Engineering

Coordination:
Deliverables and procedures
for optimal design phases
Contents
Engineering coordination: Why does it matter ������������������������������������������������������������������������4

Challenges for engineering coordination�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������6

Engineering workflow & deliverables ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������9

The role of engineering coordinator (EC): conceptual design�������������������������������������������� 12

The role of EC: civil, structure, and architectural activities����������������������������������������������� 13

Project Description Sheet (PDS)�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������16

Process flow diagram (PFD)�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 18

Solution to E&I (Electrical and Instrumentation) and Automation challenges������������� 22

The role of EC: HSSE����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������24

Key Takeaways������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 25

Final words�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 26

About the author���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 26

About Group-IPS��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 27

Building confidence.���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 27
Engineering coordination: Feasability – conceptual design Preparation – basic design

Why does it matter Detailed design

Procurement

Author’s
Effective coordination between the design engineers, architects, and other engineering supervision
disciplines and on-site execution is of utmost importance. Not only is it beneficial to
reduce costs, but it also allows delivery of the industrial projects to the highest possible
quality and without delays. According to our 30-year experience with industrial pro-
jects, on average 15% of the overall budget is spent on Engineering, Procurement and
Construction Management (EPCM).

15% 15% of the overall budget on industrial projects goes to project

management and engineering services.

The engineering coordination is therefore a key discipline. It does not matter whether
you are building a completely new plant or optimizing current processes inside a facto-
ry. To ensure all engineers, technicians and other teams are aligned, and have the right
inputs for their work is crucial. It can save you significant amounts of money, time, and M EUR %

troubles with your projects. Feasibility – Conceptual design 1.5 1.5%

Preparation – Basic design 2 2.0%

On the following pages, we will share our know-how on engineering coordination rely- Detailed design 7.5 7.5%

ing on decades of experience in different countries and business fields combined with Procurement 2 2.0%

the newest technology. This knowledge can help you to increase your chances for suc- Author’s supervision 2 2.0%

cessful project development. TOTAL 15 15%

Reference for Oil and Gas projects of 100MEUR

1 Budget structure of EPCM on industrial project. Reference for Oil & Gas, 100 million eur total project size. Source: IPS.

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Challenges for engineering Rules for efficient project development

coordination Before we get to tackling the challenges, let’s start with rules and tools guaranteeing
smooth development. At IPS, we have several rules for ensuring the success of industrial
projects, which together create our unique methodology. For engineering coordination,
The development of large, complex industrial projects requires the integration of many
we would like to pick two of them:
engineering groups, both internal and external. Coordination can be very organized and
precise, and demands a certain level of preparation and standardization.

On our webinar in December 2021, we asked more than 200 attendees to share their
biggest challenges. The top three were:
#1 Assignment of engineering coordinator

1 Design data exchange between different disciplines

2 Level of detail during different phases #2 CAD standard and 3D execution model

3 Engaging experts efficiently

This corresponds with our point of view. These are the challenges we see
as the most crucial: Tools for efficient project development

Physical space coordination between different teams Hand in hand with the rules come the tools helping the project to progress efficiently,
which eases the job of engineering coordinator. These are:
Design data exchange between different disciplines

Definition of required level of detail during different project phases TOOL 1 TOOL 2 TOOL 3 TOOL 4
List of Deliverables & document Deliverables Workflow:
Quality manual as centralized
Efficient design change management Quality Management
management, resulting in
Progress measurement, S-Curve
Approval workflows
Interdisciplinary checkpoints
Transmittals & Exchange

Engaging experts efficiently and at the right moment TOOL 5 TOOL 6 TOOL 7

Measuring progress Design Review Platform Change and Risk Management 3D collaboration platform

Let’s cover some of them in more detail.

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 Engineering workflow
& deliverables
A standardized workflow will allow you to automate business processes connected with
engineering. No more coordinator’s time wasted on reminders for approval; this can be
done by a system. Standardization brings you also traceability and statistics. You can
then report and negotiate with stakeholders more easily.

