Operation & Maintenance – How to go about?

March 27, 2015

With the Construction Phase over and getting into Commercial Phase of Operations. There is always dilemma what methodology to use to start the Operations. The same might be useful to Concessionaires to make up their mind and decide the best methodology to go forward with.

Have listed the options available as of today with the knowledge and experience gained form industry with their pros and cons.

  • OMT Operator
  • Professional Man Power Vendors
  • Man Power Vendors
  • In House

Option

Pros

Cons

OMT Operators

Strong Process

Professional Approach

Can attract talent to be part of the team.

Takes complete responsibility.

Mobilize team quickly.

Very useful for setting new set up.

Works on SOP.

All statutory compliance adhered to

Complete management of manpower, materials, and processes required for day to day O&M .

No chance of union being formed.

The team of SPV can focus on major issues on how to enhance the revenue rather than handling the hassles of day to day operations.

Single point of contact. Thus vendor management easy

 

Where the organization is set up and process quite good as per the industry standards, will not be of much use.

Might have SLA but the value associated with the same is not much to ensure that they take the extra effort.

Duplication of roles – Even if given OMT we will still require certain critical positions like – Project Manager, Plaza Manager. Toll Supervisor, Maintenance Manager, Safety Manager.

On the expensive side.

 

 

 

 

Professional Man Power Vendors

 

 

 

 

 

 

All statutory compliance adhered to

Complete management of manpower, materials, processes required for day to day O&M at site

Most of the team working with them works as a long term relationship.

Since only blue collar level profile outsourced hence no duplication of roles.

Less expensive compared to OMT operators.

Follow instructions.

Since they prefer in not hiring locals hence the chance of the team forming nexus with the locals is reduced.

No chance of union being formed

The team of SPV can focus on major issues on how to enhance the revenue rather than handling the hassles of day to day operations.

Single point of contact. Thus vendor management easy

Do not take owners ship.

Not strong in handling locals.

Training will be needed to be imparted for the team which joins.

Slightly on the expensive side compared to other manpower vendors.

 

 

 

 

Man Power Vendors

Manpower out sourced.

Low at cost.

No need to worry about hiring or firing of an employee.

No chance of union being formed

Since only blue collar level profile outsourced hence no duplication of roles

Not confident in handling statutory compliance.

No sense of responsibility

No training imparted to staff

Usually hires locals. Thus chances of nexus high

SPV team will be involved in day to day operations.

 

 

 

 

In House

Can get our SOP implemented with ease.

The team works with the aim to grow with the organization.

Loyalty with the organization is there.

Complete management of manpower, materials, and processes required for day to day O&M at site.

More control over the team.

Works out economical.

Chances of forming union are high.

The majority of time will be utilized in

Hiring , Training

Handling the day to day shift operations.

Will have to handle all statutory compliance on own.

 

 

About the Author : Nipun soni is a Management Graduate with over 16 years of experience and in depth knowledge of BOT plus front line experience of toll operation, sales and customer service. He is known for his involvement in following projects:

  • Led the mobilization team for 4 BOT Projects  plus set the system and procedure for the biggest Point of Sale Operations in India at Delhi Gurgaon Super Connectivity Ltd.
  • Set up and mobilized the operations for Multi-Level Car Parking ( capacity of 4300 cars ) in Delhi International Airport .
  • Also involved in setting up SOP and ensuring the implementation of the same across various concessionaires


He have also been involved in Setting up of establishments, right from back end to front end to delivery i.e. Equipment Design, Procurement to Installation and Commissioning of the Project .Involved in starting Commercial operations and stabilizing Operations and Maintenance and meeting expectation of the Management with Optimization of Revenue while maintaining good health of Project and good relations across with the Client and Customer while meeting all social obligations.

Plan roads to increase mobility, not vehicles

November 22, 2013

Amit Bhattacharya

 

Transport is at the heart of urban development and economic activity. However, the current urban transport paradigms, which favor auto-mobility and generate multiple social, economic and environmental impacts, are not sustainable. It is well-documented that in India, close to 1.5 lakh people die every year due to road traffic accidents and a majority of them are pedestrians and cyclists. About 6 lakh premature deaths take place in the country annually on account of air pollution and about 4 lakh people die every year due to physical inactivity, which is directly linked to a sedentary lifestyle. Apart from these, there are issues around climate change, energy security (dependency of importing fossil fuel) and others, all of which are directly linked to the way we plan our cities for habitation. That in turn is directly linked to the transportation system of our cities and towns.One on the easiest but counterproductive ways of solving the transportation problem is by expanding road capacity, i.e. road widening, constructing flyovers, etc. However, globally, it has been recognized that this is not the solution to traffic congestion because it encourages motorized movement in the city, leading to more congestion. In California, between 1973 and 1990, every 10% increase in road lane-kilometres led to a 9% increase in vehicle kilometres travel (VKT) within a four-year period. Usually, it’s a matter of time before newly improved roads become congested again, a phenomenon known as “the rebound effect”.

Numerous empirical studies and analyses of real world case studies have shown that new road capacity usually induces traffic in direct proportion to the amount of new road space. In fact, different studies have shown that a large portion (50-100%) of the new roadway capacity is absorbed by induced traffic after three years of operation. Therefore, solving transportation problem by expanding road capacity is like solving an obesity problem by stitching bigger clothes or solving a heart problem with repeated bypass surgeries.

The answer to these problems lies in our own policies. India’s National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP) recognizes this and recommends that the focus be on moving people, not vehicles. It calls for promoted investment in public transit and non-motorized transport. One way to effectively achieve the NUTP goals is with the Avoid-Shift-Improve (ASI) framework:

Avoid or reduce growth in unnecessary travel while maintaining or enhancing economic and social opportunities for interaction through better land-use planning

Prevent the shift of trips from non-motorized transport and public transport to individual motorized modes

Improve the operations, energy and carbon efficiency of each mode

A comparison of Los Angeles and Stockholm shows sharp differences in the way people move and its impact on fatalities and health. In Stockholm, vehicle kilometers travelled are less than half while walking and cycling trips are almost seven times higher than in Los Angeles. Furthermore, Stockholm experiences one-sixth the pedestrian fatalities and one-tenth the pollution on a given workday.

Most cities in India are at an initial stage of development with a growing regional economy. They have a great opportunity to integrate their transport systems and land-use in a manner consistent with the ASI principles. If implemented, they will not need major and much more expensive changes later on, as is the case with industrialized nations. There is also a need to sensitize people and policy-makers around sustainable transportation and any development is this regard, like the recently launched Raahgiri Day movement in Gurgaon, will contribute significantly in making our cities more livable.

The writer is head of urban transport, EMBARQ India