Check Your Work!
The Critical Review of your Equipment Specifications
Everyone makes mistakes, forgets stuff or misses crucial accessories. Equipment specifications are a detailed, complicated document. It is tied directly to your overall equipment plan and through that plan, coordinated with all members of the design team and, ultimately, the construction trades. It is your responsibility, as the owner or owner’s representative to confirm that it is complete, current and correct.
You and your culinary team spent months designing your kitchen, bar and server areas. You did research, tested equipment and made your selections. Your food service designer/specifier followed your directions, made recommendations and, based on this feedback and your collaboration created a design that you reviewed and approved. He then built a detailed equipment specification document that listed all the required equipment, manufacturer, model, utilities, accessories and features, and prepared his required construction documents. All is good.
Except, these documents are complicated, detailed, and often modified or changed based on site conditions or operational refinements. They are also subject to errors and omissions. A comprehensive set of food service drawings should include equipment plans, utilities drawings (rough ins) and schedules, critical details and elevations of all areas so that you can see your equipment from the “front” view. Many designers provide 3D views or fly through videos. If these are accurate, they may enhance your comfort level with the design.
Take the time to review each equipment item listed in the specifications, confirm that it matches what is on the drawings and in the correct location, that it has all the expected features and accessories - correct door swings and utilities - electrical voltage, amps and phase, gas size and location (front or rear connection), water connections, drains, etc.
While it is your responsibility to ensure these documents are correct, coordinating the food service documents with the engineering and architectural drawings is the responsibility of the project architect, consulting engineers and the General Contractor.
You should rely on your professional design team to manage this coordination. But, your failure to perform this necessary review can cost you time and money when utilities need to be changed or equipment that has been ordered is incorrect.