This is how, for example, our workflow looks like at SharePoint.

Senior Project
Editor
approval coordinator

Adding the document Validation Validation

in the appropriate file Approval of document Approval of document
by senior approval by project coordinator
Launch the workflow

Commented / Rejected

Commented / Rejected Commented / Rejected

Document approved

Regarding deliverables, there is no “one size fits all” answer. Depending on your in-
dustry, project type and size, you will need to set up different standards. Based on our
practice, we use different deliverables for different industry categories. We divide our
projects by the client’s industry fields into three segments: manufacturing; liquid stor-
age, chemicals, oil & gas; and material handling, mining, and primary industry.

Key deliverables: example of basic design phase

As a guideline for the engineering coordinator, you can use the scheme below. The ex-
ample shows which deliverables to expect from different teams and in what timeframe.

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 CONCEPTUAL DESIGN
PTC PDS UEL PFD GRA
Conceptual Lay-out
Project Tagging Convection Project Description Sheet Unit- & Equipment list Process Flow Diagrams General Risk Assessment
Conceptual Design

Areas, Units, Routings SLD

Fluid List HAZID (optional)
(product, people, traffic) Single Line Diagrams

SND: System &

Networks Diagrams

CONCEPT ARCHITECTURE HVAC & ELECTRICITY & ENVIRONMENT &

UTILITIES PROCESS AUTOMATION & IT SAFETY
FREEZE & CIVIL PLUMBING INSTRUMENTATION SUSTAINABILITY

Basis of Design Basis of Design Basis of Design Basis of Design Basis of Design

Keeping up-to-date concept design documents: PTC, PFD, UEL, Fluid list, SLD, ANT. Lay-outs (Elevation and Plan views): Equipment lay-out – User Point lay-outs – Routing lay-outs Architectural Safety Review: Rain Water Management
IT: Building Conformity checklist

Grounding-, Lightning Emergency Response Analysis

IT Network topology – SND Evacuation Plan Waste Water Management
ARCHITECTURE: UTILITIES: protection & underground spec.
Network client list
Wifi heat map
Utility Consumption IT Specifications Fire Safety Design:
Arquid Creative Methodology Heat Load Calculations Process Calculations Building systems estimates Noise Emission Studies
Calculation
Fire Department Note, Fire Load
Basic Design

Fire Detection & protection

Architectural Drawings Zoning Class Drawings Functional Description Process Narative requirements Building Energy Efficiency
GROUP-IPS ELECBASE AUTOMATION:

Room Datasheets Utility Unit Specifiations Process Specifiations Electrical Board list – UEL Units & Unit Procedures Explosion Safety Analysis: Process Efficiency Audit
Preliminary Explosion Safety
Evaluation
Evacuation Plan Air Flow Diagrams Electrical Board Typicals Equipment module Typicals Explosion zoning plan Utility Efficiency Audit

Building Compartmentation Air Handling Unit lists – UEL Motor- & Component list Controllers CE Certification (Europe): Envrionmental permitting
CE Certification Matrix

Non-industrial Building spec. Utility consumptions EIA Typicals Control module Typicals Technical Construction file Ergonomics
BUILDING
TENDERS ENTERPRISE ARCHITECT
Terminal Units Instrument hook-up typicals Tender Review & Safety input Odor effects
PERMITTING CIVIL & STRUCTURAL: ACAD PLANT 3D

Site Preparation Checklist HVAC & Plumbing Spec. Piping- and Instrumentation Diagrams Gas Detection requirements Light pollution

Site Infrastructure Checklist Equipment List – UEL Load balance Functional Description: PED verification (in Fluid list) Air Pollution
Units & equipment modules
Sewage & Rain water Control valve List Single Line Diagram Procedures & Unit-procedures
recuperation

Structural Analysis Instrument list Input-Output list (IO) Automation, SCADA & IT spec.
Basic Design

