Cost estimates for maintenance turnarounds are notoriously inaccurate and frequently overrun by more than their supposed accuracy range. Until recently there has been little research into why this is, and into how to improve turnaround cost estimates. However, there is now a small body of research that may be worth exploring, for those turnaround teams […]
A common error, when assessing and deciding whether to proceed with a capital project is to assume that the cost estimate is more accurate than it really is. Very often, the assessor is lulled into a false sense of security by statements such as “We have firm quotes for 80% of the items on the […]
Turnaround cost estimating is notoriously poor. Previous studies have revealed systemic under-estimation of costs and over-confidence regarding the tightness of the accuracy ranges assigned to estimates. Part of the problem is the general lack of rigor in considering how to allow for uncertainties and risks in the estimate. There are essentially four areas of uncertainty […]
One aspect of process plant maintenance turnaround preparation efficiency that is often overlooked is the role of the steering team in ensuring turnaround success. In recent years it has become clear that a well-functioning Steering Team (or Steering Committee) is a vital component in successful turnaround preparation, planning, and execution. Frequently, process plant site leadership […]
In the November 2021 online edition of “The Chemical Engineer” magazine, Gordon discusses the need to keep turnaround scope to a manageable size and avoid excessive scope growth. He points out that although many teams focus on the valuable activity of challenging the scope (i.e. challenging whether individual scope items need to be included) just prior to scope […]
In the October 2021 edition of “The Chemical Engineer” magazine, Gordon discusses the value of setting up key foundation documents at the kick-off stage of the preparation and planning phase for a maintenance turnaround. To read the full article CLICK HERE. This article is the fifth in a planned series of six from Gordon, being published in […]
In the September 2021 edition of “The Chemical Engineer” magazine, Gordon discusses the current poor state of turnaround cost estimating and highlights five, simple to implement actions that can help improve the accuracy of future turnaround estimates. To read the full article click here. This article is the fourth in a planned series of six from Gordon, being published […]
~ Writing a Basis of Estimate ~ The Recommended Practices issued by AACE International are widely recognized and have been adopted in estimating and control departments across the process industries. Until recently, the focus of these practices was mainly on capital projects. However, they are now also beginning to cover Maintenance Turnarounds. A first RP on Maintenance […]
In the July 2021 online edition of “The Chemical Engineer” magazine, Gordon discusses how project teams are often blamed by turnaround managers for problems with meeting turnaround event schedules. He examines the key areas that need to be addressed when integrating a project into a turnaround event and highlights the point that these areas need to be discussed and resolved during the project […]
Overview from article written for the May 2021 edition of “The Chemical Engineer” magazine… Maintenance turnaround teams are under ever increasing pressure to improve their cost estimating prowess. A gap in the steps towards improvement is the reluctance of maintenance turnaround teams to take the time to document their cost estimates. By writing a basis […]
