What Is in the Contract?
Insurance
The APS supplier, using the example of the case study presented here, should offer these insurance protections:
- Factory general liability insurance for a period of one year covering bodily injury and property damage (could include a combined single limit of $1 million and an aggregate of $2 million)
- Workers’ compensation insurance according to the laws of the state that the supplier is in.
- Professional indemnity insurance covering the design responsibilities for an amount of $1 million each occurrence and $2 million aggregate
However, the supplier and the project should be covered on-site under the owner’s general liability or umbrella insurance covering bodily injury and property damage.
Software License and Escrow
All APSs require software to operate. Many contract agreements do not include a clause by which the owner has a recourse in case the system supplier defaults on its obligations, effectively rendering the system compromised or, even worse, useless. The solution for this is to enter into a software licensing agreement combined with an escrow agreement in which the source code is put into safekeeping of a third-party escrow agent. The code would then be released to the owner upon manufacturer’s default. This then provides a remedy for the owner in case of supplier default. The same applies principally also to all other components of the APS.
Patent Coverage
It is desirable for the owner to ensure that the supplier has the rights for the technology applied for the project. This prevents possible stops through patent-infringement processes.
Performance Bonds
In the construction industry, it is common to request performance bonds to secure the contracted work being performed per contract. However, bonding companies do not generally cover, for example, elevators or HVAC systems. These mechanisms are typically built in a factory and merely installed on-site. This applies also to APSs if the building portion is excluded (which in itself can fall into the typical construction industry performance bond requirements).
Therefore, another method of securing the owner’s down payment and progress payments needs to be established. In the case study project and other projects by the same supplier, a method was found that satisfied the owner’s requirements by introducing the following procedures.
First and foremost, the owner investigated the past performance of the supplier and was satisfied with it.
Next, because substantial majority work was to be performed in the factory, the contract was split into a delivery portion and an installation portion. For the delivery contract, a substantial down payment was agreed upon because about 80 percent of the elements needed for fabrication must be ordered at issuance of the delivery contract in order to comply with scheduled product delivery. This down payment was secured by a company guarantee in the same amount.
Then, when the machines were completed for a factory acceptance test (FAT), the owner was invited to witness the production completion. Upon a successful FAT, the remaining portion of the delivery contract was paid, and goods were shipped to the site.
The installation contract was oriented to on-site progress with a retainer of 5 percent—half of it to be released upon issuance of substantial completion certificate and the other half after completion of the defects liability period. The completion of installation and startup operation was concluded with the site acceptance test (SAT), with its main part being the performance certification of the system’s peak traffic capacity through an accredited third party.
Following the successful SAT, the “substantial completion certificate” was issued, which then entered the one-year defects liability period.
STEP BY STEP: MANUFACTURING AND INSTALLING AN AUTOMATIC PARKING SYSTEM (APS)
Meanwhile, the Site Is Prepared
While the APS machinery and equipment is being built, the job site is prepared. The slab is poured, and steel begins to arrive. The parking system can be installed using either a steel or concrete supporting structure.
The site is prepared.
Erecting the Steel Frame
The next step in manufacturing and installing the APS is erecting the steel frame. The compactness of the steel shelving system is the key to minimizing the impact of parking in a project, allowing architects and developers to allocate less of the land area for parking.
As the steel continues to be erected, electromechanical vertical lifting machine components are installed at the top of the steel shelving system. These robust, durable, and safety-compliant industrial modules are used to raise and lower cars between floors. Vertical lifts are equipped with long-lasting chain gearbox transmissions, variable frequency drives that allow speed adjustments, safety locks, and electronics that allow an automatic operation.
A hoist system is then installed at the top of the central area of the shelving support system. This is used for installing additional machinery inside the system and future maintenance in the garage.
Once the steel structure is in place, additional machinery can be installed within the automatic garage. Using independent machines moving the cars vertically, horizontally, and into and out of the racks in the shelving system, this 2,314-space garage can handle up to 425 cars per hour. This is a capacity to deliver more than seven cars each minute.
The independent carrier modules that move the vehicles horizontally along a row are installed in each level of the APS. The lower carrier modules are installed on the bottom level, and they include turntables to rotate a car 180 degrees for easy exit from the facility driving forward.
The steel framing is erected. In this development, conventional parking is on the bottom, with the APS above it.
Building the Facade
The industrial lifts, machines, pallets, and computer-control systems are installed inside the supporting structure and never interfere with the facade. This gives architects a free hand in designing the exterior of the building.
Whether choosing a half-timbered, brick, aluminum, concrete, or glass facade, the decision is up to the designer. The garage can be designed to fit harmoniously into its environment. Terminals can also be integrated into the facade environment, while observing both visual as well as functional criteria. The APS can be constructed in every form: above ground, underground, on roofs, or inside a building complex.
The facade and roof are attached to the structural support system of the APS, designed to blend seamlessly with the complex.
The building facade is independent of the parking garage. In this case, the APS is installed above a conventional parking garage.
Electrical and Electronics
As the APS machines are being installed and the facade completed, the main power feed for the automatic parking facility is connected as well as primary electrical panels for the automation components and other equipment.
The APS requires about 3.5 kWh to park and retrieve one car. This may vary based on auxiliary electrical needs, such as lighting, air-conditioning, etc.
The main electrical substation feeds into the electrical room inside the APS facility. From the electrical room, power is distributed for general lighting, air-conditioning, terminal stations, the control room and hoists, machinery, and other automation components. Many of the machines, such as carriers that move the cars horizontally, are connected to the electrical system through power rails so that the machines can move freely.
Other stationary machinery and equipment have their own electrical panels that connect directly into the electrical room.
This APS includes a backup emergency power diesel generator with an automatic transfer switch in the electrical room so that service can continue in the case of a power outage at the substation. The automatic transfer switch ensures a seamless transition to stand-by power within 6 seconds.
This is the electrical room for the system.
Firefighting and Sprinklers
This project includes firefighting systems based on the National Fire Protection Association's NFPA 88A: Standard for Parking Structures, which includes a special chapter for APSs.
The president of the company that manufactured and installed this parking system is a member of the NFPA Garage and Parking Structures Committee and was instrumental in automatic parking garages being defined in this key international code. Also, based on the company’s experience and work with UAE Civil Defense, a new Civil Defense Code for automatic parking was developed to serve as a guideline for future projects in this region. This new Civil Defense Code takes into consideration the new NFPA 88A codes.
If needed, based on local water supplies, a water tank is added to the design to ensure immediate access to a large volume of water necessary to address any fires, which is typically 120 square meters. Three highly sensitive and quick-response sprinkler heads are used to cover every two parking slots in the steel racking system, providing protection for vehicles and the automatic parking garage.
This is a portion of the fire-prevention system.
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