How Garde Services Turned a Hiring Burden into a Strategic Buy
Garde Services used CQE Group’s hire-to-buy trench box system to reduce long-term shoring costs and secure reusable assets.
ContractorGarde Services
LocationSydney
While working on the Sydney Metro West project at Rosehill, Garde Services were tasked with installing deep underground electrical services.
The team needed a reliable and adaptable trench shoring solution to ensure both safety and compliance. With the duration of the project extending up to six months, Conquip proposed a purchase option to avoid ongoing rental costs and provide a versatile system that would serve Garde for years to come on future projects – delivering lasting value.
To keep pace with the evolving demands of the site, Garde sought a trench support system that offered flexibility on the ground and in the budget.
Scoping Success, Stronger Support, Smarter Strategy
To address equipment and timeline challenges, Garde partnered with Conquip Engineering Group, opting for a hire-to-buy model that provided immediate access to premium trench shoring equipment while spreading costs over the project’s duration.
Central to the solution was Conquip’s modular Trench Box system, ideal for deep, high-pressure utility installations. Its adaptable design allowed seamless use across varying trench sizes at the Rosehill site, reducing equipment swaps.
- Incremental struts: Enabled precise width adjustment to suit specific trench profiles, reducing the need for multiple box sizes.
- Rocker system: Provided a simplified and faster setup, especially when working on uneven or complex ground conditions.
- Modular flexibility: Allowed Garde to reconfigure the setup quickly as site conditions changed, minimising downtime.
- Robust design: Engineered to withstand high ground pressures typical of deep utility installations, improving safety and performance.
Conquip also supplied a safety and edge protection system, ensuring above-ground fall protection.
Smart Purchasing: Hire-to-buy Civil Equipment
Instead of buying the system outright, Garde opted for Conquip Engineering’s hire-to-buy structure—a strategy that delivered immediate site readiness without locking up capital. Over the course of the project, monthly payments covered the use of the equipment and contributed toward full ownership at the end of the term.
This approach allowed Garde to:
- Avoid delays waiting for gear availability.
- Trial the system in live conditions.
- Allocate costs efficiently within the project budget.
By the time the trenching works at Rosehill were completed, the decision was easy: Garde exercised the buyout and took ownership of the trench shoring equipment.
Entrenched Success
The CQE hire-to-buy model gave Garde exactly what the Rosehill project needed: dependable, flexible trench support across a complex, evolving worksite, while also strengthening the business for future jobs.
By shifting from hire to ownership, Garde eliminated ongoing rental costs and avoided delays tied to equipment delivery or changeovers. With trench boxes always on site, work progressed without interruption.
Owning the system also added a valuable, reusable asset to Garde’s fleet, ready to deploy on future infrastructure projects without the hassle of new hire agreements.
If your project could benefit from a hire-to-buy approach, contact us at (02) 8844 4590 or email sales@conquipgroup.com.au to explore your options.