Workrise Helps Client Deliver 200 Megawatt Solar Project in South Texas

Overview

Rabalais Instrument & Electrical Constructors specializes in projects ranging from industrial and commercial electrical, instrumentation, and control services, to installation, repair, and maintenance services.

Although Rabalais had worked with industrial engineering solutions company, Worley, in the past, this was their first large-scale Solar project. The Rabalais Corazon project was quite an undertaking due to a condensed work schedule. Rabalais quickly realized they needed a staffing partner that could help maintain safety and quality standards while executing in a timely manner.

The Goal

Success for Rabalais meant meeting the deadline for the completion of the project, but they knew this would be a huge ask. The 200MW project required 650K solar panels, 500 power poles, and 1,098 miles of cable. They had 40 pieces of equipment including buggies and trucks and spent $1M on tie-wraps alone for wire management of the panels. This was the most equipment they had ever worked with on a site.  

Terry, Rabalais' project manager leading the effort, had this to say about the experience:

Our success was driven by making the target date for the client. We had to engineer on the fly, as we were dealing with Covid, and supply shortages — which is what Workrise really helped us with.

The Solution

Rabalais was accustomed to working with other labor agencies on a smaller scale but they knew this project would require upwards of 200 workers. They were impressed with the confidence and personal touch they received from Workrise, and with the amount of work ahead, they decided to give Workrise a chance.

The overall impact of working with Workrise was major, and the Rabalais team said they felt a huge burden was lifted.

“It would have been much more difficult to complete this project on our own. Workrise really helped us get the ball rolling and get it across the line.” said Terry.

The Rabalais team reported that the greatest value and benefits that Workrise provided were:

• Managed hiring and background checks
• Safety equipment and safety training for workers
• Handling of all paperwork and documentation
• Managing workers’ hours
• Being responsive with a personal touch

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Results

Workrise demonstrated its understanding of the unique and complex staffing needs of the Rabalais Corazon Solar project. We provided a quick turnaround and were able to recruit and staff 130 workers in just a week and a half.

“The greatest impact was not having to waste hours getting the workers up to speed. When you have 100+ people, that’s a lot of hours, and everything is multiplied by dollar signs–that can get very expensive. We didn’t have that problem,” said Terry.

The crews were up to speed quickly, so we gained a lot of ground with their production. We have Workrise to thank for that.

With a 100% fulfillment rate over a 4-day average timetable, we retained 96.2% of the workforce on the project. Our high-quality crews yielded increased productivity and helped the client finish the project one week early, resulting in an estimated cost savings of $252K.

“Not only did we save a great deal of time, but we also saved a lot of money. We accomplished what we needed sooner than I thought we could. So that equals funds and resources. It was a win-win for both of those reasons,” said Terry.

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A Proud Partner

We are proud to partner with industry leaders just like Rabalais to help them more efficiently manage their vendor and workforce needs. Get in touch to learn how Workrise can work for you.