Message Boards
Today's Active Topics Today's Active Cases Browse Forum Categories My Recent Activity My Messages Private Groups My Marked Threads My Subscriptions
Today's Active Images Today's Active Polls Most Active Topics Global Townie Map Advanced Message Board Search Message Board Terms of Use

Preparing for Project Success with a Custom Dental Equipment Specification Sheet by Gordon F. Osterhaus Jr., DDS

View Comments (12)
Consider these two alternate scenarios:

It all started here! Prior to the engineering stage, my architect and dental equipment consultant created a custom “dental equipment specification sheet.” This sheet became part of my official construction documents that went out to the contractors to bid. When the contractor was finished with my project, the final payout was virtually identical to the original bid quoted to me. I was able to stay within my budget and protect my working capital.

or...

It all started here! My architect and dental equipment consultant “dropped the ball.” They were lax on providing the engineers for my project the necessary written detailed equipment information. As a result, many equipment requirements were missing from my construction documents. This lack of detail created a never-ending parade of change orders during tenant improvements, and my construction costs spiraled out of control. When the contractor was finished with my project, the final payout was much higher than the original bid quoted to me. I was well over my budget, and my available working capital shrunk dramatically. Unfortunately, the second scenario happens all too often in the dental industry. The industry’s lack in providing the architect’s engineers with detailed written dental equipment requirements is the single biggest flaw in the process of opening a new dental office. Not having complete control of the engineering phase in your project will adversely affect your budget. There are only two people who can provide this written information for the engineers. They are your dental equipment consultant and your architect. That is why I recommended earlier to spend a little more money up front and hire the companies willing to create a custom dental equipment specification sheet for you. They will save you many times the cost of this investment, as well as time delays and complications.

The more you understand how the process usually unfolds to create the unfortunate second scenario, the better prepared you’ll be to prevent it from happening to you. [Editor’s note: Refer to the book here! Before we go any further, go to your appendix and find the 2’ x 3’ sample of a custom “dental equipment specification sheet.” It is similar to what you will want to be included in your construction documents. This is what must be completed before the engineering phase begins and before the construction documents go out to bid to the contractors.] (Note: This sample plan is for a medical/dental/teaching facility. The reception area, waiting room, bathrooms and storage rooms, which are shared, are located in another part of the building). I personally create a specification sheet like this for my clients, then give it to the architect to print and include in the construction documents. If you do not have a dental equipment consultant in your locale who can create a custom specification sheet for you, at least you can show your dental equipment sales representative and your architect the sample to illustrate what you expect from them. It takes money to make money, so protect yourself by making the investment in this valuable document. The dental equipment sales representative and architect are going to earn their keep with the extra effort and time it takes to create this custom dental equipment specification sheet.

When I first got into the dental equipment business, I felt frustrated at seeing my clients routinely spend much more than they budgeted for their construction costs. As is common practice in the dental industry, after the space plan was signed off on with the architect, I, as the dental equipment salesman, would meet with the engineers to begin that phase of the construction documents. Prior to the meeting, my client and I had finalized the equipment list, I had done all my homework and then reviewed all my clients’ equipment requirements face-to-face with the engineers. This meeting would last approximately two hours, during which the engineers would feverishly take notes on the equipment requirements as I spoke. I’d leave the meeting feeling good about how it went and looking forward to an accurate set of plans. The engineers would promise to complete the engineering phase in three weeks’ time, on average.

What I didn’t realize is that it only took the engineers a few days to complete the engineering phase, but they had asked for three weeks because they had prior client commitments. When the three-week time line approached, one of two things happened. If the engineer who attended the meeting had the time, he would personally complete the engineering phase. However, he often forgot many of the intricate details from the meeting that occurred two weeks before. Or, even worse, if the engineer did not have the time to complete the engineering phase himself, he would give his notes to an assistant who wasn’t even at the meeting to do it for him, which would result in an even greater amount of missing information. When the construction documents were completed, they then would be sent out to the city for review and to the contractors for bid. I’d look at my copy of the construction documents and typically see listed on paper a maximum of 70-75 percent of the dental equipment requirements that we had discussed at the meeting. As a result, my client was now vulnerable to a parade of “change orders” during the construction phase.

I thought this weakness in the process might just be unique to Arizona until I attended a new office design course in North Carolina. The course was presented by a nationally known architect who specialized in dental offices, and a statement he made confirmed that this inherent weakness in the process exists in the dental equipment industry nationwide. The architect told the audience that dentists should add an additional 25 percent to the costs given to them from the contractor when planning their budget! He then went on to say that many of the construction firms on the East Coast have a full-time employee whose sole job description is to scour construction documents for any areas where they can obtain “change order” opportunities.

