Services
There are seven basic phases to a project life cycle from OPPORTUNITY to ONLINE. The Temec Engineering Group can provide services for any or all of the seven basic life cycle phases. Accordingly, we categorize our services by project life cycle.
Someone has an idea. The idea might resolve a problem, or be a possible business opportunity for one of our clients. Before fully committing to implementation, it is important to understand whether the idea is worth developing any further. The first step in the development of the idea into a project is typically a pre-feasibility study, which represents a modest investment into the project to provide high-level information on the theoretical benefits and estimated implementation costs for decision making purposes.
Pre-feasibility Study
A pre-feasibility study explores available implementation option(s) given the results desired, environmental and business issues.
For example: How could you take advantage of existing surplus steam generation capacity or other assets to earn secondary revenue? How much would the additional fuel cost? How might waste heat be reclaimed to reduce deaerator steam usage? Are new technologies available to reduce feedstock chemical costs?
Only some ideas make it through the pre-feasibility stage. A lot of good ideas are ruled out by the estimated implementation costs being much higher than the maximum theoretical benefit.
We urge our clients to retain pre-feasibility and feasibility studies on file. If key conditions change – such as the selling price for power – a project stalled at pre-feasibility should be reassessed.
Life Cycle Services
- Identify technical and financially feasible solutions to solve the problem in the context of the business, regulatory environment and financial impacts
- Describe how to solve the problem effectively to meet all requirements and limit impacts
- Consider alternatives
- Estimate maximum theoretical benefits
- Estimate implementation costs to AACE Class 5 accuracy or better
- Develop a preliminary business case comparing implementation costs to theoretical benefits
The pre-feasibility study has concluded that further development of the initial idea is warranted. The next step is project definition: investigating benefits, implementation costs and schedule in more detail for a final decision on project approval. Project definition is typically achieved by means of a feasibility study. The degree of detail required is dictated by the accuracy required by the client for approval. For AACE Class 2 or Class 1 estimated cost accuracy, the investment required for the feasibility study might be 0.5 to 3.0 percent of total capital, depending on project complexity, industry standard practices and other factors.
Feasibility Study
A feasibility study refines project scope, cost and schedule to develop a final business case for client approval. The study generally includes completion of all or most project definition deliverables, such as plot plans, process and instrumentation diagrams, equipment indexes, electrical single line diagrams, layout drawings, control systems architecture and more.
Some procurement related activities may also be required, depending on the impact of vendor design on the overall project cost and schedule. It is not uncommon to release purchase orders for vendor engineering, or purchase orders with cancellation clauses during the definition phase.
Life Cycle Services
- Increase implementation cost accuracy: up to four additional estimate iterations may be required depending on client risk tolerance
- Conduct consultations and outreach
- Commission and coordinate supporting studies – geotechnical and hydrology, others
- Determine project scope and schedule, cash flow
- Consider permitting, authorities having jurisdiction, construction and ongoing safety, insurance
- Develop implementation and procurement plan, work packages
- Identify business and technical risks, consider mitigation strategies
- Refine the net benefits to ensure the original problem is being solved
The Detail phase can be thought of as assembling a kit with instructions for the construction phase of the project.
Life Cycle Services
- Process Design
- Procurement
- Installation Contracts
- Project Management
- Scheduling & Implementation Plan Progress Monitoring and Updates
- Three Dimensional Modelling and Site Laser Scanning
- Mechanical
- Piping
- Civil & Structural
- Electrical
- Instrumentation
- Regulatory & Safety
- HAZOP Facilitation
- Quality Control & Assurance
- Drawing and Document Control
- Cost Control
Detail design and procurement of major equipment is under way. The next step in the project – the fourth phase of the project life cycle – is off site fabrication. This starts after detail design is underway and concludes when shop fabrications are received onsite by the installation contractor or the client. Shop fabrication of engineered skids, modules, interlocking hull sections, pipe spools and similar is routinely used to reduce onsite construction costs. Temec can prepare designs for shop fabricated items for the client to procure, or supply fully tested shop fabrications directly.
Life Cycle Services
- Fabrication Design
- Approval and Outline Drawings
- Procurement of Components and Materials
- 3 Dimensional Modeling
- Fabrication Inspection and Test Plan (ITP)
- Mechanical
- Piping
- Electrical
- Instrumentation
- Inspections
- Documentation
- Shop Fabrication and Inspections, Testing
- Quality Control & Assurance
- Delivery
Detail design, procurement and shop fabrication is approaching completion. The first installation contractor has mobilized at the site. The next step in the project is construction.
How do you ensure that all the many parts required for the new asset come together at the jobsite cost effectively, and at exactly the right time set out in a fast track project schedule? Collaborate from the start, carefully track progress, and be ready to improvise to deal with an unexpected problem or capitalize on an unexpected opportunity.
Life Cycle Services
- On-site Management
- Contract Administration
- Temporary Site Services
- Material and Equipment Receiving
- Scheduling & Construction Monitoring
- Expediting
- Progress Reporting
- Cost Control
- Project Controls
- Field Work Orders
On site construction is approaching completion. The next step is to prepare the new or upgraded assets for operation and start up. This is the next to last phase in the project life cycle.
How do you know all the integrated parts, people and machinery will work together when you flip the switch? Simulate operations in a training environment beforehand and trial run sub-systems in the field as specified in a carefully developed commissioning plan.
Life Cycle Services
- Identify Personnel Requirements
- Integrated Training Facilitation, Training Materials
- Commissioning Plan and Schedule Development
- Pre-Startup Checkout
- Simulated Operation – “Water Trials”
- Onsite Commissioning Personnel
- Start Up Plan and Schedule Development
- Startup Assistance
So how do you fine-tune the system to get greater performance? How do you do a similar project even better next time around?
Life Cycle Services
- Measurement and verification of system performance, compare to pre-implementation baseline
- Identify Areas for Improvement, Future Upgrades
- Optimization
- Correct Deficiencies
- As-built Drawings
- Documentation Turnover
- Quality Control & Assurance Packages
- Performance Trials
- Capitalize Final Cost
- Lessons Learned
- Post-Expenditure Review
- Project Close Out
- Spare Parts, CMMS Updates