Equipment planning services is a term that encompases several distinct, but closely related services. From inventory, through planning, procurement, receiving and transition, every project is a series of activities that each serve as the foundation for the next. We understand what is necessary during each phase to successfully complete the successive steps.

From the beginning of a project, CPI will establish an understanding of the current facility practices and standards. This discussion starts with the needs of our client’s customers and staff; and what that essential equipment requires, both during utilization and storage. We go so far as to investigate how people and supplies flow throughout the facility to ensure that every aspect of the process is accounted for and will operate smoothly in the final design. This Inside/Out technique, when employed early in the process, can help ensure the final design is appropriately sized, efficiently laid out and effectively coordinated.

The most effective project outcome is reached when the planning team has the end in mind during design. Equipment services cannot stand alone from the design process and succeed, which is why CPI works so hard to ensure all efforts are integrated. We involve the procurement, installation and transition specialists early to ensure they can implement the plan without having to re-visit, re-negotiate, or re-estimate. All of this adds up to a project that is less stressful, on time, and within budget.

The CPI Group utilizes a custom-built software tool, InteMation, for equipment planning, asset management and procurement activities. Rather than the traditional “simplified” spreadsheet-based methodologies, our database-driven approach allows us to manage the asset list and all its associated details much more effectively and reliably. InteMation provides a consistent and coordinated effort all the way from inventory through receiving and final installation. It helps to control and report budgets, procurement activities and delivery schedules. All of the cutsheets, size and utility data, and space planning is available 24/7 via our web-based portal, allowing the design team to access all the equipment data in real time.

CPI Group is fully BIM integrated as well. We have migrated all of our standard equipment planning and layout from AutoCAD to Revit and are actively using 3D modeling in our equipment planning efforts. Furthermore, we are building tools that allow us to connect our equipment management database tool, InteMation, to Revit in order to further streamline the process of coordinating equipment with other design disciplines.