As data center developers race to build campuses, bring them online and begin generating revenue, managing the construction supply chain for mission-critical equipment has become increasingly complex. Developers face a challenge that extends far beyond collecting supply chain information: making sense of it.

Equipment manufacturers, transportation providers, warehouse operators and other vendors generate a constant stream of data, often delivered in fragments through separate dashboards, spreadsheets and reports. Without a unified view, developers may struggle to identify emerging risks and determine which actions will improve project outcomes.

“Organizations capture dozens of data points on equipment and components, but only a fraction is actually relevant to moving them forward,” said Jarrett Atkinson, vice president of supply chain at BluePrint Supply Chain. “Worse, the data is often inaccurate and incomplete.”

By integrating information across vendors and logistics providers into a centralized equipment management program, BluePrint Supply Chain helps data center developers establish a foundation for measuring performance. 

“The key is to use data points as lessons learned to predict and inform actions that have yet to occur,” Atkinson said. “Using the past to improve the future: continuous improvement.”

Unifying Data To Reveal What Matters

For data to drive improvement, organizations must first establish what to measure and why, Atkinson said. Relevant metrics should connect equipment movement, maintenance, transportation and storage activities to the larger objectives of the construction project.

“Consider switchgear, generators and other mission-critical equipment that arrive months before a construction site is ready to receive them,” Atkinson said. “Developers must find temporary storage, coordinate ongoing equipment requirements and determine when each asset can move to its final destination.”

A developer might have a choice between warehouses in two states. But the facility with the lowest storage rate isn't necessarily the most cost-effective option.

“One warehouse location might be better because it cuts five days per load in transportation, saves thousands of dollars on taxes or has a better record of handling and maintenance practices,” Atkinson said. “That’s the signal developers are seeking in their plethora of data, information they can learn from.”

Identifying that signal requires more than comparing individual vendor reports. It requires bringing information together, validating its accuracy and evaluating performance across the entire supply chain. 

When stakeholders work from consistent data, they can establish relevant key performance indicators, or KPIs, compare actual results against expectations and identify opportunities to improve.

Measuring Performance

Data center equipment may be transported multiple times before reaching its final destination. Every movement introduces risk of damage, delay and additional costs, Atkinson said.

“Tracking maintenance compliance for thousands of pieces of stored gear to ensure that one battery bank is ready to ship, and not damaged, can be a struggle when the maintenance data is spread across warehouse providers, equipment manufacturers, service vendors, spreadsheets and emails,” Atkinson said.

BluePrint addresses this challenge by consolidating equipment movement data and maintenance records and handling event data throughout the “chain of custody” to create a single source of truth. 

“Documenting visual inspections at each touchpoint provides another layer of visibility and accountability,” Atkinson said. “This establishes where risks are likely to emerge.”

The measurements that matter include:

• Equipment readiness: Maintenance compliance, inspection status and the percentage of assets ready for scheduled shipment.

• Schedule performance: Planned versus actual shipment and delivery dates, including the frequency and duration of delays.

• Handling and quality: Inspection results, documented damage and the number of equipment touches throughout the supply chain.

• Vendor performance: Compliance with delivery commitments, data accuracy, maintenance responsibilities and agreed-upon service expectations.

• Cost performance: Transportation, storage, insurance and other supply chain expenses compared with budget and forecast.

Establishing Accountability

Reliable measurement depends on knowing who is responsible for what.

“Every asset has a defined maintenance schedule, status, location and responsible party, giving owners an accurate view, supported by documentation, of what has been maintained, what is coming due, what requires attention and by whom,” Atkinson said. “The responsible party may be the manufacturer, a third-party service provider or warehouse staff.”

Data centralization creates a chain of accountability from maintenance and storage through transportation and final delivery.

“If damage occurs, project teams can investigate where it happened and identify the location, vendor or handling event,” Atkinson said.

To establish this level of visibility, BluePrint maps a client's internal procurement process, examining how equipment is selected, sourced and purchased, who manages its logistics, and which vendors participate. These may include manufacturers, transportation companies, storage providers, and crane and rigging partners.

“Then we establish the project milestones, delivery dates and links in the supply chain, the critical path the gear travels to the jobsite, including the rate-controlling steps in the process,” Atkinson said. “These are the KPIs.”

This connects individual vendor activities to the project's overall schedule and identifies the inflection points where unexpected events or last-minute changes can jeopardize deadlines. But a KPI is only as reliable as the information behind it.

“Auditing vendor data by validating it across multiple sources improves accuracy and completeness and ensures it is up to date,” Atkinson said.

Total Cost of Ownership

Schedule performance is only one part of an effective supply chain strategy. Developers must also understand the full financial impact of moving and managing equipment from the manufacturer to the jobsite.

Total cost of ownership, or TCO, considers the broader costs associated with the construction supply chain, including transportation, insurance, storage and other expenses beyond the initial equipment purchase.

“The final piece of TCO is understanding and tracking spend across vendors and partners, including tracking change orders and price fluctuations,” Atkinson said.

A unified view of TCO allows clients to compare projected and actual costs, evaluate vendor performance and identify the financial implications of changes to the project schedule.

“A lower warehouse rate may appear attractive until additional transportation expenses, handling requirements or schedule risks are factored into the equation,” Atkinson said. “A delivery change that increases storage costs temporarily could prevent a much more expensive construction delay.”

BluePrint helps clients evaluate these trade-offs from the broader view of supply chain performance instead of forcing them to assess each expense or vendor in isolation.

To be sure, vendors can provide valuable data analysis and consultation, but clients benefit from maintaining ownership of the information, Atkinson said.

Turning Measurement Into Action

The value of supply chain intelligence becomes clear when data reveals a problem that can be corrected before it affects a project's schedule.

One client came to BluePrint with 30 oversized generator units requiring transportation from Northern Illinois to a site outside Reno, Nevada.

“The move required multistate permitting, nonstandard load securement and manufacturer-specific handling requirements at both origin and destination,” Atkinson said.

BluePrint identified an average variance of 3.56 days per load between scheduled and actual delivery dates. Further analysis revealed that Nevada's weekend restrictions on oversized loads were creating problems for offloads scheduled on Mondays and Fridays.

“Rather than treating each delay as an isolated transportation issue, we used the data to identify a recurring scheduling problem,” Atkinson said.

The recommended solution was to shift the offload schedule from Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The change was projected to reduce delivery variance by 1.5 days per load.

This example illustrates how unified data and performance measurement can support tangible operational improvements. By comparing planned and actual delivery dates, identifying a recurring constraint and adjusting the schedule, the client could address the underlying cause instead of repeatedly reacting to its consequences.

Optimizing Outcomes, Not Just Costs

“Most procurement directors understand their job is to get equipment to the jobsite on schedule, undamaged and as close to budget as possible, not just as cheaply as possible,” Atkinson said. “Minimizing cost is not the primary objective.”

For data center developers, that distinction is critical. A facility cannot generate revenue until it is operational. The cost of a delay can far outweigh a modest difference in storage or transportation expenses.

BluePrint Supply Chain works with clients from the planning stage, aligning vendor schedules, warehouse networks, last-mile logistics and on-site installation with the construction sequence. 

“A lot of companies create dashboards or give data, but they don’t structure it properly or build it with intent,” Atkinson said. “You need to have a plan for your data, not just measure things.”

For data center developers managing increasingly complex construction programs, a single source of truth is a strategic advantage for bringing data centers online faster.

This article was produced in collaboration between BluePrint Supply Chain and Studio B. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

Studio B is Bisnow’s in-house content and design studio. To learn more about how Studio B can help your team, reach out to studio@bisnow.com.