An industrial outage at an operating facility.
The challenge
An industrial owner had relied on a longstanding time-and-materials arrangement for recurring outage work. Leadership wanted an independent assessment of whether the duration, staffing and costs were justified by the work required.
The engagement began with contract monitoring and assessment of contractor performance, then expanded into integrated planning, resource analysis and coordination during the outage.
Sand Hill's contribution
Establish a common execution basis
Working with the owner and participating contractors, Sand Hill refined and integrated existing plans into a resource-loaded outage schedule. The effort clarified dependencies, competing resource demands and priorities across the work.
Prepare for uncertain inspection findings
Sand Hill evaluated potential repair scenarios before inspection results were available. The analysis helped the team understand how different findings could affect work priorities, resource requirements and the path to return to operation.
Investigate the causes of cost differences
Sand Hill assessed resource deployment, recorded progress and costs against the planned work. The analysis examined labor mobilization, supervision and subcontracted activities, identifying opportunities for improvement and areas requiring further explanation.
Assess billings and strengthen commercial controls
Sand Hill reviewed contractor charges against contractual requirements and supporting records. The assessment identified billing discrepancies, missing documentation and opportunities to improve contract administration, cost visibility and future commercial arrangements.
The outcome
Adjustments to contractor mobilization reduced costs during the outage. The contract and invoice assessment also led to corrections of charges that fell outside the agreed contractual provisions.
The contractor acknowledged and corrected most identified billing discrepancies. Where the parties differed in their interpretation of the agreement or the treatment of expenditures, the issues were addressed through negotiation.
The owner gained a clearer understanding of outage costs and a documented basis for improving future contracting, resource management and execution.
How this work connects
Integrated planning and commercial assessment strengthened the owner’s ability to understand outage costs and evaluate contractor performance. The work also identified improvements to future contracting and execution, connecting operating capability and disciplined expenditure with the organization’s broader business objectives.