January. How QUICKLY can
you drop everything and get my station built before winter?"
As anyone involved in building
broadcast stations is aware, more government agencies have their
fingers stuck in the radio business than maybe even the Nuclear
Power industry (I could be mistaken on this). Three years can
barely be enough time by the time all of the acronym's are
satisfied.
HOWEVER, most of the
rush-before-winter projects that we do are for one of 2 reasons:
-
Procrastination
I'll get that done tomorrow! Or
the next day! Maybe... If I get to it... Oh... Hey!
Its October... Again.
More time and money is wasted on
site construction because of procrastination than any other
preventable cause. RUSH costs money. Getting
materials in a hurry costs more, travel costs more, guaranteeing
delivery of other materials and services cost more, etc, etc.
-
Saving Money
I have provided proposals to stations
that have point-blank told me that I was too expensive. They
hunted around and found someone that said that they could do the
work for a small percentage of my proposal (see
my treatment of the exceeding cheap quote). And then never
show up. On one memorable project, it cost the client almost
50% more than my original proposal from a year earlier.
Materials and mobilization were up due to availability and market
factors. Shipping was astronomical due to speed, weight and
location factors. Mobilization was driven up by lack of
advance purchase time. Rush costs money. Extra labor was
required to finish by the CP expiration.
I have also had a RUSH client tell me
that they would have called AGSC to start with but had been
convinced by someone that they could do the job cheaper than anyone
around. They were absolutely correct. The work was never
done, henceforth, it cost the station NOTHING! Until we/they
had to pay expedited shipping charges and shuffle properly planned
projects around. RUSH costs money.
Regulatory delays comprise a fairly small
portion of our compressed time line work.
When we (Or anyone. Even you.) order
materials and make travel plans on a compressed time line, the costs
will be higher. Every facet of the project will usually be
impacted when adhering to a compressed time line. The more
compressed, the more expensive. Rush costs money.
We Specialize in
Compressed
Time Line Projects
We have the resources, equipment and
knowledge to make a project "happen" just in time. By saying that
we specialize in compressed projects doesn't mean that we encourage or
like them. Just that we can "git 'er done" if needed.
Some tips to help make your project go a
little smoother.
-
Choose your venders and contractors
(tower, ground system, building, utilities, equipment, etc) early.
You should already be talking to venders and contractors before
the initial application is filed. Contractors and equipment
should be lined up AS SOON as the CP arrives. Even if the
proposed the construction date is months away.
-
Choose your venders and contractors
wisely. A great deal isn't necessarily a good value.
-
Ask for references. We have a
reference page HERE so you can check us out
-
Regularly follow up on equipment delivery,
construction dates and contractor status.
-
Contractors should be in touch with each other
for coordination. However, SOMEONE (you, your engineer, GC, or even myself
as a site coordinator) MUST be in overall control of the time line AND
scheduling.
-
Return contracts, proposals and payments
according to the vender/contractor requirements. Failure to return a
contract or payment in a timely manner may result in unplanned delays.
-
Go to the doctor. Get something for your
stomach and something for your head. The larger the project the
more/better something you may need. For the humor challenged, this is only
half joking. Especially if you didn't contract AM Ground Systems
Company.
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