MEP Site Survey Checklist for a Brownfield Plant
A brownfield MEP survey records what exists, what it can still carry, and what limits the work. Fill every field below with a value, a source (measured, read from a drawing, or told by someone), a date and a photograph. Fields left blank are the ones that become variations later. The checklist is set out in full, section by section, with what each field prevents.
How to fill the checklist
- Record the source of every value. Write M for measured, D for drawing, T for told. A value marked T is a question to resolve, not a fact.
- Photograph every nameplate, panel door and valve tag and name the file with the field number, so the reader can find it later.
- Log the date and the load condition, for example "reading at 11:00, one furnace running". Plant readings mean little without that.
- Never copy a number from an old drawing without a second look. In running plants the drawing and the site drift apart within a few years.
- Mark each finding red, amber or green: red stops design until resolved, amber needs a stated assumption, green is verified.
Copy the tables into your own sheet, or send us the filled version through the RFQ form and we will review it with your BOQ.
Section A: Plant and access
| Field | What to record | Mistake it prevents |
|---|---|---|
| A1 Building and block names | Names as used on site, with a sketch plan and north point | Two teams using different names for the same shed |
| A2 Year of construction and alterations | Original, extensions, last major change | Assuming modern code compliance in an old block |
| A3 Structure | RCC, steel frame or PEB; roof type and sheeting age; clear heights to beam and truss | A duct or tray that does not fit under the truss |
| A4 Floor and roof loading | Slab thickness where known; roof load notes; crane runs | Placing a chiller or tank where the structure cannot take it |
| A5 Access for equipment | Gate widths and heights, internal road turns, lift or crane access, laydown area | A new transformer that cannot reach its plinth |
| A6 Process zones | Hot, wet, hazardous, clean or dusty areas, marked on the plan | Specifying standard fittings in a zone that needs sealed ones |
| A7 Drawing status | Which drawings exist, their dates, and whether they are as-built | Designing from a drawing that stopped matching the site years ago |
Section B: Electrical
| Field | What to record | Mistake it prevents |
|---|---|---|
| B1 Supply | Supplier, voltage, sanctioned load or contract demand, tariff category | Adding load beyond the sanction and meeting a penalty or a refusal |
| B2 Demand history | Twelve months of maximum demand, power factor and units from the bills | Sizing from a rated list rather than from real use |
| B3 Transformers | Nameplate kVA, impedance, cooling, age, tap position, oil test report if any | Loading a transformer that is already near its limit |
| B4 Main LT and HT panels | Busbar rating, short-circuit rating, make and age, spare ways that are physically free, not just listed | A new feeder that has no breaker space or a breaker that cannot break the fault |
| B5 Single-line diagram | Verify against what is on site, panel by panel | Isolating the wrong feeder during a shutdown |
| B6 DG sets and changeover | kVA, run hours, changeover type, interlock arrangement, fuel storage | Back-feed into a generator or an overloaded set after new load is added |
| B7 Earthing and lightning protection | Earth pit locations, measured resistance, bonding of structures | Connecting new equipment to an earth system that fails its test |
| B8 Cables and trays | Routes, tray fill, spare capacity, cable age and insulation test results | A tray that cannot take another cable, or old cable that fails when disturbed |
| B9 Power quality | Power factor correction bank, harmonic-producing loads, any logged data | Capacitors or drives that resonate or trip after new equipment arrives |
| B10 Statutory status | Electrical inspector approvals, last inspection, any existing solar plant | Altering an approved installation without the approval being updated |
If you plan a solar plant, B1 to B4 and B9 are the same data it needs; the sanctioned load calculator uses them to check headroom.
Section C: Fire protection
| Field | What to record | Mistake it prevents |
|---|---|---|
| C1 Fire NOC status | Date, scope, conditions, renewal date, and any pending notices | Building on a plant whose fire approval has lapsed or covers a different layout |
| C2 Water storage | Tank capacity, source, make-up arrangement | Adding hydrants or sprinklers to a tank that cannot supply them |
| C3 Pumps | Duty, jockey and standby: rating, head, driver, last performance test | Tying new loads into a pump set already at its limit |
| C4 Hydrant and sprinkler network | Ring main layout, valve positions, zone control, pressure at the remote point | Cutting into a main without knowing which valve isolates which area |
| C5 Detection and alarm | Panel make, zones, loops, spare capacity, interface to other systems | A panel that cannot accept new devices |
| C6 Portable equipment | Extinguisher types, positions and service dates | Missing the hazard-specific type in a process area |
| C7 Escape and compartmentation | Exits, travel distances, fire doors, penetrations that breach walls | New cable or duct penetrations that break a fire compartment |
Our NBC fire and life safety guide shows how these items are assessed against the code, and the Fire NOC assistance page covers the approval side.
