Package Procurement

Introduction

The traditional method of procuring instrumentation for an application or project is to raise a purchase order directly with the manufacturer or manufacturers’ representative. Understandably, when a project includes instrumentation from a variety of manufacturers, the cost to raise the necessary purchase orders can be considerable. Furthermore, managing several sub-suppliers is time consuming and logistically challenging. Agreement of project terms and conditions can also be a lengthy process involving legal personnel.

The term ‘Package Procurement’ refers to specifying and procuring instrumentation and controls from a single supplier to reduce these costs, save time, and streamline the overall project management. A growing number of engineering and construction contractors are moving towards package procurement to fulfill project requirements owing to the obvious savings.

ABLE Instruments & Controls is one of very few companies capable of offering a complete package procurement service. Most manufacturers are restricted to only supplying and supporting their own instrumentation and will not outsource third party or competitive products to meet the project specification.

ABLE is different. ABLE’s flexibility and impartiality enables any instrumentation to be specified, sourced, supplied, and supported from any supplier to meet the project specifications, on time. ABLE have agreements in place with most reputable manufacturers in the industries we serve to offer customers competitive pricing often lower than available directly from the manufacturer.

Selecting the Most Suitable Technology

With the abundance of measurement technology available, it is not always obvious which is the most suitable technology to meet a given application. Very often, different technologies will equally provide a solution and choosing between them can be a challenge. Understanding the technology nuances and having over 25 years field experience enables ABLE to make the right choice.

When ABLE receive an enquiry where the instrument type has already been chosen, ABLE’s team of qualified application engineers will cross check the specifications to make sure they are suitable for the application. ABLE will always recommend the most economical, fit for purpose solution, regardless of manufacturer in accordance with the application specification.

If there is potential of any short or long term problems with the completed instrument specifications, or there is incomplete technical information, ABLE will bring these to the attention of the customer for early remedial action.

Where instruments have not been identified on the specifications, ABLE will offer instrumentation based on engineering expertise spanning virtually every industry type, from offshore to laboratory. ABLE’s field experience removes the risk of incorrect instrumentation selection, even for the most challenging applications where other manufacturers have declined to offer a solution.

Once all instrument specifications are complete, each sub-supplier is contacted by ABLE with an enquiry specific only to their products. All technical and commercial queries are fielded and all sub-supplier quotations are expedited and consolidated into a formal tender in one consistent format for all products, within the timescale specified. The tender is then supplied to the customer in the requested formats.

Any further commercial or technical queries raised will be answered directly by ABLE. This provides the customer with a single point of contact for all products during the life of the project.

The project terms and conditions need only be agreed between two parties from the customers’ perspective saving valuable legal resource. ABLE will obtain back-to-back compliance from each sub-supplier on the project terms and conditions as required.

At contract award, ABLE will enter the project details on to a specifically developed manufacturing system which subsequently places all orders immediately on sub-suppliers and monitors sub-supplier performance. A kick off meeting is typically arranged at this stage to agree project milestones.

Managing Sub-Suppliers

Throughout the life of the project, ABLE will continuously manage and monitor each sub-supplier to ensure there is no slippage on the originally quoted lead-time and potential problems are avoided. As with most projects, issues do crop up from time to time so keeping a close eye on each sub-supplier is critical to ensuring any potential problems are addressed immediately so there are no unnecessary delays. All communication with sub-suppliers is relayed back to the customer in the form of project status reports.

ABLE will work with any sub-supplier that is specified by the client or the application to meet the project requirements.

Documentation Control

Efficient document control is also critical to the smooth running of any project, particularly those requiring management of multiple equipment suppliers. ABLE’s supplier document register is the central hub in ensuring that document submission, approval and final acceptance is achieved on time. With an in-house contract department, ABLE can handle all documentation requirements from technical CAD drawings to dossier translations in any language.

All instruments and documentation, whether outsourced or ABLE supply, are treated equally. All documents are subject to the same review and quality audit. At the preference of the client, documentation can be transmitted directly from a sub-supplier with copies to the ABLE contract team. However, experience has shown that an initial transmission to the ABLE contract team allows a valuable “first filter” review. This ensures that client personnel save valuable time not having to review incorrect or wrongly formatted documentation.

This filtering approach is used to consolidate sub-supplier documentation or even to recreate documentation to meet required standards, prior to submission.

Wherever possible, electronic document transmission is used during approval stages to ensure transfers and review modifications can be carried out in the most efficient manner.

Project Management

The management of ABLE Contracts is subject to the relevant quality assurance procedures issued in accordance with an ISO9001:2000 approved quality management system. The purpose of this document is to specifically highlight relevant actions or additional procedures that need to be implemented for optimisation of the contract. Therefore, following order placement, presentations to create awareness and stress the importance of these procedures are made to sub-suppliers and internal staff as appropriate.

Testing, Calibration & Inspection

All goods supplied under a contract are tested and inspected in accordance with ABLE’s QA procedures including any additional requirements under the terms of the contract. Instruments are typically functionally tested and calibrated at the most appropriate location, determined principally by the test facilities required, and the availability of suitably qualified engineers. Final inspection against required documentation is normally carried out at ABLE’s premises prior to shipping. Test, calibration and inspection procedures may be witnessed as deemed necessary.

Commissioning and Support

To complete the project, ABLE’s dedicated, offshore trained, mobile service and commissioning team can install and maintain all instrumentation. In most instances this may involve a number of engineers dedicated solely to a contract, who are available 24 hours a day. Familiarisation with a production process ensures that not only do instruments function correctly, but also any spurious readings may allow diagnosis of production problems.

Summary

Expediting documentation, organising inspections and factory acceptance tests, coordinating deliveries from multiple vendors are just a few examples that contribute to inefficient project management. Trying to reach the correct person when dealing with multiple suppliers can be a challenge in its own right.

ABLE’s project management team enables customers to reduce overall costs and have a single point of contact from one supplier, for the life of the project. As an independent, privately owned company, ABLE can exercise great flexibility and neutrality with respect to product specification. ABLE simply identify, procure and supply on a truly independent basis.

ABLE’s experience as a main instrument vendor allows co-ordination and management of all sub-suppliers to provide a professional service, which delivers in accordance with customer requirements. ABLE’s in-house procedures ensure all aspects of the supply chain are monitored closely to avoid any delays.

If you would like further information on our project management services please call: +44(0)118 9169 575.