Step 01
Global Fenestration Sourcing
Sourcing begins with the specification and the governing standards of the destination market, then works outward to the manufacturers capable of meeting both.
What the work involves
- —Reading the specification and identifying the governing performance criteria
- —Identifying manufacturers capable of the system, size and exposure required
- —Structuring the commercial arrangement for the project, not for a stock list
- —Coordinating technical clarification between the project team and the manufacturer
What the project team receives
- —A system recommendation traceable to the specification
- —Manufacturer technical documentation for the proposed configuration
- —A commercial structure aligned to the project programme
Why it matters
Most international fenestration problems are decided at sourcing, not at installation. A manufacturer chosen on unit price rather than on demonstrated capability for the specified system, size and exposure produces a package that has to be re-engineered, re-tested or re-ordered later, when the programme has no room left for either.
Sourcing against the specification also protects the design. When the governing performance criteria are carried into the enquiry, the systems that come back can be compared on the same technical basis instead of on a set of unrelated catalogue extracts.
Who it serves and where it fits
- —Architects and façade consultants who need the specified performance carried intact into a manufacturable system.
- —Developers and general contractors procuring fenestration, glass and façade packages for projects in the United States, Canada and Europe.
- —Distributors and window and door companies extending their supply base beyond their domestic market.
- —It sits at the front of the project lifecycle — design development through to award, before a manufacturer is committed to.
How it reduces procurement risk
- —Manufacturer capability is tested against the actual system, size and finish before any commitment is made.
- —Comparable technical offers replace unlike-for-unlike quotations.
- —Commercial terms are structured around the construction programme rather than a stock list.