Ordered pipes not in compliance with technical specification 6

[nikolastrojman]

Hi!

We have a situation of a dispute with a delivery company about pipes we ordered from them.

In the project technical specification, it was clearly specified and underlined that only longitudinally welded pipes are acceptable for use in this project.
After we received their offer, we checked it for mistakes/issues but not thoroughly enough only to find out later that spirally welded pipes were delivered to the construction site.
Of course, at this point they are blaming us as the ones who are responsible for this situation!!?

Any advice for this situation, any experience with this kind of issues.

 

[RVAmeche]

Sounds like a procurement issue at this point. If the specification and purchase order both refer to the requirements and they shipped you something different and refuse to fix it, that's how lawsuits happen.

​

 

[LittleInch]

Pretty big miss there....

Doesn't really matter what you asked for. If they gave you an offer based on a different type of pipe and you accepted their offer then that often takes precedent.

You need to dig out the PO and see if it still referenced your spec and data sheet or just their offer.

In any event spiral weld is the same in terms of design as straight welded so you can use it just the same so long as the thickness and material grade are correct.

Did you have no inspectors at the mill??? Or a KOM??

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

 

[LittleInch]

The experience is that once stuff arrives on site, there will be immense pressure from everyone around you to accept the deviation / issue and move on, especially as there is no design drawback to this. The hit to the schedule alone will often mean you will need to accept this material and look more closely at the offer next time...

To reject this pipe and then be able to justify it you really need to find a design reason apart from what it says on the spec.

Hint: There isn't one.

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

 

[Latexman]

There may be a good chance you can get a discount out of this.

Good Luck,
Latexman

 

[EdStainless]

This comes down to what is on the quote and the acknowledgement.
Your spec doesn't matter if you give them a way around it.
Make procurement and legal do their jobs.
Tell then that you are rejecting it for technical reasons, then let them decide if you have a leg to stand on.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
P.E. Metallurgy, consulting work welcomed

 

[SJones]

There might be a design drawback if the line is sour service, offshore, or both

Steve Jones
Corrosion Management Consultant

http://www.linkedin.com/in/drstevejones

All answers are personal opinions only and are in no way connected with any employer.

 

[3DDave]

Q1: what did their bid say?
Q2: why was linear weld specified in your requirements?

 

[SJones]

Don’t you just love pipeline projects

Steve Jones
Corrosion Management Consultant

http://www.linkedin.com/in/drstevejones

All answers are personal opinions only and are in no way connected with any employer.

 

[LittleInch]

Steve,

Between a straight weld seam pipe and a spiral welded one?

Seamless and welded I fully accept there is a difference, but welded is welded surely? Length of the weld is surely irrelevant?

3D - I get that spirally welded pipe just looks a bit odd, so I guess they thought there was a chance someone could offer spirally welded, which is often a bit cheaper, so wanted to be clear that it wasn't what they wanted. But now they've royally screwed up by not reading the quotation properly. IMHO.

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

 

[dik]

I've always considered the two to be equivalent, but am not in the piping industry. My only exposure to this was a device for preventing ice freezing in the wintertime at a small port. Is there a difference in the actual use of straight and spiral seams from a corrosion issue or strength issue? Thanks, Dik

-----*****-----
So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik

 

[LittleInch]

Dik.

Not as far as I'm aware. I think a lot is just prejudice from some dodgy pipe 50 years ago. Because you're moving the pipe axially as well as rotating it you can get the arc weld seam a bit off centre. Plus there is more weld.

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

 

[dik]

Can the amount of weld be automatically be applied and aligned? and would this be an issue?

-----*****-----
So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik

 

[SJones]

@LI

It’s all in the expansion. UOE/JCO SAWL is expanded, generally altering the stress state of the weld in a positive manner with respect to sour service. It is also has more controlled dimensions that render it more attractive for high productivity offshore welding.

https://www.google.com/search?q=use...hl=en-GB&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#ip=1

Steve Jones
Corrosion Management Consultant

http://www.linkedin.com/in/drstevejones

All answers are personal opinions only and are in no way connected with any employer.

 

[DekDee]

" After we received their offer, we checked it for mistakes/issues but not thoroughly enough only to find out later that spirally welded pipes were delivered to the construction site."

Sorry, but what is in your project specifications means absolutely nothing if your procurement department has not communicated requirements properly.
If they have and the offer was something else entirely then it falls on you - the QC department.

 

[LittleInch]

Steve. Thanks for that.

I suspect though it's for none of those things....

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

 

[SJones]

No problem LI - it's the same answer that I gave you almost a year ago

https://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=500521

Steve Jones
Corrosion Management Consultant

http://www.linkedin.com/in/drstevejones

All answers are personal opinions only and are in no way connected with any employer.

 

[LittleInch]

Steve, You've got a better memory than I have nowadays - Oh dear.

Some threads I remember, some I don't....

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

 

[dik]

Thanks, Steve...

-----*****-----
So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik

 

[shvet]

Any advice for this situation, any experience with this kind of issues.

Find a person ultimately responsible for the result and give him/her an insight of consequences to payback, safety, risks, reliablility, cost, schedule, possible responses of other services/departments, vendor benefits.

As far as I remember Kletz's What Went Wrong 5th ed. - an industry survey showed that 5% of all piping components do not comply with design specs.