Simple Solutions That Work! Issue 8

40 SPECIFICATION REVIEW PROCESS Once the specification has been approved by the investment committee, distribution to the selected final solution providers occurs. The vendors will require some amount of time to review and assemble their team as they find appropriate. It’s suggested to have a follow- up site meeting to restate objectives, review expectations, answer questions, and (for existing plant upgrades) walk the area. Each vendor should be invited to their own specification review meeting. While this can add time to your process, it does offer more open and transparent conversations between the vendor and your project team. Review meetings that include multiple competitors present a risk of low engagement and ultimately will add to the time frame any vendor has to thoroughly understand your specification and needs. In some cases, and depending on the level of documentation the foundry has, the vendor company may be required to conduct their own plant layout drawings, existing equipment discovery and identification, and utility analysis. Be sure to leave time in your schedule based on the site needs and the project details. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION A thorough proposal should include a well-prepared layout that leaves no future surprises that may unfold during the course of the project. Typically, during the development of the firm proposal, several iterations of layouts are produced and presented for review. A clear proposal will obviously state what is included, but as equally important is to request a detailed list of what is not included or the buyer’s responsibilities. The buyer’s responsibilities will add clarity to the complete scope and help insure that vendors proposals are as close to an “apples to apples” comparison. With custom foundry solutions, its nearly impossible to have an apples- to-apples comparison, but understanding the included scope and the buyer’s responsibilities will allow your project committee the ability to understand what is, and what is not acceptable based on the costs of each offer. Consider conducting a “proposal page turn” with all stake- holders. This is a convenient way to review the entirety of the proposal and answer any questions that may develop. Other commercial or technical considerations that need to be considered are: • Warranties and guarantees need to be understood and statements about expectations should certain specification requirements not be met. • Terms of sale or progress payments need to be fair to both parties. • Clear acceptance of vendor terms of sale or purchaser’s terms of sale more than likely will need some legal review. • Change order expectations – change happens, have a good understanding of the process involved to manage changes. • Installation support and various field needs – think through the level of support the vendor needs to supply. This can range from full turnkey installation to simply supervising at installation. This is all dependent on the project complexity and the foundry’s competency. Case Study Note: As our case study details, this relates to an existing foundry upgrade project and working to rearrange an existing plant layout by adding a new automated green sand molding line with necessary support equipment. Working within the limitations of existing equipment, sand systems, conveyors, shake-out all had to be measured and documented. By taking the time to thoroughly document the existing plant in 3D provides both the vendor and the foundry the ability to accurately see how the new equipment will interface (or potentially interfere) with existing equipment and building. These steps should be eagerly conducted by the vendor company as this will only help to convey design concepts and features about their particular solution.