Built Modular by BOXX Modular

The process of procurement is often a lengthy, confusing, and full-time job. To help ease this process, TIPS-USA acts as a cooperative to help net procurement. Jensen Mabe, VP of Sales for TIPS-USA, sat down with host Tyler Kern to discuss the cooperative purchasing process and how they remain a nationally leading co-op in that space.

Formed in 2002, TIPS helps make purchasing personal. In cooperative purchasing, Mabe said, “We put out category IDIQ contracts where vendors respond and go through a reward process.” Not only does this take the burden off the public agencies, but Mabe emphasized, it allows entities to jump straight to the table of negotiating pricing, saving both time and money.

Free to public agencies, membership with TIPS assures that you are receiving quality vendors at great prices. Membership, Mabe said, is easy to join via an online membership form or inter-local agreement/board resolution form to complete. The process is fast and easy and helps serve industry sectors such as education, government, and non-profit.

TIPS-USA works with BOXX Modular to establish prices ready to go. Mabe stated that building these permanent and portable modular buildings receives two parts in the process, procurement prior to work and JOC.

With 12 program managers located across the nation available to work with vendors and members, TIPS managers assist in case BOXX, or other vendors, outsell their contracts, and helps ensure pricing is reviewed and compliant with the contract.

With the myriad of protective measures, Mabe emphasized that TIPS acts as “a helping hand” in the job-order contracting process. All TIPS employees are active and engaged with their clients and Mabe emphasized the personal aspect of care, “If you pick up the phone and call TIPS it’s not a voice messaging system that you get.”

Working with BOXX Modular, and the growth that has come for TIPS following this partnership, has helped TIPS continue growing, Mabe said. TIPS helps save time and money while providing access to quality vendors with a vast degree of transparency. To learn more information about TIPS-USA, visit www.tips-usa.com.

Mark Meyers, General Manager of Marketing Services at Vanguard Modular, joined host Daniel Litwin for a deep dive into the world of modular construction with a focus on designing, developing and delivering the individual modules that make up a complete building solution.

From the decisions that impact the quality and feasibility of a modular building to the strategies that work best for specific industries, Meyers and Litwin left no stone unturned.

For starters, what are the main differences between a modular building process and traditional construction?

“I would say the primary difference of modular versus conventional construction is that the buildings are constructed in sections in manufacturing facilities that may not be anywhere near the end construction site,” Meyers said. “Once these modules are constructed, then they’re delivered to the site, they’re put together, and they form a very similar building to a conventional structure.”

As for similarities, Meyers said both processes share a commonality with the types of materials used in construction. “The building materials, whether it be wood or steel or concrete, even the finishes, the windows, the doors, plumbing, fixtures; they’re all very much similar, if not the same, in both.”

And, while a customer may turn to modular construction for time and cost considerations, Meyers said that doesn’t reduce quality. “Our base spec is not going to provide you with something that’s going to fall apart in a year. That’s not the way that we operate. We make sure that our base spec supplies the quality that any customer requires. But there are always upgrades that can be put into any building.”

www.VanguardModular.com

The idea of using modular materials for quick construction dates back centuries. On this episode of Built Modular, host Daniel Litwin welcomes Carl Bennett, General Manager of Contract Services for Vanguard Modular for an in-depth discussion of the history of modular construction and how it’s evolved in the modern era.

Carl Bennet has been in the business for 50 years and is one of the original members of the Modular Building Institute, a legacy organization of dealers, manufacturers, installers, and other industry professionals. 

Commercial modular, prefabricated, or relocatable construction has historical examples from ancient Rome to covered wagons and premade houses for British colonies. The modern era of modular construction took off in the early 20th Century and was largely driven by residential housing. In the WWII era companies used relocatable construction to house workers, putting towns up almost overnight.

From these origins, modular construction has boomed over the last fifty years, expanding from residential units into commercial buildings like offices, laboratories, and schools. These market forces brought enhancements and innovations to the typical modular building offerings. Engineers and architects began to see the opportunities and pushed the industry forward. “Just about anything you could envision construction-wise was now transitioning from site-built conventional to modular,” Bennet said. 

