Professionals who care
THE SQUID GAME OF THE HVAC INDUSTRY
By Michael Young ( Pr . Eng .)
MICHAEL YOUNG
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 .
Stage 2 : over design – under design
CONTINUED
Welcome to stage 2 of the Squid Games of the HVAC industry . Today we will be playing a special game called “ over design – under design ” of an HVAC system .
THE RULES ARE SIMPLE : Each bidder for the tender will be required to submit pricing and compliance with the specification document . Should your offering be an HVAC system that is under the required performance , you face elimination from the tender .
Should your offering be an HVAC system that meets or over performs , your bid will be considered , and your offer will move onto the next round of the bidding process . However , there are special rules to this game . Should your pricing be excessive , you face elimination from the bidding process .
Once the request for proposal ( RFP ) is issued , the game begins . We wish all bidders the best of luck and remember that communication is key to success .
So after looking at the above rules , the HVAC tender games seems simple right ? But what if I told you that sometimes the rules become more complicated as the game progresses .
The rules state that there must always be compliance with the specification document , but would it be possible to say that there are some instances where the specification document is not correct ? airflow just does not give the required cooling and the required supply and return air temperature ?
So as a player of the game , what do you do ? Unfortunately , some anomaly has happened that has changed all the rules of the game . Other anomalies may also develop as the game progresses .
Unique functions of the cooling system can increase the overall price , which can sometimes cause your bid to be eliminated . Let ’ s face it , when an RFP is issued , no one knows what the final price will be and there will be times where clients request certain features without realising the cost implications . So when anomalies start to creep in and the rules start to change , the best thing a bidder can do is communicate with the client . If price is high , describe the reasons for the premium . If there is no compliance with the specification document , describe why there is a deviation .
Transparency and communication is sometimes the secret weapon that one can use to win the game and advance to the next round . Join us in a future issue for the next stage of the HVAC tender game .
Wishing you a great month ahead . RACA
LET ’ S LOOK AT THE TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION REQUIREMENTS : Have you as a bidder , ever had a situation where the specification required the HVAC system to deliver a specific airflow rate , a specific cooling capacity and comply with a specific supply and return air temperature ?
Now as the bidder , you produce standard equipment and you do your best to comply with these requirements . However as hard as you try to modify the design of your equipment , the delivered
" Transparency and communication is sometimes the secret weapon that one can use to win the game and advance to the next round ."
www . hvacronline . co . za RACA Journal I March 2022 43