Sourcing Scaffolding Materials for Oil and Gas Projects

Scaffolding on oil and gas facilities is built from the same kinds of components as anywhere else, but it is bought under tighter conditions. The operator or main contractor usually sets requirements for specifications, documentation, site entry and sometimes the suppliers themselves, and material that does not meet them cannot be used, however good it is.

So the buying sequence changes: confirm the project's requirements first, then find suppliers that can meet them, rather than the other way round.

Before sending any enquiry, collect from the contract, the project specification and the scaffold design:

• The specification for tubes, fittings, boards and system components.
• Finish requirements — galvanised material is common for external plant and coastal sites.
• Documentation that must accompany the material.
• Marking or identification requirements.
• Any vendor approval or registration the operator or main contractor requires.
• Site rules that affect deliveries.

Documentation requirements vary widely between projects, so ask rather than assume. For each requirement in your list, ask the supplier whether it can provide it and in what form, and get the answer in writing with the quotation.

Keep delivery notes and any documents with the records for the work area the material is used in. If a question is raised later about a component, being able to show where it came from and what accompanied it saves a great deal of time.

Plant environments are hard on steel. Hot-dip galvanised tube and components are commonly chosen for external access on plant and coastal sites because the zinc coating protects the steel, but the coating only helps if it is intact: check deliveries for bare patches, heavy white rust and untreated cut ends.

For hired material, agree how its condition is checked on delivery and on return, so that damage found on site is recorded against the right party.

Oil and gas sites control what enters them. Before the first delivery, confirm with the site and the supplier:

• Gate times, vehicle requirements and any permits or passes for drivers.
• Documents the driver must carry.
• Where deliveries are inspected and where material is laid down.
• Who on site receives and signs for deliveries.

Maintenance windows and project milestones move. Tie deliveries to milestones rather than fixed dates where you can, agree a notice period for changing them, and agree how urgent additional material is requested. One person on your side should pass all changes to the supplier, so the site and the supplier never work from different versions of the schedule.

For planned shutdowns and turnarounds, the guide to procuring scaffolding materials for industrial shutdowns covers timing and emergent work in more detail.

• Can it supply the specification exactly, and confirm it line by line?
• Can it provide the documentation your project requires?
• Does it meet any vendor requirement your operator or main contractor sets?
• Can it deliver within the site's rules and on a schedule that may change?
• Does it supply the fittings and components as well as the tube, so compatibility is one supplier's responsibility?
• Can it support the work with crews or supervision if needed?

Most delays on industrial scaffolding orders come from requirements that surfaced too late:

• Sending enquiries before the project's material and documentation requirements are known.
• Discovering a vendor approval requirement after a supplier has been chosen.
• Leaving site entry rules until the first delivery arrives at the gate.
• Accepting galvanised material without checking the coating on delivery.
• Letting several people on site request changes directly from the supplier.

GH Scaffolds supplies steel scaffolding components, carbon steel and hot-dip galvanised tubes and fittings for hire or purchase from Ajman Industrial 2, and provides heavy-duty scaffold support for plant. Send the project's specification, documentation and site requirements with the quantities or drawings through the contact page, and the reply will confirm what can be supplied against each requirement.