Turnkey Construction Services for Fuel Cell Site Contractor
Large General Contractor • Colchester, CT
Solution Overview
Client:
Large General Contractor
Business Challenge:
- Civil site work for numerous concurrent projects across a large geographic area
- Unique needs of each site
Solution:
- Coordination and scheduling of tradespeople, inspectors, and other personnel
- Project implementation
Results:
- Seamless client experience
- Centralized management
- Consistency of pricing, scope, and quality
Challenge
Apex Companies' client, a large general contractor that builds fuel cells along the eastern seaboard, needed a reliable and versatile partner to handle civil site work for numerous concurrent projects across a large geographic area. These projects typically consist of installing fuel cell systems for utilities, colleges, hospitals, and industrial end users ranging in size from 1MW to 10MW. While some of the typical industrial project sites have been previously cleared, others are located in virgin, wooded areas that first need to be forested, grubbed, and graded prior to starting any site work.
While the units take natural gas and convert it to electricity, they generate very little emissions and only need water to start the process. The self-contained cabinets sit on reinforced concrete pads. The areas are sometimes enclosed in fencing; some have gravel surrounding the pads, some have asphalt or concrete surrounding the pads.
So, a typical site would require cutting trees or grubbing a site to get the pad area ready for construction; grading of the site; over excavation and prep for the new pads; trenching for electrical, gas, and water between the units; a new gas service, a new water service, and electrical connections to a nearby building or switch gear.
Lastly, the site finishes including stone gravel around pads, asphalt or concrete, in some cases roadways; landscaping including shrubbery and/or sod and possibly fencing and site lighting.
Solution
Apex outlines the unique needs of each site, and coordinates the scheduling of multiple subcontractors and other personnel, while often adjusting to changing weather conditions and reacting to new information gained during each stage of the project implementation, at numerous concurrent sites while maintaining a tight project schedule.
Results
Apex has leveraged its national footprint and shares personnel across the country to provide a seamless client experience. Management is centralized by one team to maintain consistency of pricing, scope, and quality. When challenges arise, the client has complimented Apex on our ability to pivot and resourcefully address new issues, and to identify economically reasonable solutions on the fly.
