Artificial intelligence might seem like magic, but even magic needs rules. One of the biggest misconceptions about AI is that it always gets things right. In reality, AI is only as useful as the data it works with. And when you’re managing complex asset catalogs across thousands of projects, bad data can snowball into real-world delays, rework, and costly mistakes.
At Ephany, we’re focused on managing the kind of data most project teams overlook: fixtures, furniture, and equipment (FF&E). These assets may seem small, but when you’re working across hundreds or thousands of locations, tracking the right assets (with the right options and finishes) is a massive job. This is where our agentic AI steps in… Not just to automate data extraction, but to double-check its own work.
Garbage In, Headaches Out: The Real Cost of Bad Asset Data
Imagine you’re rolling out a new store design, and the same refrigerator model is listed three different ways in your system. One record is missing dimensions, another was typed in twice, and a third doesn’t list which finish is required. That might not seem like a big deal, but do you really want to wait until the wrong asset gets ordered, it shows up late, or your drawings don’t match what’s on site?
In a traditional workflow, someone on the project team would have to comb through spreadsheets or drawings to find these issues. It’s tedious, it’s slow, and it’s prone to human error.
Every day a new store or facility opening is delayed means lost income. Retail industry analyses estimate that major retailers lose about $1.1 million in sales per day for a delayed store opening. Even a small-format restaurant can lose roughly $7,000 in revenue per day it cannot open. These losses add up quickly, and they come on top of rising capital costs – construction costs themselves climb an estimated 5% for each month a project is postponed. (source)
Meet the AI That Calls Out the Mess Before It Spreads
Ephany uses agentic AI with autonomous agents that do more than just extract data. They actively validate it.
When a new asset is added to the catalog, or when data is pulled from PDFs, Revit models, or scanned documents, Ephany’s AI agents perform automated checks in real time.
They flag:
Inconsistencies (e.g., mismatched descriptions, dimensions, or part numbers)
Duplicates (multiple entries of the same asset under different IDs)
Missing fields (required metadata like finishes, power requirements, or vendor details)
Instead of waiting for someone to catch these errors manually, the AI catches them before the asset is provided to the design team, purchased by the procurement team, or installed by the construction team.
Why It Matters
Validation checks might not sound exciting, but they’re the backbone of reliable asset management. They keep your data clean, your procurement teams confident, and your construction timelines intact. They also make your AI smarter over time. Every validation step helps train the system to get better at spotting what doesn’t belong.
Ephany is Leading the Way
While many platforms use AI as a buzzword, Ephany is building real-world solutions using agentic AI to improve asset data where it matters most. We believe automation should come with accountability—and that’s why our validation checks are built in from the start.
Your asset data should work as hard as you do. With Ephany, it finally can.
Building out physical retail stores is a high-stakes game—one where a single misstep can cost thousands (or even millions). Have you ever had a store opening delayed because the wrong fixtures arrived? Or watched in horror as a brand-new display case was installed upside down? You’re not alone. Mistakes in procurement, installation, and project management can quickly turn a well-planned rollout into a financial nightmare. The good news? These costly issues are avoidable.
In this article, we’ll break down the biggest money pits in retail construction—inefficient procurement, supply chain mishaps, installation blunders, and budget overruns—and, more importantly, how to prevent them. Read on to find out how better planning, smart project management, and a little foresight can keep your FF&E costs under control and your store openings on schedule.
1. Inefficient Procurement Processes
Disorganized or ad-hoc procurement of FF&E can lead to higher prices, inconsistent quality, and delays. Lack of centralized purchasing and poor vendor management mean retailers miss out on bulk discounts and reliable delivery schedules.
Centralized procurement can improve efficiency by up to 30% in multi-location operations, and long-term vendor partnerships can cut costs by ~20% through negotiated pricing (source).
Retailers without these strategies often face overbudget spending and late deliveries. For example, not standardizing FF&E specs or consolidating orders across stores can result in variability in pricing and quality, as well as rush orders that incur premium shipping fees.
Reduce Procurement Inefficiencies in Three Ways
StandardizeFF&E for designs across projects (ensures consistency and bulk leverage).
Centralize procurement and negotiate volume deals with vetted vendors (captures economies of scale and better terms).
Leverage technology for procurement – e.g. ERP or procurement platforms – to track orders and budgets. Digital procurement tools have been shown to reduce costs by ~10% while improving transparency (source).
Ephany streamlines the way your team manages FF&E procurement by giving you complete visibility into assets, their components, and sourcing details—all in one place. Instead of scrambling to track fixture parts, distributor options, pricing variations, and shifting lead times across spreadsheets, Ephany centralizes this data, ensuring your team always has accurate and up-to-date information. With the ability to generate a detailed bill of materials (BOM) in just a few clicks, you get a clear, real-time picture of costs and availability, helping you make informed decisions, prevent budget overruns, and keep projects on schedule.
