Who Should Attend

This program is designed for junior-level engineers working under general contractors, electrical and mechanical subcontractors, specialty trades, or construction management firms actively delivering data center construction, infrastructure fit-out, or critical facility projects. Attendees are expected to be working on or directly pursuing work in the hyperscale, colocation, or enterprise data center construction market.

Experience Level

Between 1 and 4 years of field or office experience in construction, with direct exposure to MEP-heavy, technically complex, or mission-critical project environments.

Background

Degrees or credentials in electrical, mechanical, or construction management engineering are preferred. Backgrounds in critical power, low-voltage systems, HVAC, or structured cabling infrastructure are a strong match. The program assumes basic construction familiarity — it is not an introduction to the industry, but an introduction to the data center sector specifically.

This Program is for Engineers Who...

• Want to understand how a data center actually works — from utility feed to rack power — and how that drives every construction decision they make on site
• Are frustrated by decisions made above them on data center jobs and want to understand the commercial, contractual, and technical logic behind them
• Are encountering long-lead MEP equipment, commissioning agents, or hyperscaler TPMs for the first time and want a structured framework for working effectively in that environment
• Want to understand the quality and safety standards that are non-negotiable in energized data center environments
• Are ready to move beyond executing tasks and start owning outcomes on mission-critical projects
• Want to walk away with real tools, templates, and frameworks specific to data center delivery — not generic PM theory

About this Program

Built for Uptime is not a generic project management course with a data center skin. It is a sector-specific construction excellence program built around the unique systems, stakeholders, standards, and sequences that define data center delivery. Every topic, every case study, and every workshop is grounded in the realities of building hyperscale, colocation, and enterprise data center facilities in the United States.

Attendees will leave with a working understanding of the data center infrastructure stack, the commercial and contractual environment that governs these projects, the procurement and schedule risks that kill timelines, and the quality and safety standards that define what it means to execute with zero defects in a mission-critical environment.

SIX CORE MODULES

Each module is built around a specific challenge domain that defines data center construction delivery — sequenced to build understanding from the infrastructure up:

The Data Center Blueprint: Infrastructure, Systems & Redundancy

Before you can build a data center, you have to understand what you are building. This module covers the critical infrastructure stack from utility feed to server rack: power path (utility → transformer → medium-voltage switchgear → UPS → PDU → rack), cooling path (chiller plant → cooling towers → CRAH/CRAC → in-row cooling), and the redundancy philosophies (N, N+1, 2N, 2N+1) that drive every design decision. Attendees will also learn how Tier I through Tier IV classifications shape construction scope and quality expectations, and how hyperscale, colocation, and enterprise data centers differ from each other in ways that directly affect how they are built.

Data Center Contract Structures & Commercial Risk

Data center construction is governed by a distinct commercial environment. This module focuses on the contract types that dominate the sector — GMP and design-assist — and why they are preferred by hyperscalers and colocation providers. Attendees will learn how Owner-Furnished Equipment (OFE) provisions work, where they create financial and schedule risk for contractors, how NDA and site security obligations reshape normal construction communication, and how Liquidated Damages (LD) clauses tied to uptime commitments create high-stakes contractual exposure. The goal is to understand the commercial structure before you are standing in the middle of it.

Long-Lead MEP: The Schedule Killers

The single greatest threat to a data center project schedule is not labor or coordination — it is procurement. This module is a deep dive into the equipment items that routinely destroy commissioning milestones: medium-voltage transformers (20–52 week lead times), switchgear assemblies, standby generators, UPS systems, CRAC and CRAH units, chillers, and cooling towers. Attendees will learn how to read and build a procurement schedule that protects the Cx milestone, what submittal and approval timelines look like for each item, how to expedite without damaging vendor relationships, and how to escalate procurement risk to ownership before it becomes a crisis.

Commissioning Phases & Energization Sequencing

Commissioning is not a post-construction event — it is a parallel process that construction must continuously feed. This module covers the Cx phase structure used on data center projects (from pre-functional checks through Integrated System Testing), what the construction team is responsible for delivering at each Cx gate, how LOTO planning and energization sequencing must be coordinated across the general contractor, Cx agent, utility provider, and IT fit-out team, and what a true Cx-ready punchlist looks like. Understanding this sequence is what separates a junior engineer from someone who can protect a commissioning milestone.

