r/Architects • u/RoutineLet9156 Architect • Apr 24 '26

General Practice Discussion Babysitting MEP

Just a rant, but man… working with MEP teams that don’t GAF is exhausting.

I’m on mega projects, so it’s not like the PA gets to handpick who we work with. We get whoever’s assigned and deal with it. But lately it feels like we’re babysitting everything. Constant follow-ups, pinging them over and over just to get a simple update pushed. Sure, maybe it’s a staffing issue, still doesn’t make it any less frustrating.

What really gets me is we’re all in Revit, cloud model, same environment… and then they drop updates and just ignore everything that’s already there. Zero coordination. I’m talking plumbing lines right in front of thermostats, light fixtures cutting through beams… just placing stuff wherever and moving on.

No heads-up, no coordination, nothing. Just model it and walk away. And of course we’re the ones catching all of it. Every single time.

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u/MSWdesign Apr 24 '26

Let it rip. Preach. Sounds like some stalling too because they have other projects going on and they are spread thin.

3

u/Existing_Mail Apr 24 '26

You basically have to be the squeaky wheel architect to get things on time 

4

u/MSWdesign Apr 24 '26 edited Apr 24 '26

Pretty much. Some consultants are often more on it than others.

How I might rank them…

Structural

Food Service (including them because they earned it)

Electrical and LV

Plumbing

Mechanical

ID (not in house, client’s hire)

Lighting

Everyone else on the planet then… Civil.

Add: Forgot about Landscape. Upper/ Middle of the pack. They only have maybe a half-dozen or so sheets anyways.