ACMV · Plant · Ductwork · Copper
Long-lead plant,
followed to site
Chillers, AHUs and VRF systems need submittal and approval before you can order, then a factory wait measured in months. Keep the order, the expected delivery date and the receiving record in one place, read against the date the site needs the plant, so the risk of a late unit shows before it is due.
- Chillers & cooling towers
- AHU, FCU & VRF
- Ductwork & dampers
- Copper, refrigerant & insulation
What ACMV buys
Six families, three very different ways to buy
Chillers you wait for, ductwork you measure, refrigerant you weigh. One trade, but different units, lead times and weak spots.
- 01
Chillers
Water-cooled and air-cooled
Bought inUnit (refrigeration tons)
LongMade to order by capacity and model, and submitted before you can order. Delivery needs a crane lift into the plant room, so a slip moves the lift and the plant room works with it.
- 02
Cooling towers
Heat rejection
Bought inUnit
LongUsually on the roof, with the delivery date tied to the lift. They need to land close to the chillers, or testing waits on them.
- 03
AHUs and fan coil units
AHU, FCU
Bought inUnit
LongEach AHU carries a tag such as AHU-3F-01; FCUs arrive in batches by floor. A wrong tag means the unit goes to the wrong floor and gets moved again.
- 04
VRF systems
Variable refrigerant flow
Bought inSet (outdoor plus indoor units)
MediumOutdoor units sit on the roof or podium, indoor units are scattered across flats or floors. Outdoor and indoor units must be matched, or you cannot start up.
- 05
Ductwork and dampers
Galvanised duct, fire dampers
Bought inm², each
ShortFabricated by the duct shop to your drawings and quoted per m², and each shop may measure differently. Ships floor by floor and has to line up with the insulation crew.
- 06
Copper, refrigerant, insulation
Small items and consumables
Bought inm or coil, kg or cylinder, m²
ShortThe most split deliveries, so quantities drift. Prices follow the market, so check how long each quote is valid.
Lead-time Gantt
Read every item against the site-needed date
One row per equipment tag: submittal, approval, order, factory and delivery in a single bar. Drag the site-needed date and anything landing after it turns red.
Lead-time Gantt
Sample data for illustration
2 of 7 items land after the site-needed date
- Submittal
- Approval
- Order
- Factory
- Delivery
- After the site-needed date
CH-B2-01Chiller
Stage detail
Submittal
3 wk
Wk 1–3
Approval
5 wk
Wk 4–8
Order
1 wk
Wk 9
Factory
12 wk
Wk 10–21
Delivery
1 wk
Wk 22
Expected on site Wk 22·2 wk after the site-needed date
Illustration of how equipment lead times read against the date the site needs them. Submittal and approval stay with you and the consultant under the contract; the quotes, purchase orders, expected delivery dates, delivery calendar and receiving records after ordering are what materialpro handles.
Five stops for one unit
Procurement starts once the drawing is approved
The first two stops are paperwork you run with the consultant. From the order onward, every step sits on a purchase order, a delivery date and a receiving record.
- 1
You and the consultant
Submittal
Model, specification and technical data go to the consultant for review.
Material submittal
- 2
You and the consultant
Approval
The consultant approves or asks for changes. You order only after approval.
Approval record
- 3
Handled in materialpro
Order
Quote the approved model with several suppliers, pick one, issue the purchase order.
Quotes and PO
Quote comparison → PO approval
- 4
Handled in materialpro
Factory
The manufacturer schedules the build and shipment. This is the longest wait.
Expected delivery date
PO delivery date and delivery calendar
- 5
Handled in materialpro
Delivery
Plant reaches site and is checked for tag and quantity.
Delivery note and receipt
Delivery-note photo check and shortfall list
Between the buyer and the engineers
Four places MEP procurement gets stuck
“The chiller drawing is approved and the order is placed, but when does site actually need it? Everyone has a different answer.”
Purchase orders carry an expected delivery date and the delivery calendar shows every order's arrival, so you can read them against your programme and spot a late unit before it is due.
Purchase orders · Calendar
“I asked several duct shops for a price. Their units and measuring methods differ. How do I compare?”
Send one request for the duct and damper package to several suppliers. AI helps read quotation PDFs and photos, and the quotes sit side by side by unit price and total before you convert one to a PO.
RFQ · Quote comparison
“Refrigerant and copper came in three drops. Which drop was short, and by how much?”
Site photographs each delivery note, AI extracts the items and quantities and matches them to the PO, and shortfalls are listed straight away.
Deliveries · Receiving
“The invoice for the AHU arrived and it does not match the order or what we received.”
Invoices are matched against the PO and the receiving record, and price or quantity variances are listed for your review before payment.
Three-way invoice match
Words on site
Terms ACMV crews and buyers use
What you will hear on drawings, quotes and delivery notes.
- 送審・報批
- Sending the proposed equipment or material model and specification to the consultant for approval. You order after approval.
- Material submittal
- 冷凍機・冷水機組
- The main plant that makes chilled water for building air-conditioning, sized in refrigeration tons.
- Chiller
- 冷卻塔
- Rejects heat from water-cooled chillers, usually on the roof.
- Cooling tower
- 空氣處理機組 (AHU)
- Large unit in a plant room or on a floor that cools, filters and supplies air. Each one is tagged.
- Air handling unit
- 風機盤管 (FCU)
- Small terminal unit in the ceiling void fed with chilled water. Many of them, delivered by floor.
- Fan coil unit
- 多聯機
- One outdoor unit serving several indoor units on a refrigerant circuit.
- VRF system
- 風槽（風管）
- Galvanised sheet-steel air passages, fabricated by the duct shop and measured per m².
- Ductwork
- 風閥
- Regulates airflow or closes on fire; a fire damper is one type.
- Damper
- 雪種
- The refrigerant circulating in the system, bought by kg or cylinder.
- Refrigerant
- 保溫
- Thermal wrap around ductwork and chilled water pipes to stop heat gain and condensation.
- Insulation
- 工地需要日
- The latest date the item must be on site, counted back from the programme.
- Required-on-site date
- 試車・調校
- Testing and balancing after installation. A late delivery pushes this back too.
- Testing & commissioning
Common questions
What MEP teams ask most
Can I handle material submittals in materialpro?
Submittal and approval stay with you and the consultant under the contract. materialpro currently covers what comes after approval: supplier quotes, purchase orders and approval, expected delivery dates, receiving and invoice matching.
Ductwork is quoted per m² and every shop measures differently. How do I compare?
Request quotes from several duct shops. Suppliers can submit through a link, or you upload their quotation PDF or photo and AI helps read it. Unit price and total sit side by side, and you judge the units and measuring method.
Will the system warn me automatically when long-lead plant is late?
Purchase orders can carry an expected delivery date and the delivery calendar shows each order's arrival, so you can read them against site progress. There are no automatic late-delivery alerts at the moment, so rely on the calendar and PO status.
How do I follow up when plant arrives in parts or refrigerant and copper come up short?
Site photographs the delivery note, items and quantities are extracted and matched to the PO, and shortfalls and variances are listed for the office to chase with the supplier.
Does materialpro replace our accounting system?
No. materialpro focuses on procurement, receiving and stock records. How it connects with your accounting system is something we can cover in a demo.
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