Switchgear
CSI Division 26, Electrical
The assembly of switches, breakers, and protective devices that controls and protects a building's electrical distribution at a higher voltage and capacity than a standard panel board, the point where utility or generator power is switched, metered, and distributed to a large building's electrical system.
Why it matters
Switchgear is one of the longest-lead procurement items on many commercial projects, custom-configured to a specific project's electrical design, so ordering it late can delay the entire building's ability to receive permanent power, a schedule risk that shows up months before the equipment itself ever arrives.
On a real project
A project's electrical engineer finalizes the switchgear configuration early in design specifically so it can be ordered as a long-lead item, since the manufacturer's fabrication time for a custom-configured unit is longer than nearly any other piece of equipment on the project.
Who this matters most to
An Electrician terminates and commissions switchgear once it's set, a task requiring specialized high-voltage training beyond typical panel work. A Project Engineer tracks switchgear submittals and delivery dates closely, since a delay here can push back the date permanent power becomes available for every other trade finishing their work.
Where this goes wrong
A project team treats switchgear procurement like any other electrical equipment order, submitting it on the standard submittal schedule rather than flagging it immediately as a long-lead item. The switchgear's actual fabrication lead time turns out to be several months longer than assumed, and the building can't get permanent power until well after the original schedule called for it.