Technical audit of facility condition, regulatory standing, and full renovation scope definition.
Engineering design, procurement planning, contractor selection, and master schedule development.
On-site management of all construction, installation, and inspection activities with daily reporting.
System testing, regulatory sign-off, operator training, and complete documentation package delivery.
Before any project scope is defined or budget estimated, we need to understand exactly what we're working with. Our site assessment phase is a thorough, documented evaluation of your facility's current state — not a 30-minute walkthrough that produces a rough estimate.
We send a multi-disciplinary assessment team that includes a structural engineer, a process systems specialist, and a compliance analyst. Each brings a specific lens to the facility evaluation, and their findings are integrated into a single Site Assessment Report that becomes the foundation for everything that follows.
60–90 minute discovery session to understand your project objectives, operational constraints, timeline requirements, regulatory history, and any known facility conditions. This shapes our assessment focus.
Structured on-site walkthrough of all process areas, utility systems, structural elements, and environmental controls. We photograph, measure, and document conditions using standardized assessment forms.
Mechanical integrity review of vessels, piping, rotating equipment, heat exchangers, and instrumentation. We identify items requiring replacement vs. refurbishment and flag any immediate safety concerns.
Review of current permits, inspection records, agency correspondence, and known NOVs. We identify compliance gaps that must be addressed as part of the renovation scope to prevent post-completion enforcement actions.
We present the Site Assessment Report to the client team — including findings, recommended scope of work, preliminary cost range, and proposed project approach. This meeting is a go/no-go decision point before Phase 2 begins.
Planning is where most project disasters are either prevented or set in motion. Our planning phase converts the Site Assessment findings into a fully actionable Project Execution Plan — a living document that defines scope, schedule, budget, procurement, contractor requirements, and compliance obligations in explicit detail.
By the end of Phase 2, nothing about the project should be ambiguous. The client knows exactly what will be done, when, by whom, at what cost, and how compliance will be maintained throughout. Changes after this point follow a formal change-order process, protecting both parties.
We coordinate with client engineers or retained engineering firms to develop detailed design documents: P&IDs, equipment specifications, civil drawings, and electrical/instrumentation requirements. We review all designs for constructability and regulatory compliance.
Identification of long-lead items, vendor qualification, RFQ development, and bid evaluation for major equipment purchases. Early procurement planning prevents schedule delays caused by equipment lead times.
Pre-qualification of specialty contractors (mechanical, civil, electrical, instrumentation), competitive bid solicitation, bid evaluation, contract negotiation, and onboarding. We require safety prequalification and insurance compliance from all contractors.
Development of the critical-path schedule using CPM methodology. All activity durations, dependencies, resource assignments, and milestones are documented. The client-approved master schedule becomes the contractual delivery commitment.
Preparation and submission of permit applications for EPA, state environmental agencies, and local authorities. Permit timelines are integrated into the master schedule as a risk item with contingency planning.
Final budget including procurement costs, contractor contracts, Apex management fees, regulatory fees, and contingency allowance. The client approves the Project Execution Plan, budget, and schedule — triggering Phase 3 mobilization.
Execution is where the project either succeeds or fails. Our on-site presence during Phase 3 is not supervisory in name only — we have resident project management and engineering staff on your site daily, with authority to direct contractors, approve work, hold non-conforming work, and escalate issues before they become delays.
Every week, you receive a Progress Report that shows schedule status, cost-to-date, upcoming milestones, risks and mitigations, and outstanding items. Nothing is held back or smoothed over — if a problem exists, you hear about it from us before it surfaces as a missed deadline.
Contractor mobilization, site safety orientation for all workers, pre-construction safety meeting, emergency response plan briefing, and establishment of site communications protocols. No work begins until safety briefing is complete.
Our resident engineer is on-site daily monitoring construction quality, contractor coordination, material deliveries, and schedule adherence. Daily site reports are maintained and available to clients via our project portal.
Structured quality inspections at defined hold-points per the quality plan. Non-conformance reports (NCRs) are issued immediately for deviations, with contractor corrective actions tracked to closure before work proceeds.
Tracking of equipment and material deliveries against the procurement schedule. Expediting on long-lead items. Receipt inspection and documentation of all deliveries. Management of warranty documentation.
Any scope, schedule, or cost change triggers a formal change-order process: written documentation of change, cost and schedule impact, client review, written client approval before implementation. No verbal approvals.
Weekly progress report covering: schedule status (percent complete vs. plan), cost tracking (committed vs. budget), upcoming milestones, risks and mitigations, open items, and photographic documentation of construction progress.
Construction completion is not project completion. A facility that's been built but not properly commissioned, tested, and documented is not ready to operate — and the difference between those two states determines whether your team can run safely, pass regulatory inspection, and take full advantage of what's been built.
Our commissioning phase includes systematic pre-operational testing, a structured operator training program, regulatory inspections, and a complete handover documentation package. When we hand the facility back, your team has everything they need to operate it confidently from day one.
Systematic walkdown of all installed systems to identify and document outstanding items (the punch list). No commissioning begins until all Category A (safety-critical) punch list items are closed.
Hydrostatic pressure testing, instrument loop checks, motor rotation verification, valve function testing, and interlock verification. All tests are documented on formal test sheets with pass/fail criteria.
Coordination of all required regulatory inspections by EPA, OSHA, state agencies, and local authorities. Responses to inspector findings and corrective actions. Final permit close-out documentation.
Hands-on training for facility operators on new or modified equipment, updated SOPs, emergency procedures, and maintenance requirements. Training is documented with sign-off sheets per OSHA PSM requirements.
Delivery of the complete project handover package followed by a formal handover meeting with the client operations team. A 30-day post-handover support period is included in all engagements for questions and minor adjustments.
How to get started.
You don't need a complete scope document or detailed specifications to contact us. Many of our best client relationships started with a single phone call where the operator knew they had a problem but wasn't sure how to frame it.
What helps us have a useful first conversation:
Facility type and location. What kind of refinery or processing facility is it? Where in the US?
Rough timeline. Do you have a targeted start or completion date? Is there a regulatory or operational driver?
The core problem. What's prompting the project? Aging equipment, regulatory requirement, capacity expansion, or something else?
Ready to begin Phase 1?
A Site Assessment starts with a conversation. Tell us about your facility and what's prompting the project — we'll propose an assessment approach within 48 hours.