A laboratory equipment order can be technically correct and still arrive at a room that cannot receive, connect or commission it. This worksheet helps institutions, contractors and distributors settle access, utilities, safety and handover responsibilities before the purchase order—not while the installation team is waiting on site.
Project identification
Institution / project:
Building / room:
Destination country and city:
Equipment list or tender reference:
Site contact:
Target delivery / installation date:
Model-specific rule: Do not use “standard laboratory utilities” as a final answer. The selected product record and written quotation must identify the actual supply, frequency, phase, current, water, drain, ventilation, compressed-air, network, floor and access requirements. Mark unknown values as “supplier to confirm”.
1. Room layout, access and load-in
Confirm that the equipment can reach its final position without dismantling unapproved parts, damaging the building or blocking a safe teaching route.
- Final room number and equipment positions are marked on a dimensioned plan.
- Door, corridor, lift, stair, loading-bay and turning dimensions have been measured at their narrowest points.
- Crated dimensions and weights will be compared with the complete delivery route before dispatch.
- Bench, plinth, wall, floor or mobile-trolley responsibility is stated for each equipment item.
- Floor loading, vibration isolation and anchoring requirements are approved where applicable.
- Operator space, student viewing space, service clearance and emergency egress remain available after installation.
- A secure, dry holding area is available if crates arrive before the room is released.
- Local unloading equipment, labour, permits and waste/crate disposal responsibilities are assigned.
2. Electrical supply and isolation
Record what exists at the exact equipment position. Country voltage alone does not prove that the room has the required phase, protective device, socket, earthing or isolation.
- Nominal voltage, frequency, phase and usable current are recorded for each outlet or isolator.
- The supplier will confirm equipment load, starting current and plug, socket or hard-wire termination.
- Dedicated circuits, local isolators and emergency shut-off requirements are identified.
- Earthing/grounding condition and protective devices will be tested by a qualified local electrician.
- RCD/GFCI, MCB/fuse, surge protection, UPS or voltage-stabilisation needs are reviewed per model.
- Cable routes avoid wet zones, hot surfaces, moving parts and student trip hazards.
- Three-phase rotation and neutral requirements will be checked before energising applicable equipment.
- Electrical work, certification and final connection ownership are assigned in writing.
3. Water supply, drainage and containment
Hydraulic benches, heat-transfer units, process trainers and pilot plants can be recirculating yet still need filling, make-up water, controlled discharge or cleaning access.
- Required water quality, temperature, pressure and maximum/minimum flow will be confirmed for each model.
- Fill, make-up and cleaning water points are within an approved hose or pipe route.
- Drain size, location, capacity, material compatibility and permitted discharge are confirmed.
- Closed-loop tanks can be filled, sampled, emptied and cleaned without unsafe lifting or uncontrolled spillage.
- Backflow prevention and cross-connection controls meet local building and water rules.
- Bunds, trays, floor drains or spill kits are provided where a leak could damage the room below or nearby equipment.
- Wastewater, treatment media, process fluids and cleaning residues have an approved disposal route.
- Water isolation points are labelled and accessible to instructors and maintenance staff.
4. Compressed air, exhaust and room environment
Pneumatics, refrigeration, food, chemical and process equipment can impose different pressure, air-quality, heat-rejection and ventilation requirements.
- Compressed-air pressure, flow, quality, connection and isolation are confirmed where required.
- A regulator, filter, dryer, receiver or compressor is assigned to the supplier, contractor or institution.
- Heat rejected by equipment and the expected simultaneous operating load have been considered in room cooling.
- General ventilation, local exhaust, fume extraction or outdoor discharge needs are approved per process.
- Refrigerant, gas, vapour, dust, odour and chemical hazards have been reviewed by the institution.
- Operating temperature, humidity, dust and corrosive-atmosphere limits will be confirmed for sensitive equipment.
- Noise and vibration controls are suitable for adjacent classrooms, offices and laboratories.
- Ventilation and compressed-air commissioning records will be available before equipment testing.
5. Computers, network, safety and compliance
A trainer may be ready while its computers, permissions, safety controls or local documentation are not. Treat these as acceptance dependencies.
- Required computer quantity, operating system, ports, adapters and administrator permissions are recorded.
- Software version, licence responsibility, installation media and offline/online activation will be confirmed in the quotation.
- Ethernet, Wi-Fi, internet, USB and cybersecurity restrictions have been reviewed with institutional IT.
- User accounts, backups and an approved method for restoring training computers are prepared.
- Risk assessment, emergency procedure, PPE, guarding, signage and supervision requirements are documented.
- Fire detection/suppression, eyewash, safety shower and first-aid provisions are reviewed for the actual hazards.
- Local conformity, inspection, calibration or third-party approval requirements are named—not assumed.
- Instructor and technician responsibilities for access control, consumables and pre-use checks are assigned.
6. Installation, acceptance and handover
Acceptance should prove that the delivered model, scope and experiments match the order. It should not begin with an argument over who was meant to provide a cable, fixture or local service.
- The quotation identifies the exact model, quantity, included accessories, manuals, documents and exclusions.
- Factory acceptance, pre-dispatch evidence and destination/site acceptance requirements are agreed.
- Installation, assembly, connection, testing, calibration and commissioning responsibilities are separated.
- The institution has named authorised witnesses and measurable acceptance checks for each system.
- Training audience, duration, language, prerequisites and completion evidence are agreed.
- Initial consumables, samples, tools, spares and special test instruments are itemised.
- Warranty start date, fault-reporting route, remote support, spare-parts route and response assumptions are written.
- Serial/model records, photos, checklists and signed handover documents will be stored by the institution.
Responsibility matrix
Write one accountable party beside every line. Avoid “by others” unless the named other party has accepted it.
| Work package | Institution | Building contractor | Local distributor | Manufacturer | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Room and access ready | |||||
| Electrical services | |||||
| Water, drain and air | |||||
| IT and software permissions | |||||
| Unloading and positioning | |||||
| Installation and connection | |||||
| Acceptance and training | |||||
| Warranty and support records |
What to send Scientico for a configuration review
Attach the equipment list or syllabus, room plan, completed utility fields, destination, quantities and target date. Flag every item that remains unknown. The useful response is not “suitable for your lab”; it is a model-specific list of required services, included scope, local work, documents and deviations.
Important: This worksheet is procurement guidance, not an engineering design, electrical certificate or safety approval. A qualified local professional must approve building services and regulatory compliance. Product requirements can change by model, configuration and destination; the written quotation controls.