This lack of understanding and choice has led to a shift in the industry,
requiring it to better understand and proactively manage inherent and emerging
geotechnical risks in a manner it has never done before.
The superior solution of choice is integrated teams: collaborative
geotechnical specialists embedded within project teams. They help the overall
project understand, manage and mitigate geotechnical risks before, during, and
after development, and throughout operations. An integrated geosciences
offering can unlock significant project value through the realization of a
number of project benefits.
Understanding the value an integrated offering can bring
When a geotechnical team is embedded within a project team, apart from
providing strong geotechnical services, the integrated team can work closely
together in four other key areas that can affect project viability, schedule
and budget.
1. Early identification and rapid decision making
An integrated team that includes civil, structural, marine, and hydrological
engineers, as well as geotechnical engineers, has the ability to quickly and
easily share site observations and feedback. This enhances the quality and
veracity of reliable opinions on the engineering impact of those observations.
This collaborative approach can also identify emerging issues early, resulting
in quick engagement and sound advice to developers. The ability to “integrate
early” and “collaborate and decide quickly” can ensure project outcomes are
maximized within the constrained timeframes of studies and development windows.
2. Forward visibility and future thinking
When a geotechnical engineer, familiar with working closely with their
engineering peers, is embedded in the full lifecycle of a project, they have
the ability to process data and understand how it will be used in the future.
This enhanced project understanding allows them to customize elements of the
field execution or engineering design, deriving maximum value from data
collection activities. This also minimizes the risk that data is missed which
can cause delays to future project development.
3. Reduced conservatism
A typical challenge for external geotechnical consultants is how to address
the many unknowns when they are writing their reports. How will the data be
used? By who? What is to be built? How sensitive is that structure? In
these instances, if you are an external consultant, your only choice is to be
conservative in your thinking, but as internal partners, the ability to work
with the project team to answer those questions gives the geotechnical
specialist the detail they need to customize their recommendations accordingly.
This, in turn, allows for improved and efficient optimization of engineering recommendations.
4. Errors and avoiding misunderstandings
On complex geotechnical sites, the translation of the often “big” reports
into a simpler format for use by a structural or civil engineer can result in
error. There are many examples where misinterpretation has occurred. The
ability to work through recommendations, always testing your understanding of
written reports is vital to avoid errors. With an integrated geotechnical team,
conversations to test and check information are easier and more frequent, and
provide a safe guard to successfully deliver projects.
Unlocking benefits
To unlock the benefits of an integrated team, there are five actions and
behaviors required to see real value.
1. Employing experts
For complex geotechnical problems, testing your engineering calculations
against the advice of an expert creates confidence and allows for design
optimization.
2. Collaborative culture
Success through integration can only be achieved when all stakeholders
believe the embedded team delivers value to the project and they engage
positively with the geotechnical experts. Actions that lead to positive
collaboration include:
-
Involving the geotechnical specialist in client
interactions
- Having face-to-face workshops to test solutions and
understanding
- Scheduling activities and decision making together
- Collaborating on how the geotechnical advice will be
used to improve the understanding of the “real problem,” so conservative
assumptions can be removed
3. Client engagement and involvement
To get the most out of an integrated offering, engagement with client
stakeholders is essential. Building client confidence and engaging them in the
decision-making process - with regards to managing geotechnical risk - aids in
client acceptance of the output, and helps gain acceptance of less conservative
solutions.
4. Testing assumptions
Almost every geotechnical decision involves some element of non-precise
engineering interpretation. The ability to make these decisions comes from
experience and practice. Often there is opportunity to customize a generic
interpretation to meet the needs of a specific challenge. This process builds
progressively, starting from early data collection and runs through the full
engineering design.
5. Recognizing out of sequencing requirements
The conventional stages of project development on mega projects (Pre-FEED,
FEED, Detailed Design, or FEL1, FEL2, FEL3) are out of sequence with
geotechnical requirements. Because data takes time to collect and interpret,
and because site access can take time to arrange and get approved, you must be
thinking one cycle ahead to get data collection right. For a geotechnical data
collection activity, collecting FEED-level data during the Pre-FEED study, and
Detailed Design data during the FEED study, is essential to prevent bottlenecks
around geotechnical decisions. These activities are out of schedule and can
consequently consume a large portion of time and budget in these initial study
phases.
Proven success through integration
Having a geotechnical team integrated into the wider project team could not
be more important; it is critical to delivering a project on time, on budget,
and with a managed approach to geotechnical risk.
“Geological mapping identified a fatal flaw on our preferred site. From
here, we were able to react quickly, identifying and securing access to an
alternate site before our competitors even had access to the knowledge.” - LNG
Developer, BC Canada
“This was the first major capital dredging project in Pilbara Ports
successfully completed without a geotechnical related claim.” - Port
Development, Western Australia
“The geotechnical team understood the problem and the ultimate development
needs, and used this knowledge to optimize the site development and foundation
concept in FEED, realizing $300 million in value.” - LNG Development, BC Canada
“Pile installation began three days after the geotechnical drilling was
complete, saving us many months of schedule.” - Major resource rail project in
northern Australia
“The bitumen core technology was very unique and allowed rapid construction
through the rainy season.” - Foz do Chapeco Dam, Brazil.
The above examples demonstrate how in-house geotechnical specialists,
working in collaboration with the engineering team, deliver value and
significant savings to projects.
Closing comments
The integration of in-house geotechnical solutions into projects of all
sizes has a proven record in creating value for energy and resource developers.
By working consistently with the same in house geotechnical peers, the ability
to get “better solutions more often” can be greatly enhanced.
Advisian has over 200 geotechnical professionals in our business globally.
Reach out today and introduce them to one of your projects.