Quality & Safety in Energized Data Center Environments

Data center construction sites present hazards and quality expectations that go far beyond standard construction. This module covers NFPA 70E arc flash boundary management and energized work permit requirements, PPE requirements for work in and adjacent to live electrical rooms and switchgear bays, structural limitations of raised-floor environments, confined space protocols in mechanical and electrical rooms, and the protocols for working in or adjacent to active data halls during IT fit-out. On the quality side, attendees will learn what Inspection and Test Plans (ITPs) look like for critical systems, how Cx documentation requirements shape construction quality records, and why the standard of ‘good enough’ does not exist in a mission-critical environment.

The Data Center Project Team: Roles, Relationships & Protocols

A data center project team includes roles that do not exist anywhere else in construction. This module introduces attendees to the hyperscaler Technical Program Manager (TPM) and their authority over milestone acceptance, the commissioning agent and how to work with — not against — their findings, the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) for critical facilities and what their inspection protocols require, the IT and structured cabling deployment teams who arrive before construction is complete, and the security and access control protocols that govern every data center site. Attendees will also learn how to communicate construction progress in the language of uptime and operational readiness — the language that matters to every owner in this sector.

What attendees take home:

Certificate of Completion  ·  Procurement Risk Matrix Template  ·  ITP Field Template for Critical Systems  ·  OFE Coordination Workshop Output  ·  Zero Defect Recovery Plan (Capstone)  ·  Personal 90-Day Site Excellence Plan  ·  Cohort Peer Accountability Partner

Data center construction is the most technically demanding, commercially complex, and schedule-critical sector in the built environment.

This program exists because the job demands engineers who understand the full system — not just the scope in front of them. Built for Uptime builds that understanding from the ground up.

TWO-DAY PROGRAM AGENDA

Each day runs from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM with a one-hour lunch break and two 15-minute mid-session breaks. Sessions alternate between direct instruction, facilitated case study discussion, hands-on workshops, and team simulations — all built from real data center project scenarios.

DAY 1  — Understanding What You're Building

Infrastructure Stack · Contracts · Procurement · Schedule Risk

9:00 – 9:30 AM - Welcome, Introductions & Program Orientation

Facilitator welcome and program framing. Attendees introduce themselves, their current project, and the single biggest data center construction challenge they face right now. Establish norms. Preview the two-day arc: Day 1 builds the technical and commercial foundation; Day 2 applies it under pressure.

MODULE 01  The Data Center Blueprint: Infrastructure, Systems & Redundancy

9:30 – 10:30 AM - Module 1 — The Data Center Blueprint

What you are actually building: the complete critical infrastructure stack from utility feed to server rack. Power path: utility → substation transformer → medium-voltage switchgear → automatic transfer switch → UPS → power distribution unit → rack. Cooling path: chiller plant → cooling towers → condenser water loop → CRAH/CRAC units → in-row or overhead cooling. Redundancy philosophies: N, N+1, 2N, 2N+1 — what they mean and why they determine scope.  Tier I through Tier IV: how each classification changes what you must build, inspect, and document. Hyperscale vs. colocation vs. enterprise: how the owner type changes the construction environment, the schedule pressure, and the stakeholder expectations. 

Discussion: What system or classification have you encountered on your project and not fully understood? Open group debrief.

10:30 – 10:45 AM - Morning Break

15-minute refresh break

MODULE 02  Data Center Contract Structures & Commercial Risk

10:45 AM – 12:00 PM - Data Center Contract Structures & Commercial Risk

Why data center owners use GMP and design-assist instead of traditional lump-sum: the risk logic, the schedule benefits, and the obligations it places on the contractor. Understanding design-assist scope: where your responsibility starts and where the design team’s ends, and how that line becomes a change order battlefield.  Owner-Furnished Equipment (OFE): what it means when the owner buys the generators and UPS systems, what coordination obligations fall on you, and how delays in OFE become schedule risk that you cannot recover. NDA and site security: why data center sites have strict access control, what you can and cannot communicate, and how to handle hyperscaler protocols without creating documentation gaps. Liquidated Damages tied to uptime commitments: how LD clauses in data center contracts differ from standard construction, and what it means for your team if a commissioning milestone slips. 

Workshop: ‘The OFE Handoff’ — Teams review a sample GMP contract and a list of owner-furnished equipment items and work through three scenarios: an OFE delivery delay, a scope gap in the design-assist package, and an NDA violation risk. Each team identifies the notice requirements and mitigation steps.