Section D: HVAC, plumbing and utilities
| Field | What to record | Mistake it prevents |
|---|---|---|
| D1 Cooling plant | Chiller or DX capacity, age, refrigerant, hours run, condition of cooling towers | Adding a cooling load to a plant that has no margin |
| D2 Chilled water or refrigerant distribution | Pipe sizes, insulation condition, pumps, balancing valves, temperature difference | Drawing a new branch from a header that is already starved |
| D3 Air handling and ventilation | AHU and fan ratings, measured airflow, filter grade, duct condition | Trusting nameplate airflow when the filters and ducts say otherwise |
| D4 Compressed air and process utilities | Compressor capacity, receiver, pipe sizes, dryers | A new machine on a line already losing pressure |
| D5 Water supply | Source, storage, pumps, pressure, quality tests | Treatment or pumping specified without a water analysis |
| D6 Drainage and effluent | Drain routes, invert levels, manholes, STP or ETP capacity and consent status | A new drain that cannot hold its slope, or discharge beyond consent |
| D7 Controls | BMS or PLC make, points list, spare I/O, protocols | Choosing a controller that cannot talk to the existing system |
Section E: Constraints, shutdowns and records
- Shutdown windows: dates, lengths and which systems can be isolated in each. Note holidays, annual maintenance stops and customer deadlines.
- Permit system: who issues hot work, electrical isolation and height permits, and the lead time for each.
- Access rules: working hours, induction, PPE, vehicle and material routes, restricted areas.
- Temporary supplies: where temporary power, cooling or water can be taken without affecting production.
- Dust, noise and clean areas: where work needs containment.
- Insurance and statutory conditions: anything the insurer or an inspector has asked for in the past.
- Test records: insulation, earth, pump, and fire-system test results, with dates. If none exist, say so; that gap is itself a finding.
The planning that follows from these answers is set out in our guide to MEPF contracting, and a budget range can be seen in the MEPF cost calculator.
How Secured Engineers helps
We design in-house and take MEPF and solar under one contract, so a survey feeds straight into one design for electrical, fire, cooling and plumbing. Fire NOC, CEIG and DISCOM net-metering applications are filed in-house. We work from offices in Noida (Delhi NCR) and Ludhiana, with 535+ projects across 18+ states and 89.77% repeat clients. Send us your completed checklist or your drawings and BOQ, and we will mark the gaps that would turn into variations.
Use the RFQ page to send the filled checklist, or WhatsApp it to us, call +91 70099 85817, or ask for a free proposal. For scope and process, see our turnkey EPC page.
Frequently asked
What should an MEP survey of an existing factory cover?
Plant and access, electrical supply and distribution, fire protection, HVAC and utilities, and the operating constraints such as shutdown windows and permits. For each field record the value, whether it was measured, read from a drawing or told, and the date and load condition. Photographs of nameplates and panels make the record usable later.
Why do old drawings cause problems in a brownfield job?
Plants change over the years through extensions, added loads and repairs that are never drawn. A drawing can be wrong on feeders, spare ways, pipe routes and fire zones. Treat drawing values as questions until checked on site, and record whether each figure was measured, read or told.
How long does a brownfield MEP survey take?
It depends on plant size, access and the number of systems, so we do not give a fixed duration. Allow time to verify the single-line diagram panel by panel and to test the fire system performance, which cannot be rushed. Plan for access restrictions and permits at the start.
Do I need test records before the survey?
They help a great deal. Insulation, earth resistance, pump performance and fire-system test results show what the installation can still carry. If no records exist, note that in the checklist; the absence is itself a finding, and the designer should price testing into the first stage.
Can Secured Engineers review a survey I have already done?
Yes. Send the completed checklist, drawings and BOQ through the RFQ page or WhatsApp. We check the fields that most often become variations, such as spare ways, short-circuit ratings, fire pump capacity and drain levels, and tell you what needs verifying on site before you tender.
Related services
Guides that reference this page
- Planning an MEP Contractor's Work Around a Production Shutdown
- MEP Retrofit of an Old Factory: Survey, Priorities and Doing It Without Stopping Production
- Hiring an MEP Consultant for a Brownfield Factory: Surveys, As-Builts and Compliance Gaps
- The MSME Act Just Changed. Here Is What It Means for a Factory Owner.
- The Chiller Gave Three Weeks of Warning Before It Failed. Nobody Was Listening.
- Solar DG Synchronisation in a Factory: Minimum DG Loading and What Goes Wrong
Related on this site
- termGross Metering
- termDLP (Defect Liability Period)
- termEPC
- serviceSTP / WTP / ETP (Plumbing)
- serviceNet-Metering, Metering & Monitoring (Solar EPC)
- calculatorProject Delay Cost Calculator
- calculatorSolar Open Access Savings Calculator
- buyer's guideHow to Compare MEPF Quotations
- guideEnvironmental clearance (EIA 2006)
- guideNBC 2016 fire and life safety for factories
More on Project Delivery & Commercial · all insights