Owner’s Program at SPEC Process Engineering & Construction - Translating Your Needs into an Effective Engineering Outcome
The owner’s program model we have developed at SPEC Process Engineering & Construction is a document which allows the client, who is often not an engineer but a business owner or facility manager, to express the desired project outcome using readily available information within their own company. It is a practical outline of what you want your improved process or facility to do, helping us, the engineering firm, gain a clear image of your business goals with the project while avoiding any costly mistakes. At SPEC we prefer that the owner’s program be developed by the engineering firm rather than the client, and is tied into the design/build contract, often completed during the first study phase of the engineering project.
Owner’s Program Deliverables
- Project Objectives (Goals, limitations, and criteria) the owner has established for the engineering project
- Flow Patterns (Human, vehicular and material) that characterize manufacturing operations
- Operating Units (Overall space requirements, how these units work, process flow) which will be used in the project
- Job Titles (Functions, descriptions) and number of personnel assigned to each operating unit, and a description of the amount and type of space required by each
- Special Processes (Flow diagrams, personnel requirements, and relationship to other processes) as defined by the owner
- Equipment and Systems (Size and dimensions, process and personnel, interaction with other equipment)
- Overall Utility Requirements (electrical service, water and sewer line sizing, chilled water, hot water, steam)
- Existing Utility Characteristics (and utilities available) to properly design and construct the project
- Special Utility Requirements (nitrogen, clean steam, hydrogen, DI water, specilaty chemical)
- Site Requirements and Limitations (ceiling height, slab thickness, single v. multi-tenant facility)
- Security Criteria (keyless entry, facility monitoring system, gates, guard shack)
- Communications Requirements (fiber optic line, T1 line)
- Future Expansion or Alteration Requirements (additional land for building/parking expansion, roof load rating for additional equipment)
- Other Criteria that the owner determines must be addressed in the scope of the project
Developing an owner’s program develop early in the process can provide real, tangible benefits such as a shortened schedule, reduced design costs, and fewer errors or problems during the project. A thorough owner’s program effectively helps both the client and engineers have an accurate and practical understanding of your project. It can also act as a less costly basis for a contract, rather than a full document set, since it still addresses all of the owner’s requirements and issues. For companies that have already developed their own owner’s programs prior to hiring an engineering firm, it may still be beneficial to allow the engineers to take a second look at the owner’s program to identify any possible cost saving areas, process changes based on past project experience, and any other creative ways to save you time and money.
