b'ideas. Once you have your requirements and expectations determined, the design and construction can begin. The first brick to a good foundation is a solid set of technical specifica-tions and drawings. The specifications, also known as specs, will be used regularly throughout the bid and build process. Specifications cover all aspects of construction that dont appear on the drawings. They bind the drawings, calculations, vendor information, and other documents into one complete package. While reviewing the specs, you need to assign risk to your design. If there is too much detail in the specs it has the potential to drive up your costs and can potentially reduce offers from shipyards. Having too little risk and detail means the vessel might not meet your expectations. The next brick added to the foundation is a drawing set. There are two sets of drawing options. The first is a drawing set that is contractually binding to the builder. This typically includes the general arrangement plan and the lines plan. The second set of drawings is provided for in-formation purposes only and helps bid the project and guide the con-struction. They are detailed and can include piping diagrams, insulation plans, and electrical one-line diagrams. When creating the drawing set and specs it is best to determine the equipment that will be furnished by the owner, commonly referred to as OFE (owner-furnished equipment). When assessing your risk, its good to think about OFE. In most cases the more OFE there is for your proj-ect, the more risk there is to the owner. You are responsible for the OFE to arrive at the shipyard on time and in good condition, and if it arrives damaged, it is the owners responsibility, not the shipyards. Generally, OFE is to be avoided unless there are long lead time items required to meet schedule deadlines.IDENTIFICATION OF SHIPYARD Now that you have the foundation built, its time to identify the ship-yard to construct your plans. When choosing a shipyard think about the following items.Pricing: Is it within your budget and comparable to other bids?Schedule: Can the shipyard deliver per your requested schedule?Quality: Will the product meet your expectations? Will they be ableto deliver what the design calls for?Capabilities: Both in facilities and trades? Have they built a vesselof similar magnitude? PHOTO COURTESY OF ELLIOTT BAY DESIGN GROUPIt is beneficial to reach out to multiple shipyards and use your design team to help find the right shipyard. Never be afraid to ask questions or PREPARING FOR CONSTRUCTION for references. Preparing for the design and construction of either a new vessel or ret-rofitting an existing vessel is no small task. As the owner, when decidingCONSTRUCTION SUPERVISION you are ready to embark on this adventure, it is best to build a strongOnce the shipyard has been identified and contracts are signed, it is time foundation from the start.to get building. Having an owners representative visit the shipyard on a periodic basis is critical to both monitoring progress and checking on First, decide what you want from your new vessel, determine your bud- performance.Ownersrepresentativesmayincludeindividualsfrom get, and select your design team. You need to be clear about your require- the design team. They will create a list of items that need to be inspect-ments and expectations. Every stakeholder involved will have their owned and when those inspections should occur in the schedule. They 21 AUGUST 2022'