12:00 – 1:00 PM - Lunch Break

One-hour lunch break — peer networking encouraged

MODULE 03  Long-Lead MEP: The Schedule Killers

1:00 – 2:30 PM - Module 3 — Long-Lead MEP: The Schedule Killers

The items that determine whether your project hits its commissioning date or misses it by months. Lead time realities in the current market: medium-voltage transformers (20–52 weeks), main switchgear assemblies (28–48 weeks), standby generators (20–40 weeks), UPS systems (16–36 weeks), CRAC/CRAH units (24–52 weeks), chillers (20–40 weeks), cooling towers (16–28 weeks).  How to build and own a procurement schedule: what it must track, who owns each item, and how to connect it to the Cx milestone. Submittal and approval timelines: what a realistic approval cycle looks like for each equipment type and how late submittals compound into lost weeks. Expediting: how to push vendors without damaging the relationship. Communicating procurement risk: what to tell the owner, when to tell them, and how to frame a delay before it becomes a crisis. 

Workshop: ‘Build the Procurement Matrix’ — Using a provided data center project profile, attendee teams construct a simplified procurement tracking matrix for the five highest-risk long-lead items on the project. Teams must identify the current submittal status, the approval timeline risk, the float available before Cx impact, and the escalation trigger point. Each team presents their top risk item.

2:30 – 2:45 PM - Afternoon Break

15-minute refresh break

MODULE 04  Commissioning Phases & Energization Sequencing

2:45 – 4:30 PM - Module 4 — Commissioning Phases & Energization Sequencing

Construction does not end at substantial completion in a data center — it ends at energization and IT fit-out readiness. This module demystifies the Cx process that determines whether your construction work can actually be accepted.  Cx phase structure: pre-functional checks (Cx1), individual component testing (Cx2), system-level testing (Cx3), and integrated system testing / full facility failover testing (Cx4/IST). What construction must deliver at each Cx gate: clean punch, documentation packages, system access, and standby labor. LOTO planning for energization: who controls the sequence, what the contractor’s role is, and how energization errors damage expensive equipment and delay the project. Coordinating with the IT fit-out team: what they need, when they arrive, and why their activities on an active construction site create hazards and schedule conflicts that must be managed proactively. 

Role-Play: ‘Cx Gate Denied’ — The commissioning agent has just rejected the contractor’s request to proceed to Cx3 because of three unresolved punch items from Cx2. Attendees work in pairs: one plays the GC project engineer, one plays the Cx agent. The pair must work through the rejection, determine what documentation is missing, and draft the response path to get the Cx gate approved. Debrief covers communication protocols, documentation discipline, and how to avoid this situation.

4:30 – 4:50 PM - Day 1 Integration Workshop — 'The 60-Day Problem'

A compressed team simulation combining all four Day 1 modules. Teams receive a data center project scenario: a medium-voltage transformer is now confirmed to arrive 11 weeks late due to a manufacturing delay, putting the Cx3 milestone — and a contractual OFE coordination window — at risk. The owner has an LD clause triggered at that date. Teams must analyze the procurement, contract, and Cx sequencing implications and present a unified recovery plan to the group.

4:50 – 5:00 PM - Day 1 Wrap-Up & Preview of Day 2

Individual reflection: What is the one thing I learned today that changes how I will approach my current project? Facilitator preview of Day 2 — transitioning from understanding the system to executing within it. 

DAY 2  — Executing at Mission-Critical Standards

Quality · Safety · Site Leadership · Stakeholders · Capstone

9:00 – 9:15 AM - Day 2 Kickoff & Day 1 Debrief

Facilitator-led recap of Day 1. Attendees share one insight or question that stayed with them overnight. Preview of Day 2: moving from the infrastructure and commercial foundation into quality, safety, stakeholder navigation, and the capstone simulation.

