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Running a Pre-Assessment Meeting

The pre-assessment meeting is a short conversation with the facility contact, usually a week or so before the on-site assessment. It is your first point of contact with the client, and it sets the tone for the whole engagement. Treat it as a relationship-building conversation, not an interview. The prompts below are there to keep the discussion moving — not a form to work through top to bottom.

The Goal

A good pre-assessment meeting does two things:

  1. Builds rapport. You are about to spend a day in someone's facility. The more comfortable they are with you, the more openly they'll talk on assessment day and the more access they'll give you.

  2. Builds process awareness in both directions. You learn what the facility does and where energy goes; they learn who we are and what to expect. Both sides should walk away better prepared.

It is not critical that you cover every topic. If something doesn't come up, you can follow up when you see them again or on assessment day itself. Getting a real conversation going matters more than complete coverage.

Make It a Conversation

The single most important thing is to make it sound like a conversation, not an interrogation. A few habits that help:

  • Ask "tell me about…," not "do you have…" Open-ended prompts invite a story; yes/no questions kill the momentum. "Tell me about your compressed air system" gets you far more than "Do you have air compressors?"

  • Ask why they do things the current way. The reasoning behind a practice is where the opportunities hide. "Why do you run the compressor at that pressure?" or "Why is the line staffed on that schedule?" often surfaces habits nobody has questioned in years.

  • Know the prompts cold beforehand. When you have a strong grasp of what you want to learn, you can skip around, follow interesting threads, and let the discussion flow instead of reading down a list.

  • Let them do most of the talking. Your job is to listen and stay curious.

Move away from the worksheet mindset

Working line-by-line through a printed question sheet makes the meeting feel like an interrogation and shuts the client down. Use the prompts below as a menu you dip into, not a script.

The One Question You Can't Skip

Every pre-assessment meeting needs an answer to this:

Always ask

"Are there specific things you'd like us to look at, or places you suspect energy is being wasted?"

This is the highest-value question in the meeting. People light up talking about their own operation, and their hunches point you straight at the best opportunities. It also makes a great opener — if they say "probably the air compressors," follow that thread and dig in before moving on.

Running the Meeting

A simple arc for the call:

  1. Introduce everyone. Both teams, briefly.

  2. Explain how the meeting will go. Set the expectation that it's a casual conversation to get oriented.

  3. Walk through what assessment day looks like. Give them a picture of who's coming, roughly how long you'll be there, and what you'll be doing.

  4. Talk through the topics that come up naturally, using the menu below to fill any dead space.

Topics to Explore

Think of these as a menu of conversation starters, not a checklist. Pick whichever fits the flow — you'll rarely touch all of them, and that's fine. Each one is phrased to open a conversation; follow up with "why?" wherever it's interesting.

  • Walk me through your process

    How does material come in, what happens to it, and how does it leave the facility?

  • Tell me about your busiest equipment

    Air compressors, boilers, chillers, anything power-hungry — and why it runs the way it does.

  • Tell me about your schedule

    Shifts, production hours vs. equipment hours, holidays, long maintenance shutdowns.

  • What happens to your waste?

    Scrap, heat, wastewater — where does it go, and why is it handled that way?

  • Tell me about your lighting

    What type, how old, and how much has already been switched to LED?

  • Tell me about your HVAC

    How many rooftop units or similar, how old are they, and is there a cooling tower?

  • What's the natural gas for?

    And any utility accounts beyond electric, gas, and water — what do they serve?

  • Which meter serves what?

    Office vs. manufacturing vs. warehouse, number of buildings, floor plans, on-site generation.

  • Any past energy audits?

    Has anyone assessed this facility before, and what came of it?

  • Is water part of the process?

    If it's used in manufacturing and we don't have the bills yet, ask for them.

Before You Leave: Assessment-Day Punchlist

Unlike the exploratory prompts above, these are logistics you genuinely need nailed down before you arrive. Forgetting one can cost you access or data on the day of the assessment. Run through every item and leave the meeting with each one confirmed:

  • Access: Can our team move freely around the facility, or do we need to be escorted at all times?

  • Electrician on site? If so, what time do they usually leave? (You'll want them available for nameplate and panel access.)

  • Photos: Are we allowed to take photos inside? If they say no, specifically ask whether we can at least photograph nameplates.

  • PPE: What personal protective equipment is required, and will it be provided? (We bring safety glasses and shoe covers.)

  • Rooftop access: If there are RTUs, can we get on the roof to photograph them?

  • Citizenship restrictions: Are there any restrictions on non-U.S. citizens entering the facility?