Low Cost or Cost Effective? Managing cost through the fit for purpose principle

When asked to do an article on low cost hydrography within the offshore construction industry the first word that sprang to mind was 'cheap'. However 'cheap' might not be 'cost effective' which is, or at least is supposed to be, the decision driver. For a private Company to remain in business it is essential that any external service hired, provides value for money. Hence all survey services within the private sector can be considered 'lowest cost'. There is however another critical factor that shall be considered. If a service impacts on installation spread efficiency, it might be worthwhile to spend extra if the overall gain exceeds the costs. This would translate in those solutions that are 'fit for purpose'. This approach within the Dutch offshore contractor, Heerema Marine Contractors (HMC) has lead to being one the first users of Sonardyne's new wide band technology but also to the implementation of WAASI EGNOS corrected Vector systems on the anchor handlers.