Need

YPF, the Seeker for this Innocentive Challenge, is seeking production-ready or prototype solutions for a real-time system to detect relevant structural modifications in approved scaffolding within an industrial oil refinery environment.

A successful solution will enable continuous monitoring, early warning local alerts, and traceability of deviations from certified scaffold conditions, without replacing formal inspections or the responsibilities of qualified personnel.

Collaboration Opportunity

This is a Scouting Challenge seeking a partner or supplier to provide systems and expertise to solve YPF’s business challenge; the Solver is invited to submit a written proposal to be evaluated by YPF with the goal of establishing a collaborative partnership, including running a pilot followed by scaling opportunities.

The Challenge offers an award of USD 20,000 to be used for a pilot implemented in the Mendoza refinery, Argentina, with the optional incentive of a future implementation alliance across YPF refineries after the pilot.

Submissions to this Challenge must be received by 11:59 PM (US Eastern Time) on August 17, 2026.

Please review the later Participation Guidance section before submitting a proposal.

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Seeker/Eligibility

YPF is an industrial company operating in the oil & gas sector, owning and operating three refineries across Argentina. At its Mendoza refinery, approximately 100 scaffolding structures are installed concurrently on a daily basis. Participation is open to qualified technology providers with proven experience in relevant industries such as construction, oil & gas, petrochemical, mining, energy, and other sectors requiring the use of industrial scaffolding. The challenge is open to international participants.

Challenge

Background:

Structural integrity of scaffolding is critical for safety in industrial refinery operations. Modifications to scaffolding—such as removal of components, loosening of anchors, or changes in inclination—can compromise stability and increase the risk of accidents. Environmental factors including vibration, weather, and exposure to hazardous atmospheres further complicate monitoring. Current inspection regimes rely on periodic checks by qualified personnel, but there is a need for an additional technological barrier to provide real-time, continuous oversight and early warning of unsafe conditions.

The Challenge:

Develop and demonstrate a system capable of detecting, in real time, relevant structural modifications in approved scaffolding within a refinery environment. The system must identify deviations from the certified scaffold condition, including removal of components, unauthorized partial dismantling, loosening or loss of anchors, alterations in supports, changes in inclination, abnormal vibration variations, or displacements that may compromise structural stability. The solution must operate reliably in classified hazardous areas, outdoors, and under typical refinery environmental conditions, providing continuous monitoring, early warning alerts, traceability, and support for operational decision-making.

Solution Requirements

Must-haves:

• Continuously monitor, 24/7, the status of critical points defined for each approved scaffold.
• Register a baseline or certified initial condition at the time the scaffold is approved.
• Detect deviations from the baseline associated with removal of components, loss of rigidity, changes in inclination, displacement, abnormal vibration, loosening of anchors, or modification of supports.
• Generate a local visual alert at the workplace, installed on the scaffold or at an associated point, with green indication for approved scaffolds with no detected deviations, and red for alerts due to modification, structural deviation, or conditions requiring verification before continued use.
• Sensors must preferably be installed as retrofit solutions on existing scaffolds, without modifying, drilling, welding, or altering certified structural components.
• Mounting must be mechanically secure, resistant to vibration and accidental handling, using clamps, certified supports, or another system compatible with industrial scaffolds.
• The system must include self-diagnostic capabilities, detecting loss of communication, low battery, sensor removal, unauthorized manipulation, or loss of calibration.
• The solution must differentiate, through algorithms, filtering, or contextual analysis, real structural integrity changes from transient events such as wind, vibration from nearby equipment, personnel movement, or minor impacts.
• All electrical or electronic components installed within classified or hazardous areas must have applicable certification for explosive atmospheres, such as ATEX, IECEx, UL/CSA Class I Division 1 or 2, or an equivalent certification acceptable for the site.
• The solution must consider electromagnetic interference, metallic structures, obstructions, process equipment, piping, furnaces, towers, vessels, and other conditions typical of a refinery.

Nice-to-haves:

• Generate real-time or near real-time alerts, including identification of the scaffold, monitored point, type of deviation, severity, date, time, and location.
• Provide a visualization dashboard for supervision, showing the status of each scaffold: normal, warning, alarm, out of service, or pending verification.
• Technologies such as LoRaWAN, LTE-M, NB-IoT, mesh networks, industrial Wi-Fi, industrial 4G/5G, or equivalent will be accepted, provided they are technically justified for the refinery environment.
• The solution should indicate possibilities for integration with existing systems for maintenance management, work permits, contractor management, inspections, corporate dashboards, or alarm systems.

