EQUIPMENT PROCUREMENT SERVICES

Working on a fast track project where equipment lead times are critical? Williams Notaro & Associates, Inc. (WNA) can help. To minimize the impact of equipment lead-time on the project schedule, WNA can purchase the long-lead equipment directly from the manufacturer during the design phase of the project. This service offers our clients many advantages:

Project Schedule Control:
By purchasing the equipment during the design phase of the project, the time it takes to manufacture and ship the product can be integrated into the project schedule before the construction phase has begun. This mitigates the need for last-minute schedule extensions and minimizes wasted labor during construction since the long-lead time components have been purchased and the delivery dates established before or during the bidding process. Once the equipment has been ordered, the delivery schedule can be coordinated and identified on the Contract Documents so the general contractors bidding the project can consider the delivery of the pre-purchased equipment in their construction schedule.

Cost Savings:
WNA purchases the equipment from the manufacturer at, or less than, competitive contractor prices by committing to quick payment terms, cash payment, or purchasing as a preferred vendor. Our administrative equipment procurement services fees typically range from 10% to 15% of the cost of the equipment. Our services include the development of the purchase specification, bidding of the components if requested, shop drawing review services, management of the order, equipment scheduling, coordination with the design documents and coordination with the general contractor during the bidding phase and construction phase of the project. Typically, we can save our clients approximately 10% to 20% on all pre-purchased equipment. This can be a substantial savings on large projects or on specialty projects such as Data Centers, Work Shops, and medical facilities that demand specialized components. In addition, since the pre-purchasing service includes the review of shop drawings, fees for the generation of the submittals from the general contractor, as well as the professional services review fees can be reduced.

Project Quality Control:
Equipment substitutions, for lead-time or cost reasons, frequently occur in construction projects. When specified equipment is revised toward the end of a project, the emphasis is often placed on just getting a similar component to the site to meet the completion date. As a result, the "available" component may not be the same level of quality that was specified and included in the original bid cost. By pre-purchasing the major system components, the client can be assured that the specified quality level is maintained since lead-time and equipment cost has been accommodated in the project schedule and budget and equipment substitutions are not required.

Streamlined Construction Administration:
The shop drawing submittal process, during the initial phases of construction, can be tedious and time consuming. Detailed equipment submittals must be prepared by the sub contractors, reviewed and approved by the general contractor, and then presented to the design team for review and approval. Any comments from any of the reviewers or poorly presented submittals can delay the ordering and purchasing of equipment. By pre-purchasing equipment, the shop drawings are prepared directly by the manufacturer and submitted to WNA for review during the design phase of the project. Any submittal issues are resolved immediately between the design professionals and the manufacturer's representatives without involving the many parties involved once the construction phase has started. Completion of the submittal phase or even a portion of the submittal phase before construction simplifies the construction administration services required and results in lower administrative costs, less document tracking, and allows the construction team to focus on what they do best -- building the project!