At first, I blamed the contractors. I approached several of them and asked why they couldn’t be more ethical and honest with dentists when providing a bid. Their response was twofold, and they were right on both fronts. They explained that if they were the only contractor to include missing dental equipment requirements in their bid, that they would run themselves right out of business and never win a project. What’s more, they felt it is the architect’s responsibility to ensure all needed requirements were on paper, because that is what the architect is being paid to do.

I then approached several architects and engineers and told them the current process wasn’t working. When I asked them what they could do to clean the process up, they threw it right back in my face! They said the dental equipment industry is very lax on providing the engineers with what they need to do an accurate job. Engineers claim to get from dental equipment suppliers few or no written requirements they can incorporate. They often can’t get a return phone call when attempting to get further information from the equipment salesman. The engineers’ common theme was, “We do the best we can under the circumstances.”

I asked them to show me exactly what they needed from me, as the dental equipment salesman, to shore up this inherent weakness and provide for an efficient and complete disclosure of technical dental equipment information in the construction documents. [Editor’s note: Refer to the book here! Please unfold that sample custom “dental equipment specification sheet” included in the appendix of this text, and let’s go over in detail what the engineers requested from me.] Start in the upper left hand corner. The engineers wanted a detailed list of every piece of dental equipment and dental manufactured cabinetry going into a given office. It doesn’t matter if the dentist is buying equipment new from a dental equipment company, moving used equipment, or getting it on eBay. The engineers need a complete list of all items that will go into the new office either now or in the future. Notice that every piece of equipment has an assigned number, from 1-29, followed by the quantity. If you look at the office space plan on the lower right of this sheet, you’ll see that these assigned numbers have been specifically placed at the exact location that you want them in your office. This is important to the electrical engineers, so they know exactly which outlet each piece of equipment will plug into.

The mechanical engineer then requested nine vertical columns to be included: cold water, hot water, drain, air, vacuum, natural gas, nitrous oxide, oxygen and vent. Any piece of equipment that requires any of these items receives a check in the corresponding box. The electrical engineer asked for the numbers of amps each piece of equipment draws, as well as whether it requires a 110- or 220-volt circuit. Only if the engineer knows how many amps an item draws and exactly which outlet it plugs into, can he design an electric panel without overloading circuits. The electrical engineer also requested columns indicating whether specific equipment needed dedicated circuits, low-voltage wiring, a remote switch and even any unusual nema (plug) configurations. The “remarks” column of the sheet include detailed descriptions that go over and above what the bidding electricians and plumbers will see in their corresponding pages in the construction documents. The final columns were added by me to further clarify not only who is responsible for providing, but also who is responsible for installing every piece of equipment and cabinetry going into your new office (even down to such details as to who is responsible for caulking the side sink cabinets after they have been installed).

It is very important that the engineers add a highlighted comment on each of their respective mechanical, plumbing, and electrical pages. This comment should say something along the lines of, “Please refer to dental equipment specification sheet for further dental equipment requirements.” A highlighted comment is necessary because often the contractors, in order to save printing costs, will only send the electrical pages of your construction documents to the electrician bidding on your project. They often do the same with the mechanical pages and the plumbing pages, each given to the appropriate subcontractors. The highlighted comment portion will alert the bidding subcontractors that there may be additional equipment requirements that aren’t addressed on their sheets, and they will then ask for them from their contractor. Subcontractors will ask for these requirements to protect themselves, because they understand that if an equipment requirement is “on paper” anywhere in the construction documents, they won’t be able to approach the dentist with a change order.

Finally, in the upper right hand corner, you’ll see a list of “Dental Equipment General Notes.” There are a number of equipment requirements that require further written clarification, and this is where you’ll find them. If you take the time to read through these, you will also see a trend that requires the electricians, plumbers and contractor to “verify with equipment consultant” all dental equipment requirements in the field, before beginning any equipment-related construction. Thorough documentation puts the burden of responsibility on only one person’s shoulders for a smooth and issue-free equipment installation, and that person should be your dental equipment consultant. Having only one person responsible eliminates any “finger pointing” if the results end up less that ideal.

Since implementing this custom “dental equipment specification sheet,” I have seen the percentage of missing dental equipment requirements in the construction documents drop from the previous 25-30 percent to less than 10 percent. That’s still 10 percent too much! When you find a dental equipment supplier and architect willing to create this specification sheet, ask them to take the process one step further by creating an addendum. I’ll explain.

