Rep Firm Equipment Procurement Workflows | BuildVision

The project lifecycle: 10 phases

Rep firm work spans the entire commercial construction timeline, from before a building is designed to long after it opens.

  1. 1Pre-Design
  2. 2SDSchematic Design
  3. 3DDDesign Development
  4. 4CDConstruction Docs
  5. 5Bidding
  6. 6Submittals
  7. 7Procurement
  8. 8Install
  9. 9CxCommissioning
  10. 10Service

Roles in the map

Thirteen roles appear across the workflows: seven inside the rep firm and six external parties.

Rep firm roles

External parties

On each workflow, filled tags are the rep-firm roles that run the step; outlined tags are the external parties involved.

The 29 workflows

Grouped into six stages for reading. The source map arranges all 29 across the 10 phases above. Scroll to trace the arc from first handshake to final replacement part.

Market Development

Work before a bid exists: getting products specified, learning what projects are coming, and building engineer and contractor relationships.

  1. #1

    Relationship Building

    Lunch & learns, CE credits, site visits
    OSENGSUBOWN

  2. #2

    Spec Influence

    Get your products specified
    OSENG

  3. #3

    Project Intel Gathering

    Field visits, jobsite intel, market chatter
    OSENGSUBOWN

  4. #4

    Project Discovery

    Learn about upcoming projects
    BDOSMGRENGSUBGCOWNMFG

Bid & Estimation

From incoming request to bid day: triage, takeoff, equipment selection, pricing, and the pricing-strategy calls behind each quote.

  1. #7

    RFQ Intake

    Receive & log incoming requests
    BDSUBGC

  2. #8

    Bid / No-Bid Decision

    Triage: pursue or pass?
    BDOSMGRSUBMFG

  3. #9

    Assignment

    Route to inside sales person
    BDMGR

  4. #10

    Plan Review & Takeoff

    Read drawings, count equipment
    ISENG

  5. #11

    Equipment Selection

    Run mfg software, size equipment
    ISMFG

  6. #12

    Pricing & Quoting

    Multipliers, margins, quote doc
    ISMGRMFG

  7. #13

    Bid Day

    Multiple subs, one deadline
    OSISMGRSUB

  8. #14

    Strategic Pricing Review

    Who gets best price?
    MGRPRINMFG

  9. #15

    Final Negotiation

    Outside sales + PM review estimate
    OSPMSUB

Submittals & Handoff

The won job moves from estimating to project management, then through the engineer's approve, revise, or reject cycle.

  1. #16

    Submittal Review Support

    OS reviews submittals on key accounts
    OSPMENGOWN

  2. #17

    Estimation → PM Handoff

    Files transfer, PM takes ownership
    ISPM

  3. #18

    Submittal Generation

    Build documentation packages
    PMMFG

  4. #19

    Engineer Review & Revision

    Approve / revise / reject cycle
    PMOSENG

Procurement & Production

Orders placed and verified, lead times tracked, change orders re-priced, and equipment staged for the site.

  1. #20

    Order Entry & Release

    PO verification, mfg order placement
    PMSUBMFG

  2. #21

    Owner Meetings / VE Sessions

    Value engineering with owners & engineers
    OSMGROWNENGGC

  3. #22

    Manufacturing & Lead Times

    Production tracking, scheduling
    PMMFG

  4. #23

    Change Orders

    Scope changes, re-selection, re-pricing
    ISPMOSSUBENGOWN

  5. #24

    Delivery Coordination

    Staging, logistics, site access
    PMSUBDISTMFG

Install, Commissioning & Service

On-site startup and commissioning, closeout and warranty registration, then the parts and replacement work that can run 10 to 20 years.

  1. #25

    Startup & Commissioning

    Factory tech, testing, balancing
    SVCMFGOWN

  2. #26

    Closeout & Warranty Reg

    O&M manuals, as-builts, warranty
    SVCPMSUBOWN

  3. #27

    Warranty & Service

    Claims, parts, field support
    SVCOWNMFG

  4. #28

    Parts & Replacement

    The 10-20 year tail
    SVCOWNMFGDIST

Ongoing — Territory Management

Cross-cutting work not tied to one project: pipeline tracking, manufacturer line-card strategy, and reporting to the manufacturer.

  1. #5

    Pipeline & CRM Tracking

    Track all projects in territory
    MGR

  2. #6

    Manufacturer Relationships

    Territory mgmt, linecard strategy
    MGRMFG

  3. #29

    Manufacturer Reporting

    Bookings, pipeline, market share
    MGRMFG

Frequently asked questions

  1. How many workflows are in a rep firm's equipment procurement process?
    This map breaks it into 29 workflows and 37 handoffs across 10 project phases, running from pre-design through long-term service and replacement parts.

  2. What are the project phases for MEP equipment procurement?
    Ten phases: Pre-Design, Schematic Design, Design Development, Construction Documents, Bidding, Submittals, Procurement, Installation, Commissioning, and Service.

  3. Which roles run rep firm workflows?
    Seven rep-firm roles do the work: outside sales, inside sales, business development, project management, management, principal, and service. They work with six external parties: engineers, general contractors, subcontractors, owners, manufacturers, and distributors.

  4. What does a manufacturer rep firm do in commercial construction?
    A rep firm represents equipment manufacturers to the engineers and contractors who specify and buy equipment. Across a project it influences specifications, handles RFQs, runs takeoffs and equipment selection, prepares quotes and submittals, places and tracks orders, and supports startup, warranty, and replacement parts.