Manufacturers around the world are searching for ways to lower costs, add efficiency and produce more consistent parts the first time – and digital twins might be the ideal solution.

The creation of a digital twin to a real-world part allows for effective digital twin modeling that empowers manufacturers to, in a virtual space, see how each process in the manufacturing chain will impact parts or how a part will perform in the physical world before a significant investment is made in producing that part at scale.

That process brings benefits to a variety of industries, including modular construction. On this episode of Built Modular from Vanguard, host Daniel Litwin invited Nathan Yorgey, President of North America Operations at CyberTwin, to share his insights and give listeners a better idea of exactly how digital twins are elevating the way the world approaches manufacturing.

“Sometimes, it’s almost scary how accurately artificial intelligence can predict what’s going to happen in the real world better than humans,” Yorgey said. “[Add virtual reality and augmented reality], and you now have an entire ecosphere of technology at your disposal to take the physical world, virtualize it, and then be able to run scenarios, run models, or, more importantly, just expose your connected sensor data on top of that virtual model for a host of use cases.”

In modular construction, digital twin modeling has been used to understand what finished spaces are going to look like, envision a part’s journey through the manufacturing process, and more.

Modular buildings have many applications. They can be an excellent temporary solution, including for school districts. Mark Meyers, General Manager of Marketing Services for Vanguard, shared insights from his many years of modular experience on how schools can use portable classrooms.

Why do school districts need these solutions?

“There are four primary reasons,” Meyers said. “Easing overcrowding, consolidation, renovations, or demolition and new construction.”

Those drivers have remained consistent for the market. Meyers did note that the pandemic impacted space for schools due to a need to have fewer bodies in classrooms.

Meyers also discussed how modular classrooms can have all the same features as standard construction, including technology integrations, security features, and more.

“These are real buildings and have structural integrity, plumbing – everything in conventional construction,” he added.

Meyers also took listeners through the process of purchasing and installing modular buildings at schools. He spoke about the need for building to code, which varies from state to state, and pulling permits. The product is then built to specifications and delivered to the prepared site for installation.

After it’s up and functional, facility managers can handle the standard maintenance. Vanguard becomes involved with more significant issues. “With leaks or other bigger issues, we’ll assess the situation and are extremely responsive to client needs,” he said.

A potential Vanguard Modular customer may know they need a modular building but not what the process will entail.

When Vanguard constructs a modular building, it runs through these steps in the construction process: design and engineering, permitting, manufacturing, delivery, set, seam and utility connections, power up and turn on water, installation of decks, steps, ramps and other elements, the final punch list, and final occupancy.

Vanguard has a history of success not only in modular buildings, said Jody Werner, the company’s Senior Vice President of Sales, but also in guiding clients through those processes.

“You can have experience based on years, but you also have to experience based on knowing what the right things are to do through the process, the right steps to take, and communicating things to the customer to make sure there are no surprises,” Werner said. “The other thing is they want to know they’re entering into an agreement with a company that has the financial wherewithal to see the project through. That’s very important in today’s day and age.

A potential Vanguard Modular customer may know they need a modular building but not what the process will entail.

When Vanguard constructs a modular building, it runs through these steps in the construction process: design and engineering, permitting, manufacturing, delivery, set, seam and utility connections, power up and turn on water, installation of decks, steps, ramps and other elements, the final punch list, and final occupancy.

Vanguard has a history of success not only in modular buildings, said Jody Werner, the company’s Senior Vice President of Sales, but also in guiding clients through those processes.

“You can have experience based on years, but you also have to experience based on knowing what the right things are to do through the process, the right steps to take, and communicating things to the customer to make sure there are no surprises,” Werner said. “The other thing is they want to know they’re entering into an agreement with a company that has the financial wherewithal to see the project through. That’s very important in today’s day and age.”

During all steps, communication is key, said Paul Lubertine, Director of Construction & Contract Services.

