Choosing a Shoring Design Company: 4 Key Considerations

Deep or complex excavations for urban infrastructure, utility and energy projects often require a site-specific engineered shoring design under OHSA’s excavation standard, 29 CFR Part 1926, Subpart P. Because the choice of shoring design company directly affects safety, efficiency and compliance, it deserves careful consideration.

Some providers of shoring design services will tailor the designs to your shoring preferences and can potentially reduce overall project costs without taking risky shortcuts or creating constructability issues. For example, a shoring design company may recommend cost-savings strategies such as replacing weld-in-place shoring with hydraulic bracing and shoring. Flexible, innovative approaches like these can support more competitive bids and help projects stay on schedule and on budget.

When you need a site-specific engineered shoring design

A site-specific shoring design is required when excavation depth, soil conditions or surcharge loads exceed the limits of the tabulated data provided by a shoring equipment manufacturer. These engineered systems rely on customized, stamped drawings developed by a Registered Professional Engineer (RPE) licensed in the state where the work is performed.

While some custom shoring designs require non-standard equipment, many use off-the-shelf systems configured to meet project-specific conditions.

What to look for in a shoring design company

Not all shoring design companies offer the same capabilities or level of support. For the best project outcomes, look for these four differentiators.

1. A team of in-house shoring engineers

A shoring design company with a large in-house team of shoring engineers offers several advantages, including:

• Fast design turnaround, particularly when site conditions or sequencing change
• Direct collaboration between engineers, operations and field teams
• Greater accountability for constructability and safety
• Documented experience with a diverse range of projects
• Experience with reviewing engineers on large projects
• Early identification of potential issues, which helps avoid costly rework

An integrated approach often leads to more practical and buildable shoring plans.

2. Experience with comparable projects

For complex excavations, significant field experience is nearly as important as design expertise. A company that primarily supports small, short-duration excavations may not be well suited for deep, multi-phase or long-duration projects.

Ask about experience with:

• Deep excavations and variable soil conditions
• Congested urban environments and limited-access sites
• Proximity to existing structures and other infrastructure
• Long-duration or phased projects
• Interfaces with existing utilities and adjacent structures

Companies that regularly support complex excavations tend to bring insights that improve safety, efficiency and constructability.

3. Access to the right shoring equipment

A common risk is choosing a system that works on paper but presents equipment sourcing challenges. One way to minimize this risk is to work with an engineered trench safety systems rental provider that also offers shoring design services and has a large, diverse equipment fleet.

Access to multiple system types, including slide rail, beam and plate, sheet pile and hydraulic bracing systems, allows engineers to design for the project rather than forcing the project to fit a limited inventory. It also enables maximum flexibility when site conditions change.

4. Installation support

Even the best shoring design can fall short if it is not installed correctly. For complex excavations, access to installation advisors can be a significant differentiator.

Installation advisors provide on-site or remote support to help ensure that shoring systems are installed according to the engineered shoring plan and best practices. They can assist with:

• Reviewing site conditions before installation
• Identifying required installation equipment
• Supporting crews during initial setup
• Flagging potential issues before they affect safety or schedule

For project owners, this added layer of expertise and support can reduce risk, demonstrate due diligence around trench safety compliance and help ensure that systems are installed correctly the first time, minimizing rework and delays.

Benefits of choosing United Rentals

United Rentals is not only the nation’s leading engineered trench safety systems rental provider but also a leading provider of shoring design services. Its expertise, scale and support set it apart.

United Rentals offers the largest in-house engineering teams in the industry as well as the largest trench shoring fleet in North America. It is one of the few companies that is available to provide end-to-end shoring solutions from design through execution. Customers benefit from:

• A dedicated engineered systems sales team
• 14 Engineering Hubs across North America that support a network of nearly 100 trench safety branches
• An extensive and diverse equipment fleet ready when you need it
• Installation advisors to support complex trench and excavation projects

Every shoring system is engineered to balance total cost and efficiency while maintaining compliance and constructability so teams can dig deep with confidence from start to finish.

Planning a deep or complex excavation? Contact the United Rentals Engineered Systems team to discuss your project needs.