John Dzwonczyk, president, JGD Associates Inc.
Why should you spend your money for plans?
This is the first installment of a three-part series in which John Dzwonczyk aims to raise the consciousness of marketers in thinking about engineering as a benefit, not a cost. His next two articles in this Expert Corner series will cover SPCC Plans and NEC Compliance Inspections.
It is always amazing to hear otherwise intelligent-seeming people insist that they don’t need plans for many of the projects they do on their sites. While it may be true that plans represent an additional time factor and expense in the impatient gap that exists between idea and manifestation, even the most imperfect plans will consistently beat undertakings done without plans. Anyone who has ever built something is familiar with the wisdom of the maxim “Measure twice. Cut once.” I am reminded of a friend who bought a new Sony color TV in the ‘70s (when they were relatively much more expensive) and then cut the end panel off to get it to fit into his entertainment center. You could almost hear the faint electronic voice declaring “Your warranty is void! Your warranty is void!”
Most states rightly require plans for most aspects of petroleum-related work. We often hear of contractors taking umbrage at this requirement, believing that they are being diminished in having to submit to the ideas of engineers. The reality is quite different. Successful petroleum companies consistently employ engineers to produce fairly elaborate plans for their projects, and contractors generally do better financially in working with these companies. Further, in my own experience, good relations between contractors and engineers are a consistent characteristic of successful companies.
A good set of plans (I have never seen a perfect set — nor a perfect construction job) lays out the required work, the standards to which it is to be done and perhaps the division of work between cooperating firms. But most of all, the plans depict the desired completed project. It’s hard to imagine how a finished product can be described in advance without some manner of plans. Short trips to new places are often accomplished successfully without consulting maps. But try a long trip to a foreign land without a map, and you will very quickly be sidetracked. Plans and maps are, in this sense, the same thing.
But plans have several other key purposes. First of all, they offer the owner the chance to have design input, while the consequences of changing his mind are relatively cheap. Secondly, they give regulatory officials the chance to do their job thoroughly, by ascertaining compliance with codes and ordinances. While many consider permits an annoyance, they do serve the purpose of seeing that the development will work with the existing and planned conditions of the city infrastructure adjacent to the proposed site. In many larger cities, the permit plans are kept and provide invaluable records for future reference. Oil companies are notable for their careful stewarding of plan archives. Accurate plans are invaluable for planning upgrade programs and exchanging real estate.
Does everything you do at your site need a plan? Hardly. Repairs typically are limited in scope and involve matching what is found. Roofing, insulation upgrades, codes compliance upgrades, non-architectural siding upgrades are other examples of investments that probably don’t require plans to successfully implement. On the other hand, the arrangement of furniture and fixtures tends to be much more satisfactory if worked off plans. Changes in electrical and plumbing, if minor can usually be done without plans. Extensions of plumbing, control wiring or the addition of sub-panels may involve non-obvious considerations and plans can very definitely be useful, particularly where the objective is a roll-out at numerous sites. Who wants to have 10 different versions of the same intended result, when one set of plans might have made them all very close?
So, it is a curious thing to hear the protests that seem to accompany state requirements for engineered plans in the permitting of petroleum installations. What sort of installation would be more sensitive to codes compliance, more useful for future reference, or more reliant on the correct manifestation of the owner’s intent? Professional engineers and Registered Architects serve the useful role of joining the owner’s intent, the permit agency’s needs and the contractor’s road map. Notice that a road map doesn’t teach driving, and doesn’t tell about the stop lights, delays, chuckholes and scenery that might be encountered along the way. Engineered plans simply provide a context for more detailed planning by their users. And planning is a good thing. Philosophers tell us it is the chief difference between man and beast.
John Dzwonczyk, M.CE, P.E., CFPS, president of JGD Associates Inc., is a 25-year veteran of the petroleum industry and has worked in various capacities for and on behalf of major oil companies, jobbers and individuals. Dzwonczy is also an Alternate Director in the Affiliate Division of PEI for 2005-2006. His firm is dedicated to the successful development of retail and commercial petroleum facilities. JGD Associates' Web site address is www.jgdpe.com.