Creating a bill of materials (BOM) based on assets from in a Revit model in Ephany.
2. Installation Errors
Poor workmanship or rushed installation of fixtures and equipment can trigger costly rework and repairs. Mistakes like misaligned shelving, improper electrical hookup of equipment, or installing items in the wrong sequence can damage assets and require do-overs.
Studies show that construction rework (i.e., redoing work due to errors or changes) typically eats up about 5–9% of a project’s cost (source). In the U.S. alone, rework accounted for an estimated $65 billion (5% of total construction spending) in 2020 (source).
Best Practices to Avoid Installation Errors and Rework
Clear, accessible documentation is essential for ensuring FF&E installations are done right the first time. Without the right specifications and guidelines, contractors risk costly mistakes, delays, and rework. Investing in document control not only streamlines installation but also helps maintain consistency across multiple locations.
Ephany makes this effortless by providing a centralized hub for all FF&E documentation. Teams can store and organize PDFs, CAD files (DWG), and BIM models—including Revit families—directly within the asset catalog. This ensures that contractors and project teams always have the latest, most accurate information at their fingertips, reducing errors and keeping installations on track. No more hunting through emails or outdated files—just seamless access to the data you need, exactly when you need it.
Managing supporting documentation for FF&E (assets) in Ephany.
3. Supply Chain Disruptions
Global supply chain issues can wreak havoc on retail construction projects. Volatile material costs and long lead times for FF&E have been a major driver of cost overruns and delays in recent years. For example, construction input costs surged ~17% in 2022 (far above general inflation), with core materials like steel up 124% and lumber up 61% since 2020 (source).
One national retailer saw its average per-store buildout cost jump from $400–500k to $700k due to these rising prices. Such increases at 40–75% per store forced that company to pause expansion to redesign for cheaper materials – an illustration of how supply-chain-driven cost spikes directly hit the bottom line.
Beyond cost, delayed shipments of critical FF&E can postpone store openings (leading to lost sales opportunities).
In a 2022 industry survey, up to 25% of material deliveries to construction sites were late or incomplete, underscoring the unpredictability of supply chains (source).
For retailers, a delay into the next quarter or missing the holiday season can be devastating, since the holiday period can account for a majority of annual sales for some brands (source). In short, supply chain disruptions often translate to schedule overruns (projects delivered late) and necessitate expensive workarounds or last-minute substitutions.
Mitigation Strategies for Supply Chain Disruptions
Relying on a single supplier can be a major risk—delays, price fluctuations, or inventory shortages can throw an entire project off schedule. Diversifying vendors and having backup options for critical fixtures helps retailers stay agile when supply chain disruptions arise. Real-time tracking of lead times and proactive coordination with suppliers can prevent last-minute surprises and costly delays.
Ephany makes supplier management seamless by allowing teams to compare multiple distributors for the same asset, ensuring lead times and pricing align with project requirements. For even greater accuracy, suppliers can be invited to collaborate within Ephany, updating lead times and availability directly. This keeps procurement teams working with the most up-to-date information, reducing delays and keeping projects on track—without the back-and-forth of endless emails and phone calls.
Conclusion: Keeping Track of FF&E Properly Helps Ensure a Successful Store Launch
Inefficient procurement, installation errors, and supply chain disruptions can quickly turn a well-planned retail build-out into a costly, time-consuming challenge. But with the right strategies—centralized procurement, quality-focused installation, and proactive supply chain management—retailers can stay ahead of these risks and keep projects on track.
Ephany makes this even easier by giving your team the tools to manage every aspect of FF&E with clarity and control. From tracking assets and suppliers to streamlining approvals and ensuring real-time access to critical documents, Ephany helps retailers simplify the complexities of multi-site projects—so stores open on time, on budget, and exactly as planned.
However, these aren’t the only pitfalls that can derail a retail construction project. In the next section, we’ll dive into even more budget-draining problems—cost overruns, poor project management, and damages & rework—and explore how to prevent them before they take a toll on your bottom line. Stay tuned!
It’s a thought-provoking question which reminded me of the concept of McDonaldization, a term coined by sociologist George Ritzer. This is something that I learned about in high school and it has stuck with me ever since. It describes how industries optimize for efficiency, predictability, uniformity, and control, just like McDonald’s perfected its assembly line for fast food. But this principle doesn’t just apply to burgers, it’s the secret behind how companies like Target, Walmart, and Wegmans scale their physical spaces to thousands of locations across the country.