REVIT / TEKLA

Steel Structure
Line list (optional) E&I Specification
Assembly Plan Coordination & Clash Detection

Concrete Framweork Design 3D model – Equipment- and main piping header

Underground coordination
Foundation design
review (Belgium-KLIM-KLIP)

Industrial Building Spec. Primary Equipment Datasheets Hazop leader / reporting

Underground coordination (piling, sewage, earthing grid, piping, cables)

BASIC
DESIGN
Process Safety Analysis
FREEZE

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This complex scheme gives you an idea of how organized engineering can look. At the
top you can see conceptual design with its key deliverables. Below that are vertical
columns with different engineering disciplines. They have their own workflow but inter-
faces with other disciplines are indicated, as well as overlapping deliverables. Schemes
like this help each team member to understand dependencies and joined-up efforts of
various teams, making it the basic document for engineering coordination.
to documents and engineering deliverables. That is where the engineering coordinator
plays a key role. If you manage this process correctly, it provides a rolling start to your
basic design and engineering phase where you have a bigger team involved.
Please note: Even though you define key deliverables during conceptual design, it is vital
to update them during the whole project lifecycle.

Key deliverables for project management and for engineering:

PROJECT MANAGEMENT – FEASIBILITY ENGINEERING

PDS: Project/Process Description Sheet

Conceptual Lay-out (including C&S pre-dimensioning)

PDF: Project Definition File PTC: Project Tagging Convention

OTS: Overall Time Schedule PFD: Process Flow Diagrams

Procurement Strategy UEL: Unit- and Equipment list

Project Risk Assessment Fluid list

DTS Preparation: detailed time schedule for preparation phase Single line Diagram

Network Diagram

General Risk Assessment

The role of engineering

coordinator (EC):
conceptual design
The main goal of the engineering coordinator during the conceptual design phase is to
translate the industry knowledge to the language of engineering and into key out-
puts. Stakeholders often know their processes, but they don’t know how to transform it
The role of EC: civil, structure,
and architectural activities
The information and document flow between architects, civil engineers and structural
engineers is crucial for the success of next development phases. The main task of the
engineering coordinator is to basically ensure all have the right information all the time.

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EC’s tasks in connection with
structural calculation notes
As one of the most important documents that should be put together by the engineer-
ing coordinator, we see the structural calculation notes. To make sure the document
reflects all necessary data, we selected a few activities of the engineering coordinator.
Ensure the design engineer is working with the latest version of the 3D model
Convert the 3D model from BIM automatically to the calculation model (avoiding
errors in calculation of dimensions, height etc.)
Ensure good understanding of the design loads with technicians, including needed
equipment, maintenance area etc.
EC’s tasks in connection with the general
3D design and detailed drawings
Let’s summarize the most important tasks for the engineering coordinator on detailed
design.
Ensuring the designer is incorporating the correct sections and connections from the
design model to the main 3D model
Informing the structural engineer of any clash with the process, electrical and me-
chanical equipment
Ensuring coordination with civil designer for anchorages interfaces
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EC’s tasks for the foundations and concrete
calculation notes, 3D model and detailed drawings
Without the engineering coordinator, the civil engineer could miss the latest versions of
several documents. The main tasks are:
Ensuring the civil engineers work with the latest version of the 3D model and geo-
technical survey
Use the structural calculation model to generate the loads of foundations automat-
ically
Understanding of the design loads (equipment, maintenance area etc.)
Ensuring designer uses the correct foundations/column sizes and reinforcements
from the design model
Informing the civil engineer of any clashes with the underground network
Coordination with structural designer on anchorages interfaces
Coordination with architectural designer on finishing, partitions etc.
EC’s tasks for the architectural design
When it comes to the architectural design, the engineering coordinator needs to secure
at least these activities:
Ensuring the design engineer is working with the latest version of the 3D model
Ensuring the architect performed the clash review with various disciplines
Ensuring the design engineer understands the user requirement specification (URS)
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Project Description Sheet (PDS)
One of the most important for process-mechanical, piping disciplines and for the whole
PM team is the Project Description Sheet (PDS). Anyone involved in the project should
read the PDS, as it provides an immediate overview of the project. The PDS is also of-
ten used as a contractual document with suppliers specifying performances and project
boundaries.

