Make the right decisions before the project begins

You don't need to arrive with a completed scope. Many projects begin with a known need and no clearly defined path forward, and that's a normal starting point. We typically start with the goal you're trying to reach and work backwards from there, establishing the right questions, technical requirements and project constraints before major design, equipment or procurement decisions are made.

One example: a client wanted to add three racks to their data room, with a maximum load of 7 kW per rack, just over 21 kW of additional critical load in total. Their existing UPS units were aging and needed to be replaced, and they wanted full redundancy going forward, with two UPS units rather than a single unit carrying the load. Starting from that goal and working backwards, we established the additional capacity required, reviewed the redundant UPS configuration needed to support it, and evaluated how the added load would affect the facility's generators and electrical distribution, completing the supporting calculations directly.

Replacing aging infrastructure, adding capacity or introducing new technology can affect systems throughout the facility, not only the equipment being replaced. Decisions made early in a project often determine cost, complexity and the options available later, so understanding the surrounding infrastructure before committing to specific equipment is part of getting the project right the first time.

A feasibility study evaluates whether a proposed infrastructure project is technically and practically viable before significant design or procurement commitments are made, considering existing infrastructure, system capacity, technical alternatives, equipment requirements, site constraints and preliminary costs. It gives the project team enough information to decide whether to move forward, change direction or develop the idea further, well before a full design is underway.

That's one of the more common starting points, not a barrier. Incomplete drawings or system information is treated as part of the current state to work from, and part of an early assessment is establishing what actually exists today before evaluating what's possible.

nuValence combines in-house technical drafting with field verification to update client drawings directly, so the documentation used for a project reflects what is actually installed rather than only what was originally designed or last recorded.

The project's engineer of record retains responsibility for final engineering design, applicable code compliance and professional approval. nuValence supports that engineer through field investigation, technical drafting, equipment application, project development and coordination, reducing the technical legwork required rather than replacing that role.

Where a project involves specialized systems or less common applications, Schneider Electric Consulting Services brings additional experience and technical expertise to help evaluate options, address technical challenges and develop the appropriate design approach, working alongside nuValence's local project team rather than in place of it.

Equipment is evaluated against the technical requirements of the project rather than selected on individual specifications alone. That includes system compatibility, electrical characteristics, operating environment, maintainability, manufacturer support, installation requirements and future service needs, coordinated directly with technical and application engineering resources.

Common starting points include planning to replace aging or obsolete electrical infrastructure, adding significant new equipment or load, or evaluating whether an existing system can support expansion, even before a specific project is fully defined. A known project requirement without a defined solution yet is itself a reason to start the conversation.

That's a common driver for modernization on its own. In one engagement, a client's existing switchgear relied on original sensors, relays and timers that were failing and no longer in production, and generator switching times had been gradually increasing as those timers slipped. Rather than replace the switchgear itself, nuValence replaced the obsolete relays and timers with a new PLC controller and interface screen that took over those functions and added the ability to program the system locally, preserving the existing switchgear enclosure and breakers and avoiding the extended outage a full replacement would have required.