In the world of construction and procurement, the best way to achieve this level of standardization and efficiency is through Owner-Furnished, Contractor-Installed (OFCI) items. By giving owners full control over critical assets, businesses can reduce costs, streamline procurement, and ensure consistency across every project. But what happens when projects don’t follow this approach? Chaos. Imagine if every McDonald’s location let designers pick their own furniture and kitchen equipment—it would be a logistical nightmare.
Let’s break it down.
1. Standardization & Compliance: The Secret Sauce
Just like a Big Mac tastes the same in Manila as it does in Los Angeles, physical spaces need to maintain design consistency across locations. OFCI ensures that furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E) align with brand standards, regulatory requirements, and operational needs. When design teams specify their own products per project, it creates inconsistencies that make future maintenance and renovations a mess.
Imagine if McDonald’s let every franchise and/or their respective architects choose its own kitchen layout… One store might have deep fryers in the front, another in the back, and none of them would operate the same way. The same principle applies to retail spaces: consistency reduces friction and ensures every location meets the same quality standards.
In addition, each restaurant would spend countless hours selecting the kitchen equipment. This may seem like a simple trip to the appliance store, but if you’ve ever designed a commercial kitchen, you know how much work actually goes into it.
By centralizing asset decisions, owners create a repeatable, scalable playbook that maintains brand integrity and speeds up approvals.
2. Cost Savings: Cutting Out the Middleman (and the Extra Costs)
McDonald’s can sell a burger for a few bucks because it buys ingredients in bulk, cutting out inefficiencies. The same logic applies to OFCI procurement. When owners take control of purchasing, they reduce contractor markups, minimize unnecessary customization, and leverage bulk pricing across multiple locations.
A study on public works projects found that direct procurement reduces costs by up to 10% by cutting out middlemen and supplier markups (source). Now, scale that savings across hundreds or thousands of locations, and the numbers become impossible to ignore.
If every McDonald’s location sourced its own potatoes from different vendors instead of McDonald’s corporate handling it, costs would skyrocket, quality would suffer, and supply chain delays would become unavoidable. The same thing happens in retail construction when every project team sources assets independently. OFCI eliminates this waste and creates massive savings.
3. Scalability: The Assembly Line of Construction
McDonaldization isn’t just about saving money, it’s about scaling efficiently. McDonald’s doesn’t reinvent its kitchen setup for every new location; it follows a precise, repeatable formula that makes expansion fast and cost-effective. That’s exactly what OFCI does for commercial spaces.
When procurement is centralized, scaling new locations becomes a copy-paste operation instead of an unpredictable mess. Construction teams get exactly what they need, procurement timelines shrink, and store openings happen on schedule.
Compare that to a world where every project selects different assets and suppliers… It’s slow, expensive, and full of unnecessary delays. According to industry research, 80% to 90% of construction projects experience budget overruns or delays, often due to procurement inefficiencies (source). With OFCI, businesses cut through the complexity and keep projects moving.
Final Takeaway: The McDonald’s Model Works for Repeatable Design Too
The same principles that allow McDonald’s to serve billions of customers apply to construction and asset management. Standardization, cost control, and scalability create repeatable, efficient processes that drive success.
When businesses embrace OFCI, they take control of procurement, eliminate inefficiencies, and create a playbook for expansion; just like McDonald’s did for fast food. Whether you’re rolling out a hundred new stores or upgrading existing locations, this model ensures every site meets the same standards, at the lowest cost, and on time.
It’s time to stop treating asset procurement like a custom-built menu and start thinking like McDonald’s. OFCI is the key to scaling smarter.
Ephany provides a central platform to successfully manage OFCI FF&E processes. Ask me how!
I believe BIM is experiencing some growing pains, as with any new technology would. I’m starting to see that there is too much data in models, particularly regarding assets such as the furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E).
I do agree that any data that is required for design and construction processes need to be included in the model, especially the information that is shown on the permit and construction drawings. However, in the context of owner furnished items (OFI) for repeatable commercial real estate projects, storing too much asset information within BIM models can lead to inefficiencies, higher costs, and unnecessary complexities. Here’s why.
1. Asset data gets locked away in a model.
One of the most significant drawbacks of storing asset data in BIM models (e.g., data within in a Revit model) is that access to these models is restricted. Only team members with specialized knowledge of BIM tools and the appropriate licenses can manage the data directly.
Therefore, modifying that data in a Revit file isn’t as simple as editing a cell in a spreadsheet. Every update requires careful attention to ensure the integrity of the model, which often involves editing complex Revit Families. Additionally, these updates are often left up to the BIM team because the project-level teams are not permitted to make changes to program-wide standards.