The PDS includes:

Targets and scope of the project (but not how to fulfil them)

User requirement specifications

Typical PDS structure:

Reference Documents (URS / PFD / Layout)

Process (capacity, steps, operational data, main equipment)

Energy and resource optimization (energy recycling, wastewater loop, compressed

air heat recovery, measurements…)

Side processes (Purge, Waste, Fume Exhaust, CIP)

Utilities (Water, Electrical Power, Cooling, Steam, Compressed Air, Oil, Fuel…)

Innovation and Opportunities (what can be done better in comparison to the past)

Building and Logistics (civil works, storage, roads…)

Automation & IT (use cases, system diagram…)

The most interesting topic for discussion with the project owners when creating the
PDS is innovation and opportunities. We challenge existing ways of working, so our
customers can get ahead of the competition.

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Process flow diagram (PFD) What are units and why to use them

The unit in the PFD is your first level of identification and standardization within a pro-
Every process can be represented in a visual way, helping all engineering disciplines to
ject. It can be a group of several equipment or activities, and can include other assets for
validate their parts of the projects in link-up to the rest.
a functional system. Its main characteristic is it is relatively independent. The units are
then used across all other project documentation.
The PFD should include:

Tie-in identification (if any)

Flow direction and capacity (production rate)

Unit/equipment identification
PFD P&ID
Utility needs for every unit/equipment

DESIGN DATA 3D

We highly recommend to automatically validate units between the P&ID and 3D model.
Units and their automatic validation are a strong coordination tool, as they help to keep
everything updated and synced.

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Conceptual layout

Unit typicals will help you to standardize your plant and define your layout strategy.
With the data you have for units – which units you use and which typical assets they
need – you can start to create the first conceptual layout.

The conceptual layout should not include a lot of details, it’s for allocating space for
each unit and the overview of the whole plant, including requirements for traffic, main-
tenance, workforce etc.

Traffic

People

Piperack

Ducting

Cable-tray

Limit

As the project continues, the conceptual layout evolves to basic design for equipment,
after that 3D space allocation is created. The final point is the detailed 3D model.

Why is modelling so important

If you respect all the rules and use the tools for engineering coordination effectively,
you can avoid a lot of clashes on-site. The effort you put in during the preparation stage
and modelling will certainly pay off during the realization phase. You can even give the
models to your contractors for punch lists.

Each discipline will have its own 3D model and appropriate tool. Of course, you need to
put it together and to validate all data across all models. For example, at Group-IPS, we
are standardizing with the Autodesk family tools, which are accessible to the customer.
Clashes are automatically detected, which saves us a tremendous amount of time.

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Solution to E&I (Electrical
IPS Typical Engineering Objects
Architecture
& Civils
Process Flow

and Instrumentation) and

CM typicals
Diagram

Automation challenges
Unit- &
EM Typicals EIA typicals
Equipment List

Unit Typicals 3D model Building

The EIA is extremely dependent on the design and the upstream engineering disciplines. BIM360 Navisworks

What we always recommend during projects is high standardization in terms of circuit P&ID
Validation report
3D model equipment & piping
Architectural
drawings
diagrams, instrument hook-ups diagrams, units, equipment, and control modules.
Export

Design lists Geographical coordinates Basic design

(Instrument, Valve,
Standardization allows for an efficient involvement in the design and has a positive result Process & Mechanical
Equipment, Line...) Electrical lay-out

for the project owner. E&I and Automation

Basic design Room
Import + datasheets &
Change tracking Lighting calculations

It is also important to engage an expert in the right project phase. Don’t rush it when
there are still process iterations ongoing, P&IDs are changing each day – wait for it all to Detailed design
Motor- and Component list
Lay-out / 3D model
be finished. Why? Simply because change management is much more difficult to man-
age than just having input and getting the necessary output.
Automation Electrical Wiring Instrument Design lists Calculations
Physical model Diagram datasheets (IO’s, cables, items)

Here you can find a typical workflow that we use. Feel free to use it in your projects and
modify it for your needs. Instrument
Bill of material EIA
Room datasheets
hookups Detailed design

When to involve E&I professionals

The electricity, instrumentation and automation experts are typically active at the be-
ginning of the project and then at its end.

