Planning for facility activation and occupancy can require months of preparation, often with limited time for implementation. A significant component of activation is furniture, fixture and equipment (FF&E) procurement and installation. By ensuring key stakeholders understand the activation and FF&E procurement processes, Gilbane Transition Planning & Management (Gilbane TPM) can uncover any gaps during the planning phase that can be expensive to fix later.
Tasks include:
- Monitoring orders, lead times and delivery dates,
- Managing delivery and installation plans and schedules,
- Establishing building access and routes, and
- Providing on-site management of delivery, installation, inspection and punch lists
At Gilbane, TPM’s team of transition experts work with our clients to define how they will function in their new space, assessing operational impacts and proactively identifying and resolving potential issues every step of the way to eliminate surprises and impacts to budgets and schedules.
An ideal FF&E approach includes:
- Facilitating the procurement process
- Tracking shipping and receiving
- Supervising on-site delivery and installation
- Managing specialty items
Success Story
On a recently completed higher education student housing project, Gilbane TPM was tasked with procuring FF&E for newly renovated up-scale apartment-style units and amenity areas including student rooms, kitchens, a fitness center, study areas and convenience retail. Procurement services included the preparation and execution of all related documents and vendor contracts, including early authorization of funds for FF&E requiring deposits at the time of order. Working in coordination with the owner, vendor representatives and the Gilbane construction management team, TPM successfully managed the planning, tracking and coordination of shipping, delivery, vendor, loading dock, elevator, staging and installation requirements of all procured items.
We use Gilbane TPM’s FF&E services on many of our student housing projects, and the coordination, scheduling, organization and thoroughness of the work they do is exceptional. We rely on them throughout all phases of our projects, from procurement through final installation and punch listing. Our projects always seem to be very challenging and complicated with schedule and logistic issues that seem insurmountable, and Gilbane TPM handles all the associated issues with ease. It brings us great comfort to know that they are on the job and taking care of our projects.” – Andrew Ketchum, Director of Design, Corvias
We take great pride in leading activation services and can integrate into the process at several different points throughout a project, depending on each client’s needs. If you’ve put forth the effort on planning the transition and involved all the correct parties in the process from the start, implementing the physical move can be the easiest part.
Click here for Gilbane’s Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment flyer.
*Photo: Wayne State University, Anthony Wayne Drive Apartments
