Elevating collaboration and productivity in renewable energy

The Challenge

Vanguard Energy Partners, a renewable energy Engineer, Procurement, Construction (EPC) contractor based in New Jersey, wanted to improve their document control, quality and safety, and financial management processes. As a Solar EPC Firm offering specialized solar array services, Vanguard required a platform that could improve transparency across the business so they could build on their legacy of excellence.

The Solution

In vetting potential software, Vanguard realized they needed a solution as unique as their own services — and found Procore. Built by construction, for construction, Procore provided the tools Vanguard needed, particularly to service the distinctive needs of a renewables builder.

The Results

• Enhanced transparency by connecting the Vanguard team in a single source of truth, improving visibility across complex solar array projects
• Streamlined document control by enabling access to designs, daily logs, RFIs, and submittals anytime, anywhere with just a click
• Fostered collaboration by aligning field and office teams while integrating seamlessly with existing software like Sage

Sky-high Solar Standards

Founded in 2008, Vanguard Energy Partners offers premier renewable energy solutions across commercial, industrial and utility-scale projects. The design-build and EPC firm not only provides top-of-the-line expertise to plan for and execute their projects but offers maintenance and 24/7 emergency support for their completed arrays as well. With an emphasis on safety and excellence, Vanguard prides itself on delivering reliable solar arrays, no matter where installation takes place.

Vanguard is no stranger to unique projects and has accomplished some impressive feats, including the highest solar array in the world — a skyscraper roof installation at Deutsche Bank on Wall Street. Whether installing canopy, ground, landfill, roof or tracker arrays, Vanguard provides their clients premier engineering, procurement and construction services to bring their vision to life. Procore is there every step of the way to support Vanguard’s business, helping improve both upstream and downstream relationships.

The Right Tools for an EPC Builder

To deliver the best experience for their clients, Vanguard needed a platform that would help improve visibility for not only owners and specialty contractors but for their own team as well. Alexis Capozzi, Vice President of Construction Management at Vanguard, is thrilled by all the ways Procore helps her team bridge the gap and increase transparency and collaboration.

“Procore helps with EPC and design-build by increasing collaboration between the stakeholders and allowing visibility between the stakeholders for all aspects of the project from the initial design to the design documents, RFI submittals and daily logs,” Capozzi says. “It helps monitor what’s happening on-site on a daily basis for owners who may not have owners’ reps on-site full time.”

Having access to secure, clean data is paramount for Vanguard, and Procore empowers the organization by providing the document management the team needs. The right information can be accessed by the right people anytime, anywhere within the platform.

“Procore helps us improve document management and control by centralizing all of the data,” shares Capozzi. “Previously we had files and documents on a server, we had stuff in people's emails and there were random Dropboxes involved. Centralizing all of those files really increases the ability for us to find what we're looking for. It cuts down on the time people spend looking for things, and we no longer have to play a guessing game where things are.”

Investing in a Solution that’s Worth the Price

While the Vanguard team wanted to find the best platform for their organization, ensuring ROI was also top of mind. As they assessed Procore as a potential solution, Vanguard carefully weighed the cost of the software versus the cost of trying to solve problems without any software at all:

“One of the hesitations Vanguard had when we were planning on bringing on Procore was the price tag,” recalls Capozzi. “The price tag can be a little steep, especially for smaller contractors or contractors that don’t have any kind of lifecycle project management solution. We started out talking about how much money we were losing because we had no visibility. There was no communication between project management and accounting, so we didn't know what was happening or what was hitting our accounting solution. What was happening in the field didn't necessarily make it into the office. Our feeling at the time was there was so much money at play being missed between all those different departments that the cost of Procore would be worth it.”

Ultimately, the Vanguard team recognized that this upfront investment would not only save money by keeping all information accessible and secure but also because it integrated with their existing accounting software, Sage. Now, Procore saves Vanguard time and money by consolidating project data and documentation, breaking down silos and connecting all departments.

“If I had to talk to somebody who was considering Procore but was hesitant due to the pricing, I would tell them that, invariably, whatever process they're trying to fix by going to Procore is potentially costing them more money in the long term than bringing Procore on and getting the communication between all departments together,” says Capozzi.

Built for All Aspects of Renewable Energy Construction

Vanguard leans on the wide array of tools provided by Procore to improve every aspect of their business, from quality and safety to change and financial management and beyond.

“We use tools like Inspections and Observations to improve quality and safety across our job sites. We rely very heavily on all of our quality assurance inspections because there are many different pieces of the solar puzzle that require inspections in a sequence,” says Capozzi.

With all data and documentation in a single, secure location, Vanguard has been able to enhance collaboration between the field and office while also improving change and financial management.

“Before we brought on Procore, change management was a big issue for us,” recalls Capozzi. “There was no communication between the field team and the office. Often, change orders didn't even happen — they didn't get written and we missed out on the ability to collect that revenue from the client. Now, we use Procore to contribute to our change management.”

Equipped with the right tools for success, Vanguard is able to build to new heights.