Endless Projects
Westin Cam Ranh, Vietnam, scheduled to finally open in June…
Don’t we have them all at times, projects that start of promising but then years and years later you still find yourself working on that very same project! I just returned from Vietnam to provide the finishing touch to what is currently our longest running project, the Westin Cam Ranh.
The very first time we were approached for this project was in 2012! However, our proposal somehow did not make the cut. Then in 2014 we received a renewed request to re-propose our services for the lighting of this project. If my memory serves me well the negotiations took more then a year! This should have been a warning sign, I guess, but we negotiated the fees and got on board. What was supposed to be a typical 3 year project as you understand will now finally be completed next month, many years past its due date.
To be fair Covid also threw a spanner in the wheels, but nevertheless nearly 10 years is a long, long time. The impact of the economy resulted in several rounds of value engineering and cost cutting measures, not necessarily in lighting, but all around.
The point I want to make is how do you prepare, protect yourself for these seemingly endless projects as it has multiple aspects that impacts your company and the service delivery that you are supposed to provide.
First is time, which is our main commodity. We have learned (this is not our first “endless” project) to build in a so called expiry date for our services. In other words our contract expires at the anticipated or agreed completion date, so we have the option to renegotiate our fees or get some extension fees.
Second the fee value, as over time costs to operate generally go up, travel expenses vary all the time, so even if you are still operating within the contract, your operating costs maybe higher!
Third people, it is rare that the same project team remains in place over the full duration of such long project. We were fortunate that the same lead architect/ interior designer is still around, but many others, specifically from the clients side have moved on and we are faced with new faces, many who do not know the project history with frustration and inefficiency as a result!
Fourthly technology. What we specified many years ago is not what we would specify today as performance in LED technology progresses with rapid steps. So we have to work with “older” technology when it comes to fine tuning the project. With the risk that some of the product spares accessories or replacements no longer being produced.
Which brings me to my last point, warranty. As many of the lights have already been installed on site many years ago, we find that some have already failed before the project has even officially been handed over. We generally advise the suppliers to have this aspect really well documented as clients have a habit, certainly in these seemingly never ending projects to claim warranty for lights not working on site before handover. This is where the hand over process needs to be clearly agreed between contractor, operator and client.
I am sure there are many more issues that could be listed, please do comment and share your experiences. In this case I think we can say it is a happy ending, but what a long ride it has been!
