6 Piping Materials Guide 2.3. Creating All Data Sheets for Process and Utility Valves All valves used within a process plant must have a dedicated valve data sheet (VDS). This document is, effectively, the passport for the component, and it must detail the size range, pressure rating, design temperature, materials of construction, testing and inspection proce- dures and quote all the necessary design codes relating to the valve ‘This VDS is essential for the efficient procurement and the possible future maintenance of the valve. 2.4. Creating a List of Piping Specials and Data Sheets A piping system generally comprises common components such as pipe, fittings, and valves; however, less common piping items may be required, such as strainers, hoses and hose couplings, steam traps, or interlocks. This second group, called piping specials, must carry an SP number as an identifying tag The piping material engineer must create and maintain a list of SP numbers that makes the “special” unique, based on type, material, size, and rating. This means that there could be several 2in. ASME 150, ASTM A105 body strainers with the same mesh, As with valves, each piping special must have its own data sheet, to guarantee speedy procurement and future maintenance. 2.5. Assembling Piping Material Requisition with All Additional Documents When all the piping specifications have been defined and initial quantities identified by the Material Take-off Group, the piping material engineer is responsible for assembling the requisition packages. ‘The Procurement Department will break the piping requirements into several requisitions, so that inquiry requisitions can be sent out to manufacturers or dealers that specialize in that particular group of piping components. + Pipe (seamless and welded)—carbon and stainless steel. + Pipe (exotic)—Inconel, Monel, titanium.The Piping Material Engineer 7 + Pipe fittings (seamless and welded)—carbon and stainless steel * Valves gate/globe/check (small bore, 1/in. and below)—carbon and stainless steel. * Valves gate/globe/check (2in. and above)—carbon and stainless stecl. * Ball valves (all sizes)—carbon and stainless steel. * Special valves (all sizes)—non-slam-check valves, butterfly valves. + Stud bolting—all materials. * Gaskets—ilat, spiral wound, ring type. * Special piping items (SPs)—strainers, hoses, hose couplings, sight glasses, interlocks, and the like. To get competitive bids, inquiries will go out to several manufacturers for each group of piping components, and they will be invited to offer their best price to satisfy the scope of supply for the requisition. This includes not only supplying the item but also testing, certification, marking, packing, and if required, shipment to the site 2.6. Reviewing Offers from Vendors and Create a Technical Bid Evaluation Many clients have an “approved bidders list,” which is a selection of vendors considered suitable to supply material to the company. This bidders list is based on a track record on the client’s previous projects and reliable recommendations. Prospective vendors are given a date by which they must submit a price that covers the scope of supplies laid out in the requisition. The number of vendors invited to tender a bid varies, based on the size and complexity of the specific requisition. To create a competitive environment, a short list of between three and six suitable vendors should be considered, and it is essential that these vendors think that, at all times, they are bidding against other competitors. Even if, sometimes, vendors drop out and it becomes a “one-horse race” for commercial and technical reasons, all vendors must think that they are not bidding alone. All vendors that deliver feasible bids should be evaluated, and it is the responsibility of the piping material engineer to bring all vendors to the same starting line and ensure that they are all offering material that meets the specifications and they are “technically acceptable,” sometimes called “fit for purpose.”8 Piping Materials Guide Some vendors will find it difficult, for commercial or technical reasons, to meet the requirements of the requisition. These vendors are deemed technically unacceptable and not considered further in the evaluation. ‘The piping material engineer, during this evaluation, creates a bid tabulation spreadsheet to illustrate and technically evaluate all vendors invited to submit a bid for the requisition. The tabulation lists the complete technical requirements for each item on the requisition and evaluates each vendor to determine if t is technically acceptable. Technical requirements include not only the materials of construction and design codes but also testing, certification, and painting. Non- technical areas also are covered by the piping material engineer, such as marking and packing. The delivery, required on site (ROS) date, is supplied by the Material Control Group as part of the final commercial negotiations. The Procurement Department is responsible for all commercial and logistical aspects of the requisition, and the Project Services Group determines the ROS date and the delivery location. It is pointless to award an order to a manufacturer that is technically acceptable and commercially the cheapest if its delivery dates do not meet the construction schedule. When this technical bid evaluation (TBE) or technical bid analysis (TBA) is complete, with all technically acceptable vendors identified, then it is turned over to the Procurement Department, which enters into negotiations with those vendors that can satisfy the project’s technical and logistical requirements. After negotiations, a vendoris selected that is both technically acceptable and comes up with the most competitive commercial/logistical offer. The successful vendor is not necessarily the cheapest but the one that Procurement feels most confident with in all areas, What initially looks to be the cheapest might, at the end of the day, prove more expensive. 2.7. After Placement of a Purchase Order, Reviewing and Approving Documentation Related to All Piping Components ‘The importance of vendor documentation after placement of an order must not be underestimated. It is the vendor’s responsibility to supply support documentation and drawings to back up the material it is supplying. This documentation includes an inspection and testing plan,The Piping Material Engineer 9 general arrangement drawings, material certification, test certificates, and production schedules. All this documentation must be reviewed by the piping material engineer, approved and signed off, before final payment can be released to the vendor for the supply of the material. 2.8. Vendor Visits The piping material engineer may be required to visit the vendor's premises to witness the testing of piping components or attend clarification meetings, Certain piping items are more complex than others, either because of their chemical composition and supplementary requirements or their design, size, or pressure rating. In these cases, the relevant purchase order requires a greater deal of attention from the piping material engineer to ensure that no complications result in incorrect materials being supplied or an unnecessary production delay To avoid this, the following additional activities should be seriously considered: A bid clarification meeting to guarantee that the prospective vendor fully understands the requisition and associated specification. * After the order has been placed, a preinspection meeting to discuss production, inspection, and quality control, * Placing the requisition engineer in the vendor’s facilities during critical manufacturing phases of the job to ensure that the specifications are understood. * Placing an inspector in the vendor's facilities, who is responsible for the inspection and testing of the order and coordinates with the piping material engineer in the home office to guarantee that the specifications are understood and being applied. The first two are low-cost activities and should be a formality for most purchase orders, the last two are more-expensive activities and should be considered based on the complexity of the order or the need for long lead items. No two requisitions are the same, and a relatively simple order with a new and untried vendor may require more consideration than a complex order with a vendor that is a known quantity. The decision to make vendor visits also relates to the size of the inspection budget, which might