Our personnel have a combined 175 years of experience in electrical construction, engineering, design, life safety/security, voice/data systems, Mil-Spec shipping, training & federal government contract management.
Overview: Federal Office Building and Courthouse was being subjected to numerous power outages and brownouts, which damaged systems within the building. The building manager wanted a system that would insure this would not continue to happen in the future, while staying within the governments’ available budget.
Solution: After meeting with the local utility company and the switchgear provider a diesel powered emergency generator was selected. However, the existing automatic transfer arrangement had to be modified to accommodate the existing switchgear which needed to remain to keep costs down. VEI selected the Kohler Diesel Industrial Series 500 KW Generator because of the availability of local technical support that cooperated in the modifications needed for the existing switchgear to operate with the new transfer switch.
Overview: Federal Agency was in the progress of migrating legacy network systems to current state of the art systems. Each field office represents its own challenges. Among these is that the existing system must continue to operate while the new system is installed certified and tested. This must be done without any interference to the daily operation of the workers and clients. The complete system changeover, inclusive of LAN and WAN connectivity and electronics, must be completed in a 48 hour period to insure that the system is running for the beginning of work Monday morning.
Solution: This project required precise coordination with the government agency involved. VEI helped to facilitate weekly planning sessions to make sure that the various installation contractors performing on the project completely understood the requirements so the deadline would be met. VEI selected a Hubbell Premise connectivity solution end to end inclusive of the LAN racks and the wire management system used in the closets.
Overview: Existing access control system at Federal Office Building was older and parts could no longer be found for replacement. The system crashed often and the service contractor was unable to effect repairs on the system. The building manager wanted the system operable while a new system meeting the current security standards was designed and could be installed.
Solution: VEI performed an analysis of the existing system and performed repairs to the hardware to keep the system running. In areas where this was not possible new equipment was installed that allowed user transparent operation. VEI selected the S2 Security Corporation Micro Node unit for that reason. The physical survey information was used to identify the weak spots in the overall security plan and to provide a basis for new system recommendations.
Overview: Federal Agency’s regional office had antiquated exterior lighting resulting in high energy and maintenance costs. Additionally, due to recent break-ins on the site, security for equipment and personnel was a prime consideration. The area officer wanted suggestions to meet the energy and security lighting needs.
Solution: A survey was performed of the existing lighting for the purpose of documenting the current usage. Once that was completed a number of lighting solutions were reviewed with an eye toward security, visual acuity, energy consumption, cost of installation and return on investment. A formal presentation was prepared where our findings and recommendations were presented to the area officer and his staff for project and funding consideration. Emphasis was placed on providing information on the current available types of lighting systems available and their strong and weak points as they related to their needs. VEI used Onset Hobo Energy Data Loggers and DiaLux Lighting Design Software.
Overview: Treasury Department Agency was re-tasking an existing leased space and had purchased all new furniture for its newly remodeled training center. However, the existing power and network connections were in antiquated and unsuitable for use with the new furniture. The solution had to use the existing under floor power and data duct system but create a flush access appearance rather than continue with the old raised monument type system.
Solution: Working with the agencies technical engineers we were able to develop, with the help of an equipment manufacturer, a special application for an off the shelf item. The under floor duct had to be modified at the selected points to allow the new combination power and data fittings to be inserted, flush mounted and finished flush with the existing floor. What further complicated the project was that the agency needed the work completely performed in an extremely short amount of time. Working closely with their project management staff we were able to close sections of the space and work progressively through a 40,000 square foot area with little or no impact on their daily work effort. VEI selected worked closely with Wiremold/ Legrand to complete the project and created a building standard which will continue to be specified by the government for this use.