VDA is the nation’s leading vertical transportation consulting and inspection company. Our mission is to provide excellence in vertical transportation consulting and inspection services, leveraging the collective expertise of our people while advocating for our clients to achieve the safest and most efficient solutions possible.
Nonprofit
VDA provides comprehensive consulting and inspection services for elevators, escalators and all types of vertical transportation. We advocate on behalf of clients to ensure their vertical transportation is safe, efficient and codecompliant. VDA is proud to offer our services in partnership with OMNIA Partners.
Why VDA?
Expertise & Knowledge | Performance Optimiziation | Quality Assurance | Code Compliance | Design & Planning | Specification & Procurement
Having worked for all the major vendors in the industry, the wealth of knowledge and the diverse experience of our professionals ensures that we can provide the most suitable and effective solutions to your vertical transportation needs. We specialize in all types of vertical transportation equipment, working directly for owners, managers, engineers, architects, etc., and are not affiliated with any manufacturers, supplies or contractors, working solely in our clients’ best interests.
To learn how VDA can help you on your next project visit our services page and contact us today at the office location nearest you.
VDA Services
Consulting Services
- Equipment Evaluations
- Maintenance Management
- Modernization Design
- New Construction Design
- Contruction Services
Inspection Services
Maintenance Management & The CARE Program
Vertical transportation is the lifeline of any multi-story structure. Equipment that is poorly maintained or out of compliance can disrupt people’s ability to move through the building.
Is your elevator contractor missing contracted maintenance visits? Are you experiencing too much downtime or too many callbacks? Are you receiving invoices out of the blue for thousands of dollars? Are you being told your equipment can’t be repaired because a part is obsolete?
VDA’s CARE Program is here to help!
Purpose: To provide peace of mind about the performance and equipment sustainability by reviewing and holding the elevator contractor accountable to the maintenance agreement.
Benefit: "On staff elevator consulting team."
Savings: The proposal and invoice review alone can provide substantial savings. In addition, well-maintained equipment increases its lifespan while reducing both downtime and any necessary invoices.
Additional Maintenance Management Services
Full Maintenance Agreement/Specification (FMA)
Purpose: To protect the client through a maintenance agreement that prioritizes the client’s best interest rather the elevator contractor’s risks. The maintenance agreement is especially effective when combined with the CARE Program and VDA’s Request for Proposal (RFP) service (see below).
Benefit: The elevator contractor’s maintenance agreement is structured to protect the contractor from risk and does not provide defined benefits to the client. A custom FMA written by VDA assures equipment is properly maintained and requires the elevator contractor to perform at required levels to ensure the equipment is safe and operating as designed. The FMA can also include penalties for the contractor for failed performance levels.
Savings: The savings can be significant. The agreement is written in the client’s favor, holding the elevator contractor accountable for preventative maintenance, response times, completed maintenance procedures, obsolesence and billing rates
Request for Proposal (RFP) Process
Purpose: To obtain the best elevator contractor at the best pricing that will perform as required and per scope of the owner-friendly FMA.
Benefit: VDA will perform a turn-key RFP process that will identify the most qualified vendor to maintain the client’s equipment. Services include drafting the RFP, issuing the RFP, managing questions, bid analysis, and award recommendation.
Savings: Typically, clients see an overall 10% - 15% savings in maintenance costs. The real savings is in the added protection and services the new maintenance agreement provides to the client.
Other services include deficiency tracking resulting from the outcome of an equipment evaluation report, unplanned repair/upgrade specifications and unplanned repair management.
Equipment Evaluation Services & The Data Collection App (DCA)
VDA’s Equipment Evaluation Service provides expert oversight to elevator/escalator equipment and its current condition. We offer several categories, dependent on the client’s needs.
Quality Control Evaluation (QCE) Scope of services and reporting include equipment’s current maintained condition, code compliance/testing status, maintenance deficiencies, equipment profile and photographs. This evaluation is often done in conjunction with our maintenance management services to understand the current condition of the equipment and next steps.
Comprehensive Evaluation Scope of services and reporting are more thorough and include the QCE services above, as well as alifecycle analysis, short- and long-term upgrade/ repair recommendations, CapEx summary, and Recorded Operating Performance.
Due Diligence Evaluation Scope of services follows the QCE above, but adds CapEx summary and lifecycle analysis. This evaluation is typically performed prior to the acquisition of a building or when reassessing a building’s value.
Modernization Evaluation Scope of services are Comprehensive in nature, and includes a more detailed CapEx plan and a modernization outline. This evaluation provides pertinent information to the client when facing the major capital expenditure that can result from an equipment modernization.
VDA’s proprietary technology, the DCA, ensures a thorough evaluation of the vertical transportation equipment, while delivering intelligent reporting to our clients.
Inspection Services, Including Certificate Management Powered By SierraLive
VDA is the leading inspection services provider in the nation. Our licensed inspectors span the country providing third-party witnessing services. Our nationwide footprint provides us with vast experience in every major jurisdiction, so we are well informed on local code requirements and new code adoption.
Most of our clients use our Certificate Management service, powered by VDA’s proprietary technology known as SierraLive. SierraLive allows us to track inspection due dates, coordinate sheduling with all relevant parties, submit inspection paperwork directly to the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ), and track violations through resolution.
VDA’s Full Range of Consulting Services Include:
Modernization Design A customized solution for any existing building requiring upgrades to vertical transportation. Scope includes modernization specification, RFP issuance through bid analysis and award, contract review, shop drawing review and approval, traffic analysis and other modernization support.
New Construction Design VDA’s engineers are well-versed in new equipment design. Scope includes conceptual design, schematic design, traffic study, design development, construction documents and specification, RFP issuance through bid analysis and award, shop drawing review and approval and other new construction design support.
Construction Services This service follows our Modernization Design and New Construction Design services, when the equipment is being built and installed in the building. Services include project management of vertical transportation resources, site visits to evaluate progress, commissioning the equipment for public use (new construction) and comprehensive warranty equipment evaluation.
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