Why do most general contractors for chemical EPC projects dislike pile foundation work? Is it rather done by the owners?

The reason we end up in this situation is usually that the owner has their own team to maintain.

The EPC contractor is not good at pile foundation construction: lol; their strength lies in works above ground level

In the projects I’ve been involved in, the pile foundations were all completed by the project owner. The reason for this is that the general contractor explicitly refused to handle the pile foundation work; the specific reason was not given, but I believe it’s because there are many risks associated with pile foundation construction. If issues such as settlement arise later in the project, then the problem can be attributed to something other than the pile foundations (since those weren’t constructed by us, and they also passed the necessary inspections). If the general contractor were to handle the pile foundation work instead, then it would be difficult to determine whether any problems that occur are related to the pile foundations or to the civil engineering work itself ! It’s hard to say then; when it’s one company doing the work, they can hide defects from each other

They didn’t say they didn’t like it. Regarding those three main projects, detailed surveys generally require specific qualifications, which chemical companies usually do not possess; therefore, it is necessary to turn to specialized survey agencies for such work. There are no issues with pile foundation construction, and the inspections also show no major problems. However, due to local protectionism, it is necessary to involve local enterprises, which limits the range of options available and reduces the flexibility of the general contractor

At this stage, the data provided by Party A consists only of preliminary survey information; there is no detailed survey, and there are too many uncertainties as well as high risks, which is why EPC contractors are unwilling to take on the project.

This post was last edited by The wise are enlightened on 2016-5-5 13:11. The reasons you gave for your analysis are biased. The main reason is also the lack of detailed survey data, making it impossible to determine the method for foundation treatment. How can you ask the contractor to provide a quote? As for the quality issues related to pile foundation construction and civil engineering work, there are **construction inspection and evaluation standards for each stage of work; the construction contractor, the general contractor, and the supervision unit all sign off on them, so there is no issue of concealment of defects. This has nothing to do with quality.

In my opinion, without detailed geological data and other relevant information, the risks associated with EPC contracts are high; assigning such tasks to the owner is mainly done to reduce these risks. Of course, other factors such as local protectionism may also play a role.

Many of the companies dealing with pile foundations are local or based in the vicinity; some of them seem to have influential connections. By including both civil engineering and installation under the EPC framework, it is possible to avoid disputes and buck-passing when quality issues arise.

This post was last edited by qugd on 2016-11-12 at 12:54. For a thorough investigation, organizations with relevant professional qualifications may be needed; in some areas, it might also be necessary to coordinate with local cultural heritage protection agencies, hydrogeological departments, etc. Such work can only be carried out by organizations that are familiar with the local conditions. As for the rough, labor-intensive, dirty, and tough tasks of digging holes and driving piles, are EPC firms really willing to take them on? It is a labor-intensive task, one that requires a significant amount of physical effort. The local powers are strong, which makes things easier for the locals. For the operation of large construction machinery and vehicles, without any personnel on the ground to oversee things, does the EPC contractor think it can handle it on its own? Every plant and tree, every chicken and insect among the local people must not be violated at will.