Page 44 - Subyek Teknik Mesin - Forsthoffers Best Practice Handbook for Rotating Machinery by William E Forsthoffer

Project Best Practices Best Practice 1 .11

Best
Best Practice 1.11Practice 1.11Practice 1.11
Best
Conduct effective vendor coordination meetings (VCMs) to Project schedule extensions resulting from engineering changes by
confirm scope and design are in complete accordance the EP&C (piping changes, foundation changes, etc.)
with the purchase order. Project schedule extensions resulting from engineering changes by
Have the EP&C prepare the agenda, pass it by the end user team for the vendor (machine changes due to process condition changes,
review and issue to the vendor a minimum of 2 weeks prior to the mechanical component changes arising from differences in
interpretation of exceptions to specifications, etc.)
meeting.
Cost adders
Conduct the meeting in the vendor’s works and have it in the early
Lack of trust between EP&C and vendor
stages of the design engineering phase (approximately 6 weeks after
order placement).
Be sure that the end user machinery specialist, an experienced Benchmarks
operator and maintenance engineer attend as a minimum. Use of the above approach in all Critical Equipment Projects since
1970 has resulted in ‘smooth, issue free projects’ without significant
Lessons Learned cost adders or schedule delays. VCM’s conducted in this best practice
Poorly planned vendor coordination meetings (VCMs) and format have been used in all projects that I have handled for the fol-
absence of key individuals will result in cost adders and lowing projects:
delivery schedule extensions. Upstream oil and gas – offshore and onshore
If the VCM is not conducted properly, the following issues could Refining
arise: Chemical
Co-generation

B.P. 1.11. Supporting Material Purpose – to confirm scope and design
Design confirmation amount is proportional to the risk class
The coordination meeting If there is any component inexperience, details must be finalized
now!
Location – vendor's shop
After the order is placed, the coordination meeting is the first Attendance by: vendor specialists, sub-supplier specialists,
contact between the contractor, the end user and the vendor. contractor specialists, end user specialists
This meeting is usually held approximately 6 weeks after the Timing – approximately 6 weeks after order
order placement and should be held at the vendor’s shop. Duration – 2–4 days based on complexity and risk class
In my experience, the effectiveness of this meeting is sig-
nificantly increased if the end user’s rotating equipment spe- Fig 1.11.1 The VCM – key facts
cialist and/or consultant, senior operator and maintenance
engineer are in attendance. Depending on the project man-
agement team, it may be necessary to ‘campaign’ for the at- Agenda by vendor approved by contractor/end user
tendance of these valuable people. There can be the suspicion Agenda to be issued for review 2 weeks before meeting
that incorporating these individuals will add additional cost to Assure that all required design reviews are included
the job. It is my strong opinion that the addition of these in- Inform project team in advance of required attendance
dividuals will reduce significantly the life cycle cost of the job End user should take detailed minutes
by incorporating lessons learned and best practices into the Review all minutes and acceptance required by all parties, with
action point responsibilities and required dates noted prior to
job. Refer back to the pre-FEED phase of the job and note adjournment
that the same individuals were asked to contribute input to the
job in this phase.
My ‘best practice’ is to include a senior operator and main- Fig 1.11.2 VCM agenda – key facts
tenance man (millwright) in all phases of the project from pre-
FEED up to and including the test phase. This ensures that all
company ‘lessons learned’ are turned into ‘best practices’ for the Review and confirm process conditions
Review and confirm aero, thermo and mechanical design
project. Conduct any required design and/or manufacturing audits
The key facts for the VCM (vendor coordination meeting) Confirm all major connection locations
are presented in Figure 1.11.1. Review machine and auxiliary layouts for maintenance
Vendor coordination meeting key facts are shown in accessibility
Figure 1.11.2. Review preliminary test agenda
A VCM checklist is included in Figure 1.11.3 for your use, Resolve any outstanding specification issues
to ensure that all important facts are covered. Depending Review vendor and sub-supplier QC procedures (there may be
upon the risk class of the equipment, this may very well be the a separate meeting for this activity)
last chance for vendor engineering contact prior to the shop
test phase. Fig 1.11.3 VCM agenda checklist

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