“I think one of the strengths Vanguard brings to the table is great communication throughout the process. Obviously on the front end, on the sales side, there’s lots of communication, but once it gets handed over to our ops team, that communication continues,” he said. “We want to keep our customers informed and let them know what they need to do.

“Communication is key through the process, and our teams are very experienced in delivering successful outcomes to projects.”

Cooperative purchasing provides seamless purchasing and consistency for the relationship between Vanguard Modular Building Systems and its customers. Chris Brown, an Area Sales Manager at Vanguard, popped by Build Modular to discuss this solution for financing modular projects.

“Cooperative purchasing is a procurement system,” Brown said. “It’s where a lead agency advertises for bids, awards a master contract to the vendor and for the prices to be extended to the registered members of the cooperative, and then notifies the members of the contract awarded. The registered members then contract directly with the vendor for their own needs subject to the specifications of the master contract.”

So, if cooperative purchasing provides cost savings and reduces the hassle of the “go-it-alone” bid process, how does one become a member of such a cooperative?

“Joining a cooperative is very easy for membership,” Brown said. “Most of the cooperatives, all you have to do is fill out a one-page application. There are no fees and no downside. It’s a simple as sign up and begin ordering.”

Any public entity can become a member of counting organizations, such as municipalities, public and charter schools, colleges and universities, nonprofits, and governmental agencies.

Many cooperatives are available, but one commonality they share is eliminating the need for businesses to go through the lengthy bidding process, which is the ultimate win.

Cooperative purchasing provides seamless purchasing and consistency for the relationship between Vanguard Modular Building Systems and its customers. Chris Brown, an Area Sales Manager at Vanguard, popped by Build Modular to discuss this solution for financing modular projects.

“Cooperative purchasing is a procurement system,” Brown said. “It’s where a lead agency advertises for bids, awards a master contract to the vendor and for the prices to be extended to the registered members of the cooperative, and then notifies the members of the contract awarded. The registered members then contract directly with the vendor for their own needs subject to the specifications of the master contract.”

So, if cooperative purchasing provides cost savings and reduces the hassle of the “go-it-alone” bid process, how does one become a member of such a cooperative?

“Joining a cooperative is very easy for membership,” Brown said. “Most of the cooperatives, all you have to do is fill out a one-page application. There are no fees and no downside. It’s a simple as sign up and begin ordering.”

Any public entity can become a member of counting organizations, such as municipalities, public and charter schools, colleges and universities, nonprofits, and governmental agencies.

Many cooperatives are available, but one commonality they share is eliminating the need for businesses to go through the lengthy bidding process, which is the ultimate win.

A lack of information about today’s modular buildings can lead to a lot of confusion, misconceptions and missed opportunities regarding a sustainable, cost-effective solution. Vanguard Modular’s Senior Vice President of Marketing Services, Mark Meyers, joined the Built Modular podcast to dispel myths and provide answers that people should know when it comes to modular construction.

While many people might think the typical way of obtaining temporary modular construction is to lease a building, Meyers noted many custom and permanent modular building projects are purchased. An even lesser-known, but viable option for people is “lease to own.”

“This option is a fantastic way to reduce the amount of initial capital that needs to be put out for a project and still end up owning the building,” Meyers said.

What about costs for the various options for a typical new modular building project? The base leasing price ranges from $1-$1.50 per square foot per month. This pricing does not include delivery, on-site assembly or project completion tear-down costs.

“Customized modular projects tend to be purchases,” Meyers said.

Those ranges can vary depending on the myriad factors of the design needs.  Meyers provided a ballpark purchase price range between $100-$300 per square foot, not including delivery and installation.

Meyers said modular construction shares many similarities with traditional building processes. However, unlike conventional construction projects, modular buildings are built in sections off-site and delivered to the site destination and then assembled. And one of the things Vanguard Modular does is keep track of each state’s building codes and regulations.

“All of those calculations are carefully put together and engineered in the design of the building to ensure that the structure does meet those codes before those buildings are moved out from the manufacturing facility and installed on the site,” Meyers said.