Short of kit, so you hire some in
A big job needs more boards than you have, or a system component you do not own. You ring another scaffolder or a hire firm and borrow some. It arrives on their wagon and goes straight to site, or gets unloaded in your yard with your own boards.
The job ends. The kit comes back mixed with yours. Nobody remembers exactly how much was borrowed. The supplier's invoice keeps coming each month. Eventually someone asks, and the count does not match.
Why cross-hire gets messy
Cross-hired kit is a temporary fix arranged in a hurry, usually by phone. It looks almost identical to your own kit, and it is not recorded in any system because your systems only know about what you own.
- Cross-hire is agreed by phone with no written record of quantities.
- Kit is mixed with your own stock in the yard or on site.
- Which job it went to is not recorded.
- Return dates depend on memory.
- Supplier invoices are paid without checking against what is still out.
What it costs
Paying hire on kit you no longer need. Paying for kit you believe you returned but cannot prove. Losing someone else's kit and paying replacement prices. And no idea of the real cost of cross-hire on a job, which matters when pricing similar work.
Relationships matter here too. The firm that lent you kit in a hurry expects it back in the same quantity and condition. Returning it short, late or mixed with damaged boards makes them less willing to help next time you are stuck.
The cross-hire tracking we build
- Every cross-hire is logged when agreed: supplier, items and quantities, hire rate and terms, and the job it is for.
- On delivery, the yard or gang confirms what arrived, with a photo of the delivery note.
- Cross-hired items are marked against the job separately from your own stock.
- When the job no longer needs the kit, the office is prompted to arrange its return.
- Returns are counted and recorded, with the supplier's collection note photographed.
- Supplier invoices are read and checked against the quantities and dates recorded, with differences listed.
- Cross-hire cost is added to the job, so it shows up in job costing.
| Recorded | Used to |
|---|---|
| Agreed terms and quantities | Check invoices |
| Delivery confirmation | Know what arrived |
| Job allocation | Cost the job correctly |
| Return prompt | Stop hire when no longer needed |
| Return confirmation | Evidence if the supplier queries it |
Your agreements with other firms stay as they are. We make sure both sides are working from the same figures.
After it is tracked
Borrowed kit goes back when it is no longer needed. Invoices are checked rather than paid on trust. Disputes about quantities are settled with records. And you can see how much you cross-hire, which helps decide whether to buy your own.
It also keeps your own stock figures honest. Cross-hired boards no longer inflate what the yard thinks it owns, and they are not accidentally sent out again on another job after the one they were hired for has finished.
Does this sound familiar?
- You cross-hire kit by phone.
- Cross-hired kit gets mixed with your own.
- Supplier invoices keep coming for kit you think went back.
- You do not know what cross-hire costs you per year.