At first, E&I create typicals for their specific field. These are then used for unit typicals
and you will see them during the whole project. At the end of the design process, the
data is imported to a motor and component list, which is a sort of centralized database.
It includes all required information for the electrical engineers, so they know which in-
struments are involved and where they are located for successful realization.

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The role of EC: HSSE Key takeaways
Another important field of expertise for the engineering coordinator is the health, safe- The job of the engineering coordinator is crucial for industrial project success. These are
ty, security and environment. Without the coordinator, it would be very time-consuming the main challenges and recommendations on how to tackle them based on our experi-
for the safety engineer to understand the facility and to develop the design of piping, ence from 30 years of EPCM.
sprinklers, etc. The sprinklers are also different depending on the geometry of the build-
ing and the fire loads, and it is one of the EC’s tasks to help decide which technology to
use. Challenges

Physical space coordination between different teams

EC’s tasks for safety:
Design data exchange between different disciplines

Ensuring the safety engineer works with the latest 3D model Definition of required level of detail during different project phases

Ensuring the safety engineer understands the process risks and constraints (under- Efficient design change management
ground system, electricity connection etc.)
Engaging experts efficiently and at the right moment
Ensuring the safety engineer is aware of multi-discipline fire loads (electrical, me-
Measuring progress
chanical, logistics…)

Ensuring the designer incorporates the correct HSSE components into the central-
ized 3D model

Recommendations
The same methodology should be applied for environmental aspects of the project. All
special studies, e.g. flood study, radiography or liquid dispersion should be included in
Quality system for the engineering management
the design and model.
Adapt the standards and methodology to your industry

Set up a review cycle of engineering documents

Organize exchange of design data efficiently across teams

Use of latest software and automation to guarantee smooth layout coordination

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Final words Building confidence.

Effective coordination between the design engineers, architects, and other engineering
disciplines with experts and on-site teams is an important yet difficult task of the engi-
neering coordinator. When done right, it can reduce costs and deliver the highest quality
of industrial projects. Modern technologies allow us to synchronize different disciplines
more easily, but without proper preparation, review and input from the engineering co-
ordinators, it won’t be efficient.

In this e-book, we tried to share our best practises in engineering coordination,

from the workflow setup to the supplier punch lists. If you would like to discuss
these topics in more detail, drop us a note at bram.puttemans@group-ips.com or
wissem.bensaid@group-ips.com. It would be a pleasure to help you and your business
grow.

For more inspiration and materials on project management, digitalization, procure-

ment and supply chain, go to www.group-ips.com. We have prepared webinars, case
studies and other materials for you.

About the authors

Bram Puttemans
Bram has been dedicated to engineering
since his studies at KU Leuven, where he
gained a Master’s degree. At Group-IPS,
he is responsible for the development,
implementation and coordination of our
engineering methodology. He also leads
the EIA engineering team.
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Wissem Bensaid
Wissem has almost 20 years of experi-
ence in engineering, the last 9 of them as
part of Group-IPS. He has in-depth knowl-
edge of engineering and IPS methodology,
and currently occupies the post of Head
of Engineering.
About Group-IPS
Group-IPS is a project management company helping organizations around the world
build sustainable facilities that make a positive impact on human lives. We are active
across all industries, providing not only project management expertise but also six
cross-industry value-added services. Thanks to our unique approach, technological
prowess, and varied experience, we can help our customers move confidently into the
future with not only new factories, but new processes and even products as well.
www.group-ips.com
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