EPCM Crane Consultant
Crane Advisory Group is the owner-side overhead crane specialist that sits alongside your EPCM. Whichever firm is engineer of record, CAG provides specialized overhead crane subject-matter support that complements the EPCM's multidisciplinary engineering and project team — so the crane package the owner signs off on fits the plant.
When you need this
Signals it's time to engage CAG.
- Your EPCM has issued a draft crane specification and you want an independent peer review before it goes to bid
- You are the owner on a major EPCM or general-contractor engagement and need dedicated crane subject-matter-expert support
- The crane package would benefit from duty-based CMAA class differentiation before it goes to bid
- Vendor RFIs would move faster with a dedicated overhead crane specialist working through them
- Factory Acceptance Test (FAT), installation and commissioning oversight of the crane package is needed
What we deliver
Concrete outputs, not just advice.
- —Specification peer review of the EPCM's crane package against ASME B30, CMAA 70/74 and applicable OSHA / MSHA regulations
- —Vendor-neutral bid-evaluation scorecards the EPCM and owner both sign
- —RFI response support and technical clarifications during bid and detailed design
- —FAT protocol authorship and on-site witness at the OEM's factory
- —Site installation and commissioning oversight through owner acceptance
- —Punchlist adjudication and warranty-period technical support
EPCM teams carry an enormous multidisciplinary scope. CAG adds a single narrow discipline to that team: overhead crane subject-matter support for requirements development, specification review, RFQ support, bid normalization, vendor evaluation, owner requirements, procurement support, technical and commercial comparison, and project coordination. Engaging that support early — while the specification is still open — gives the owner and the EPCM the most room to act on it.
Our role is deliberately narrow and owner-aligned: we do not compete with the EPCM on any other scope, we do not sell cranes or parts, and we are not on the EPCM's subcontractor bench. That independence is what lets us push back constructively — on specification gaps, on CMAA under-classification, on vendor substitutions, on punchlist items — without the EPCM ever feeling their commercial position is at risk. In practice we are additive to the EPCM's mechanical group, not adversarial.
Our experience includes supporting owners, engineering firms and project teams involved in major EPCM-led industrial projects throughout North America, alongside regional integrators and owner-integrator groups. The playbook is the same regardless of the EPCM: sit on the owner's side of the table, keep the crane package technically correct, and make sure the artifact the operations team inherits at handover is worth inheriting.
Standards referencedASME B30.2, ASME B30.17, CMAA 70/74, OSHA 1910.179, AISE Technical Report 6, applicable state and MSHA parts, owner-specific engineering standards.
Crane Scope Assurance for EPCM and General Contractors
CAG reviews crane interfaces across the runway, building structure, electrical scope and installation before award, so scope gaps do not surface as change orders.
Frequently Asked
EPCM Crane Consultant, answered.
- Do you compete with our EPCM?
- No. We only ever work on the crane discipline and only ever on the owner's side of the table. We do not carry any of the other EPCM scopes (process, structural, electrical, piping, controls), we do not sell cranes or parts, and we are not on any EPCM's subcontractor roster. The EPCM's commercial position is never at risk from a CAG engagement.
- How early should we bring you in on an EPCM project?
- The highest-leverage entry point is the 30% design gate, before the crane specification is locked and before RFP release. Second-best is between bid receipt and award — while there is still time to influence the technical evaluation. Bringing us in at pre-commissioning is possible but the leverage is much lower; most of the important decisions are already made.
- Are you comfortable working inside a large EPCM's project controls?
- Yes. We have supported owners, engineering firms and project teams on major EPCM-led industrial projects across Canada and the US, plus regional integrators. We are comfortable operating inside a large EPCM's document control, RFI, and change-management workflows without disrupting the project cadence.
- Can you attend the OEM's factory for FAT?
- Yes. FAT witness at the OEM's facility — in North America, Europe or Asia — is a routine deliverable. We author the FAT protocol against the specification, attend the tests, sign the punchlist, and issue an owner-facing report the EPCM and operations team both work from.
- How do you fit into an existing project schedule and document control?
- We work inside whatever document control, RFI, and change-management systems the EPCM uses — Aconex, ProjectWise, ProContractor, SmartPlant, or bespoke owner platforms. Deliverables are issued into the EPCM's numbering system so the owner's records package is one unified artifact.
- Are you a good fit for owner's engineering groups embedded inside a major?
- Yes. CAG is often engaged directly by an owner's engineering group as embedded overhead-crane subject-matter support on capital programs delivered through an EPCM. That role can be carried on an individual project or across a portfolio.
Where to go next
The logical next step.
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Owner-side review of the crane package before it goes to bidders. Crane Specifications & RFQ.
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Technical bid evaluation and scope-gap analysis at award. Independent Bid Review.
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Continue through fabrication, installation and commissioning. Owner's Representative.
Ready to talk about your crane decision?
Independent, owner-side review. No obligation, no sales pitch.
Before you approve the quote, make sure it is solving the right problem.
CAG independently reviews major crane proposals, repairs, modernization projects and replacement recommendations so owners can make informed decisions before committing capital.