Projects in Dubai are not just days or weeks long, but months and years long. Whether it’s a multi-phase highway project, a residential and commercial development, a city-wide utility renewal project, metro and rail expansion, or a long-term road maintenance contract, there is one thing in common: continuous, certified work zone protection throughout the duration of works on or near moving traffic.
A daily or weekly TMA hire is impractical or uneconomical for projects of this size and length. Equipment rentals on a rolling short term basis can lead to administrative hassles, potential equipment availability issues and always come at a far higher cost for the life of the project than to hire it for the long term.
Long term TMA rental – based on a monthly or project duration – addresses all of these problems. A dedicated certified TMA unit and trained operator is assigned to your project for the duration of the hire. You have the equipment ready at the beginning of each shift, it is always available, always compliant, and always ready to go. Your project team is dedicated to delivering works, not equipment availability.
Long term TMA hire is a contractual hire for a certified Truck Mounted Attenuator unit, shadow vehicle and trained operator for a specific extended period of time, usually a minimum of one calendar month up to the duration of a construction or maintenance programme.
A long-term Hire Agreement is a different type of hire in that a number of units are not drawn from a pool of units, but instead are given a dedicated named TMA asset for your project and cannot be guaranteed as with daily and/or weekly hire. The unit is serviced, inspected and certified during the hire period solely for your project, and not reallocated to other projects when demand for the unit in the general rental market fluctuates.
In Dubai, long-term TMA rentals can be arranged under one of the following options:
Monthly Rolling Hire
At least 1 month term with option for renewals every month. Ideal for projects which have an unknown or flexible completion date, or for contractors who require continuous TMA coverage and want to keep the option of releasing the unit at relatively short notice.
Fixed Project-Duration Hire
An employment contract that is contingent on the term of a project, usually three months to a few years in length, for the duration of a construction or maintenance undertaking. Fixed project hire offers the highest level of cost certainty and is likely to command the lowest project hire rates available.
Annual Maintenance Contract – TMA Hire
An annual TMA hire contract offers facilities managers, road maintenance contractors and government-appointed maintenance teams year-round access to certified protection equipment, without having to re-procure at each individual job.
A long-term TMA contract is the best option for many contract types, business owners, and operations teams associated with projects next to roads in Dubai, UAE:
Main Highway Contractors
Major highway construction, widening and upgrade programmes on Dubai’s arterial roads such as Sheikh Zayed Road, Emirates Road, Al Khail Road and Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, call for dedicated TL3 TMA units to be put in place for the entire length of the highway extended for the duration of the programme, which can last for one to three years or beyond.
Road Resurfacing and Pavement Contractors
However, contractors who have long term resurfacing and pavement maintenance contracts with RTA Dubai or Dubai Municipality will require continual access to TMA shadow vehicles that would be capable of being called out whenever and wherever they are required in the maintenance programme without risk of availability.
Utility Infrastructure Contractors
Companies that provide water main re-works, DCN extensions, power cable and telecom duct programmes within Dubai’s road network operate on multi-year projects and need to have continuous TMA coverage during the open trench and reinstating works.
Bridge and Structures Maintenance Teams
For contractors tasked with periodic inspection, maintenance and repair programmes for Dubai’s highway and urban road network, having a long-term TMA arrangement enables them to access the system for inspection visits, maintenance campaigns and call-outs throughout the contract.
Metro and Rail Infrastructure Contractors
When conducting Dubai Metro related expansion projects, and surface related civil works, TMA coverage is often necessary on the approach roads, and surface related sections of the works, especially for night time lane closures and road diversion setups.
While the service industry offers well-paying jobs in most fields, facilities management and road maintenance are two of the more lucrative options.
FM companies and road maintenance contractors, who have area based maintenance contracts with Dubai Municipality, RTA or private road network owners, require year round TMA to manage all types of reactive and planned maintenance activities that occur over the entire length of their area-based contract.
Main Contractors and Real Estate Developers
In Dubai, large-scale mixed-use and residential projects often involve long duration road diversions, construction of new access roads and connections to public roads, and the need for constant TMA coverage on existing roads throughout the project.
Water, Wastewater & Storm Water Infrastructure Contractors
TMA is required to cover roadside works from the time of pipeline installation and construction of pumping stations as well as energy infrastructure works in the pipeline road corridor, which on many large pipeline programmes, can last for several months.
It is important for project managers and procurement to be aware of the practical and financial benefits of long- versus short-term TMA hire for their project, to ensure that the commercial decision is the appropriate one for their project.
Cost Efficiency
The daily and weekly TMA hire rates are much higher than those of the monthly and project-duration TMA hire rates. The total cost of rolling daily hire can be up to 2-3 times the amount of a similar long term hire agreement on a project that lasts for 3 months or longer. Long-term rates account for the certainty and commitment of longer bookings and offer real savings that help boost project margins.
Equipment Availability Guarantee
TMA units are always in demand in Dubai’s busy construction market, especially highway-rated units (TL3). When they are needed, the common pool of daily hire clients can be subjected to availability pressures when construction is busy, project mobilisations are significant or in times of emergency. This is eliminated with a long-term hire agreement too — no matter what happens in the market, your unit is set aside for your project.
Operator Continuity
A long term hire provides you with a fixed operator for your project for the term of the hire. Your operator learns your site, your team, your shift patterns, your specific operational needs and becomes a part of your project safety team instead of a new voice on the shadow vehicle every morning.
Reduced Administrative Burden
Repeat booking, repeated confirmation and repeat documentation management for daily and weekly hire. This is replaced by a long term contract, a single monthly invoice and a single point of accountability, which frees up your project team to focus on delivery.
Consistent Compliance Documentation
Current TMA certification, Operator qualifications and Equipment inspection records are required for your HSE files. For a long-term hire, it’s our responsibility to document, maintain and update this information throughout the hire period – and to deliver to you, according to a schedule, without having to track down all the information for each daily deployment.
Priority Maintenance & Replacement
Long-term hire clients have priority for maintenance response and equipment replacement. If your project requires a replacement or some mechanical difficulty, your project takes priority over the hiring requests that are being seen in the short term, meaning you won’t have to worry about having to leave your work zone without protection.