TRL Range:

• Solutions with Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) 6-9 are invited.

Pilot Conditions

• Minimum recommended pilot duration: 60 to 90 days of continuous operation.
• Validation of detection capabilities through controlled and authorized events, including simulated component removal, controlled loosening, changes in inclination, sensor manipulation, and communication loss.
• Assessment of performance metrics including detection rate, alert time, false positives, false negatives, availability, autonomy, communication stability, and ease of use.
• Evaluation of compatibility with work permit systems, scaffold inspections, contractor management processes, and operational response to alarms.
• Submission of a final report including conclusions, identified limitations, required adjustments, scaling recommendations, and estimated implementation costs.

Your Submission

Submissions must include all documentation and technical details as outlined below.

Proposals must be submitted in English and/or Spanish and should include:

1. Participation Type - you will first be asked to inform us how you are participating in this challenge, as a Solver (Individual) or Solver (Organization).
2. Solution Level - the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of your proposal or not applicable.
3. Solution Overview - describe ALL the following technical details of your solution and how they address the Solution Requirements: including architecture, sensors, gateways, platform, communication systems, power supply, operational philosophy, and all system components. (up to 500 words).
4. Technical feasibility - share the a technical feasibility assessment of the proposed solution, including compatibility with existing refinery infrastructure, operational constraints, implementation requirements, integration needs, and identification of key technical risks (up to 500 words).
5. Deviation Detection Methodology - describe the algorithms or methodologies used for deviation and anomaly detection, including user notification mechanisms, alert management, data storage and retention strategy, data traceability, and false-positive management methodology (up to 500 words).
6. Certificates of Conformity for Hazardous/Classified Areas - Please share certificates of conformity for hazardous/classified areas applicable to each field-installed component (up to 500 words, there is space to attach the certificates in the Attachments section).
7. Environmental and Physical Equipment Specifications - provide a declaration and supporting documentation covering IP protection rating, construction materials, operating temperature range, equipment autonomy, battery life, and admissible environmental operating conditions (up to 500 words)..
8. Technical Support, Warranty, Spare Parts, and Service Commitments - specify technical support conditions, warranty terms, spare parts availability, software maintenance and update policies, service continuity commitments, and applicable Service Level Agreements (SLAs) (up to 500 words).
9. Costs and timeline - specify estimated implementation costs (equipment, installation, operation, maintenance) and a brief timeline (Gantt chart or similar) showing key phases (up to 500 words).
10. Scalability - demonstrate the capability to implement the proposed technology in approximately 100 refinery scaffolds and subsequently scale the solution across the remaining YPF refineries, including availability of technical, operational, and logistical resources (up to 500 words).
11. Experience – share proven experience in implementing the proposed solution in comparable industrial environments, including references, successful case studies, lessons learned, and evidence of previous deployments (up to 500 words).
12. Executive summary - describe your solution briefly (up to 500 words).
13. Attach supporting files such as certificates of conformity for hazardous/classified areas applicable to each field-installed component, technical data sheets, user manuals, dimensional drawings, installation procedures, operation manuals, and maintenance instructions.

Participation Guidelines

1. Submission Close Date: Submissions to this Challenge must be received by 11:59 PM (US Eastern Time) on August 17, 2026.

2. Late submissions: Late submissions will not be considered.

3. Multiple submissions, One Maximum: In case of multiple submissions by the same Solver, only one submission – the final one submitted – will be considered. Any other submissions will be deleted prior to evaluation.

4. Submission form and attachments: Your submission will be evaluated by the evaluation team first reviewing the information and content you have submitted at the submission form, with attachments used as additional context to your form submission. Submissions relying solely on attachments will receive less attention from the evaluation team.

5. Evaluation notification steps: After the Challenge submission close date, YPF will review and select the winning solutions according to the timeline in the Challenge header. Everyone who submits a proposal will be notified about the status of their submissions. Participation does not guarantee pilot selection or future commercial agreements; all collaboration is subject to YPF’s evaluation.

6. Use of AI: Please note that any submissions produced solely with generative AI are not of interest.

7. Learn more: Find out more about participation in Innocentive Challenges.