A shared machine breakdown can change which jobs you can afford to finish

The completion problem spans more than one site

A machine breaks down while several jobs depend on it. The most urgent site asks you to hire a replacement immediately, but the business is already struggling to fund completion. Before committing, identify every affected task and the actual need for the machine. A decision based on one supervisor's urgency can overlook conflicting bookings, transport time and costs on the other jobs.

Build a short plant-use programme

Ask each site for the task, location, duration and date when access will genuinely be ready. Separate confirmed requirements from provisional requests. Check whether the work needs the same machine capacity and attachments. This is a resource decision, not permission to change the contract programme; any proposed sequencing change must be checked with the appropriate people.

Compare complete alternatives

Business.gov.au's pricing guidance includes materials, labour and overhead costs. Apply a full-cost comparison to repair, temporary hire or another workable arrangement. Include mobilisation, demobilisation, operator availability and any minimum hire period. Seek suitable technical advice on safety and equipment suitability. A lower daily rate is not necessarily a lower total cost if repeated transfers or idle days are required.

Source: business.gov.au: Choose a pricing strategy

Consider a hypothetical booking conflict

Imagine two sites needing the replacement for three days each. One cannot provide access until the following week, yet both ask for a machine from Monday. Starting two hire periods immediately could create avoidable idle cost. The example does not prove one machine can serve both jobs; it shows why verified site readiness matters before accepting the expenditure.

Check the effect on payments and commitments

Discuss proposed timing with the project team and adviser where contractual issues arise. Identify whether delayed plant changes a completion or claim milestone, and show that uncertainty in the cash forecast. Do not assume the customer will accept a revised date or pay earlier because the breakdown is expensive. Check what funds are available before promising an extended hire.

Give one person the coordinated booking decision

Record the selected option, confirmed dates and changes that require fresh approval. Update other affected sites when the position moves. If no option allows the business to meet its commitments, obtain financial and insolvency advice promptly. A coordinated plant decision helps reveal the real cost of finishing the affected work instead of allowing several separate urgent orders to compound the shortage.