MODULE 05  Quality & Safety in Energized Data Center Environments

9:15 – 10:30 AM - Module 5 — Quality & Safety in Energized Data Center Environments

The quality and safety environment of a data center construction site is unlike anything else in the built environment. This module addresses both.  Safety in energized environments: NFPA 70E arc flash boundary categories and what they require of workers and contractors, energized work permit procedures, PPE requirements for work in MER rooms, switchgear bays, and generator enclosures during energized construction phases. Raised-floor environments: structural load limits, access plate procedures, and electrostatic discharge (ESD) protocols. Confined space classifications in data center MEP rooms. Working in or adjacent to active data halls during IT fit-out: hazard zones, access protocols, and noise and vibration restrictions.  Quality in a Cx-driven environment: what an Inspection and Test Plan (ITP) looks like for critical systems, the difference between construction punchlist items and Cx nonconformances, and why documentation quality directly determines whether a Cx gate advances. How the Cx agent’s authority works and what to do when they issue a finding.  Workshop: ‘Build the ITP’ — Attendees draft a field-ready ITP for a critical system installation (scenario: incoming medium-voltage switchgear energization). The ITP must identify inspection hold points, required documentation, responsible parties, and acceptance criteria. Pairs cross-review for gaps using a Cx agent’s checklist.

10:30 – 10:45 AM - Morning Break

15-minute refresh break

MODULE 06  The Data Center Project Team: Roles, Relationships & Protocols

10:45 AM – 12:00 PM - Module 6 — The Data Center Project Team

A data center project team includes roles you will not encounter on other construction projects. Understanding who these people are, what authority they hold, and how to work with them effectively is one of the highest-leverage skills a junior engineer can develop.  The Technical Program Manager (TPM): who they represent, how their authority over milestone acceptance works, and how to communicate construction progress in terms they care about (uptime dates, system readiness, redundancy status — not construction percentages). The commissioning agent: their contractual authority, how to engage with their findings constructively, and why fighting a Cx finding almost always makes things worse. The Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) for critical facilities: what their inspection protocols require, how data centers differ from standard occupancy inspections, and how to prepare for their reviews. IT and structured cabling teams: when they arrive, what they need from the construction team, and how to coordinate in a live construction environment without creating safety conflicts. Security and access control: the protocols that govern data center sites, what the NDA means for daily communication, and how to manage documentation in a restricted-access project environment. 

Workshop: ‘Translate the Update’ — Attendees receive a standard construction progress report (percent complete, schedule status, open RFIs) and must rewrite it as a TPM-ready owner communication that speaks in terms of commissioning readiness, system status, and uptime risk. Pairs exchange drafts and give feedback using a provided rubric.

12:00 – 1:00 PM - Lunch Break

One-hour lunch break

1:00 – 2:30 PM - Capstone Simulation — ‘Zero Defect Zone’

Teams are assigned a fictional but realistic data center project at a critical inflection point: Cx3 integrated system testing begins in 14 days. The scenario includes: a switchgear assembly still in submittal review, two Cx2 nonconformances from the Cx agent that have not been formally closed, a raised-floor panel installation in the active data hall flagged by the safety officer, an IT fit-out team arriving two weeks early without coordination, an OFE generator with a confirmed six-week delivery delay, and a TPM escalation email demanding a written recovery plan by end of day.  Teams must work through every module covered over two days — analyzing the procurement risk, the Cx sequencing implications, the safety and quality exposures, and the stakeholder communication obligations — and produce a ‘Zero Defect Recovery Plan’ that documents their decisions and rationale.  Team Presentations: Each group presents their top three decisions to the full cohort. Facilitator debrief highlights the trade-offs, the data-center-specific constraints that shaped each decision, and the lessons that carry back to their projects.

2:30 – 2:45 PM - Afternoon Break

15-minute refresh break

2:45 – 4:15 PM - Personal 90-Day Site Excellence Plan

Facilitated self-assessment and planning session. Each attendee uses a structured template to define: (1) the one data center system or process they will make themselves the expert on in the next 90 days; (2) a specific quality or safety protocol they will implement or improve on their current project; (3) one key relationship to build — a Cx agent, a TPM contact, or a senior engineer — that will accelerate their development; and (4) one specific deliverable (an ITP, a procurement matrix, a Cx readiness checklist) they will produce on their project within 30 days. Each attendee completes and retains their plan.

4:15 – 4:45 PM - Cohort Commitments & Peer Accountability

Each attendee shares their single most important 90-day commitment with the full cohort. Peer accountability pairs are established — each attendee commits to a 30-day check-in with their partner. The group reflects on the two days and what they are carrying back to their data center projects.

4:45 – 5:00 PM - Closing & Certificates of Completion

Facilitator closing remarks. Anonymous evaluation survey on current bootcamp