Typically, when the engineers have finished their piece and the architect has finished the design phase for your new office, the finished set of construction documents are sent to the city for review. As mentioned before, it may take four to six weeks to receive initial city comments. The bidding process, in contrast, usually only takes about three weeks. Here is how your dental equipment consultant can further help control your construction costs: When my client’s architect is ready to send the finished set of construction documents to the city for review, I (as dental equipment consultant) ask him to delay sending them out to bid until I have a chance to review the plans one last time. It only takes me a couple of days to go over the mechanical, electric and plumbing pages thoroughly looking for any remaining omissions, discrepancies, or errors in the dental equipment requirements. Many engineers will welcome this additional help to refine their work and will gladly spend the additional time (about one week) making the necessary corrections. If not, have your dental equipment consultant meet with the architect and create a list (“addendum”) of these remaining missing requirements. The addendum will now become part of the official construction documents that will be sent to the contractors for bid. The beauty of this extra step is that you can gain added protection without delaying your project, since the contractor’s bids will still be completed before you hear from the city planners with their initial comments or building permit.

Holding a thoroughly prepared custom “dental equipment specification sheet” and an addendum (if one is necessary), you now have a set of construction documents that reflects your dental equipment requirements with 98-100 percent accuracy. Only if these requirements are on paper will you be protected from “change orders” during the construction phase of your project. This extra effort from your dental equipment consultant and architect is worth its weight in gold.
Author Bios
Gordon F. Osterhaus Jr., earned his DDS from the University of Illinois at Chicago and completed a general practice residency at the Illinois Masonic Hospital, Chicago. He practiced general dentistry for 20 years in Glendale, Arizona. Gordon subsequently gained extensive experience in dental equipment sales, which inspired a career in new dental office project management. To date, Gordon has overseen the development of 75 new offices. A member of the Arizona Dental Association (AzDA) since 1978, Gordon was co-developer and longtime chair of the AzDA Associate Placement Program. He won AzDA’s President’s Award for Leadership in 2005. Gordon also has been widely recognized for his philanthropy. He received the 2005 Business Partner of the Year Award from The Coalition to End Homelessness. In 2009, he received a Special Recognition Award from the Phoenix-based John C. Lincoln Health Network for service provided to the new Desert Mission Children’s Dental Clinic. He also received the 2010 Arizona Smile Maker Award from the Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation.

A sought-after consultant, Gordon delivered a 2009 lecture at the Arizona Dental Association’s annual meeting, “Opening a New Dental Office or Relocating Your Current One: Practical Applications and Pitfalls.” The audience’s enthusiastic response to that presentation led to the development of this book.

Eric K. Curtis holds a BA in economics, with honors in spanish, from the University of Arizona, and an MA in english from Northern Arizona University. He graduated from the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, University of the Pacific and was a dental polyclinic resident at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. In private practice since 1987 in Safford, Arizona, he is a master of the Academy of General Dentistry and an adjunct associate professor in the Dugoni School’s Department of Dental Practice. Eric is past president of the American Association of Dental Editors, a past member of the American Dental Association’s Council on Communications, and emeritus editor of Inscriptions, the journal of the Arizona Dental Association. He was named dentist of the year by the Arizona Dental Association in both 1999 and 2004. Author of four books and more than 400 articles, Eric received the American Dental Association’s 2006 Distinguished Editor Award. In 2010, he won a Gold Excel Award for feature writing from Association Media and Publishing (Society of National Association Publications). Eric teaches english at Eastern Arizona College.

To preview or purchase How to Open a New Dental Office or Relocate Your Current One visit www.valleydentalconsulting.com.
Dentaltown Magazine
September 2025
Dentaltown Magazine September 2025 Read Current Issue Read Archived Issues
Sponsors
Townie Perks
Townie® Poll
Who or what do you turn to for most financial advice regarding your practice?
  
Site Menu
Message Boards Magazine Continuing Education Podcasts Blogs Classifieds Dental News Events Townie® Poll Ebooks Townie Choice Awards
Company Info
Contact Us Advertise With Us Howard Farran DDS, MBA Policies and Agreements
Site Help
Sally Gross, Member Services Specialist
Phone: +1-480-445-9710
Email: sally@farranmedia.com
©2025 Dentaltown, a division of Farran Media • All Rights Reserved
9633 S. 48th Street Suite 200 • Phoenix, AZ 85044 • Phone:+1-480-598-0001 • Fax:+1-480-598-3450