Professionals who care
THE SQUID GAME OF THE HVAC INDUSTRY
By Michael Young ( Pr . Eng .)
MICHAEL YOUNG
Stage 1 : The HVAC tender game
Michael Young is a trainer , coach and mechanical engineer in the HVAC industry . He graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand in the field of Mechanical Engineering ( B . Sc Mech Eng ) in 2008 and qualified as a Professional Engineer ( Pr . Eng ) in 2013 . Michael is passionate about promoting knowledge and helping other young engineer grow within the industry through his training workshops and coaching sessions . Michael can be contacted on michael @ myhvaccoach . com or 073 171 2311 for any questions or HVAC training needs .
One of the most talked about series on TV is ‘ Squid Game ’ which features hundreds of players who risk their lives to win millions of dollars . From the first game of ‘ Red Light , Green Light ’, we see alliances being built and we see what players are willing to do to win .
The concept of this series has been so unique that it gained 82 million subscribers within the first 28 days of release . What makes this series so intriguing ? Maybe it ’ s the concept of how far one will go to win ?
Even though this entire series is fictional , is the HVAC industry so different ? Is it possible to say that the business of HVAC tenders is also a game ? Could it be a game of alliances , a game of strategy and a game to beat competitors ? Let ’ s imagine that we are playing a game called HVAC tender .
The game begins with the specification document and everyone has to comply 100 %. If you don ’ t comply , you just state noncompliance and you may still be able to move to the next level .
What makes the HVAC tender interesting are the moves each player is willing to make . Some players state non-compliance then start conversations with the client and design engineer to try to change their minds and substantiate why their solution should still be considered even though there is non-compliance . Other players choose to comply with everything and then start conversations with the client or design engineer and try to run down other suppliers who don ’ t comply .
As the game progresses , price versus compliance and energy efficiency are the dominating factors that influence the rules of the game .
So why are these factors so important when playing the HVAC tender game ? The truth is that when an HVAC system is initially designed , the price is unknown .
All that can be done is to determine the type of technology , get an estimated yearly energy consumption , and select equipment that meets a specific cooling load .
The next thing is to describe features and constructional requirements to suit the location of the site . Now , is it possible that some features are a luxury and not a necessity ? Unfortunately , these luxury features increase the price which only gets discovered once all pricing has been submitted and evaluated .
So , what is the final impact of making these luxury features part of a specification document ? Would you say that over designing an HVAC system is a luxury or a necessity ?
The answer to this will be discussed in next the game where we will be playing , ‘ over design , under design ’, where we will look at the impact this has on energy efficiency , price and performance of a system .
Wishing you a great month ahead . RACA
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www . hvacronline . co . za RACA Journal I January 2022 49