2. Updating Asset Data in BIM is Expensive
Let’s think about a scenario where a Revit Family contains incorrect information about a particular furniture, fixture, or equipment (FF&E). For an owner-furnished item (OFI), the update needs to be made available to the project teams. Sometimes this can come in the form of a formal design bulletin, but for owners who have their own BIM manage, a Revit Family first needs to be manually updated by a BIM manager. Either way, this change needs to be off to the project teams to update within their project models.
For programs with repeatable design, that means rolling out the updated Revit Family to an entire fleet of stores. This process is not only time-consuming for that broader teams and their consultants, but will have downstream impacts on any project which includes the asset (which means added project costs).
The cost of updating Revit Family data.
For most organizations executing thousands of projects, making updates often requires engaging with an architectural firm in which the cost can range from $150 to $200 per hour (or more). Sure, an update to a Revit Family for $150 on a single project, is peanuts, however, now consider the scale of large programs—such as retail chains with thousands of locations—these costs quickly add up.
Think about our earlier example of an entire fleet of retail stores that need an updated Revit Family. Let’s assume the update takes three hours and needs to be applied to 1,000 projects.
$600 in fees x 1,000 projects = $600,000
That’s only for the design work. If drawings need to be resubmitted to the owner or contractor, this cost could easily double or triple.
3. Project Delays Equate to Losses in Revenue.
Moreover, these updates can delay projects, as firms may take days or weeks to complete the requested changes, further increasing both direct and indirect costs.
While BIM models are invaluable for design and construction coordination, relying on them as the primary source of asset data creates unnecessary limitations.
Asset data—such as product specifications, procurement information, facilities management history—needs to be easily accessible and editable for all team members involved in a project.
A Smarter Alternative
By separating asset data from the BIM model and using a centralized platform like Ephany, teams can overcome these challenges:
1. Ease of Updates
With OFI asset data stored in a system accessible to all relevant stakeholders, it can be easily updated regardless of their technical expertise. In addition, the data can simply be modified on a platform which doesn’t impact the design and construction models which means changes can be made quickly, without the need for complicated software or expertise.
2. Cost Efficiency
By reducing asset data that does not need to be published in drawings, you alleviate some dependency on architectural firms or specially trained BIM specialists. As described earlier, this can save a large organization millions of dollars annually.
3. Seamless Integration
Data can still connect back to BIM models through unique asset IDs, ensuring consistency without the need to lock it into the model itself. Ideally, you would implement a platform such as Ephany, which offers connectors to popular BIM and construction management tools. This way, you can maintain synchronization with the assets as shown in BIM models and construction drawings as needed when it’s time to calculate a bill of materials (BOM) or other analysis.
Conclusion
Storing asset data exclusively within BIM models creates barriers that lead to inefficiencies, high costs, and bottlenecks. By moving this data into a centralized platform that integrates with (not relies on) BIM processes, teams can streamline workflows, reduce costs, and ensure everyone has access to the information they need.
If you’re managing large-scale retail or commercial projects, it’s time to rethink how you handle asset data. Let’s talk about how Ephany can help you simplify your processes and avoid the pitfalls of BIM-centric asset management.
Although repeatable design seems like it should simplify the management of furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E), physical retail organizations who roll out a fleet of stores are faced with unique challenges. Surprisingly, some of the largest retail brands in the world are managing those assets in Excel spreadsheets (or other similar format). If that statement resonated with you, the below image probably looks all too familiar.
I know, some of you are proud of the cloud-based spreadsheets that you’ve spent months building, however, even a collaborative cloud-based spreadsheet has its pitfalls. In this two-part blog series, we’ll review those issues and how Ephany helps solve them.
The Challenges of Managing FF&E Asset Data in a Spreadsheet
FF&E asset data should be more than just a list—it should be a centralized, structured system that ensures everyone involved has the information they need. Whether it’s designers deciding which FF&E to use, procurement ordering the right parts, or contractors having access to installation manuals, an asset catalog should keep everyone aligned and on point.
The good news is, Ephany is built to solve these very problems. Below are our top three features that help physical retail organizations build repeatable designs at scale.
1. Find the latest and greatest assets in a catalog, not a spreadsheet.
Designers—whether they’re in-house or external consultants—need clarity on which fixtures, furniture, and equipment are approved for use. Without this clarity, they risk specifying items that don’t align with brand standards or store requirements which can lead to costly revisions.
When designers have easy access to an up-to-date catalog, they can focus on creating engaging store environments while staying aligned with organizational goals. An asset catalog should enable:
More efficient FF&E selection at the project-level
Compliance with brand and regulatory standards
Consistency for customers across all store locations
While a spreadsheet can help with this problem, it introduces its own set of issues. It is more time-consuming to find what you’re looking for, especially when the number of columns gets out of hand (who likes to scroll horizontally anyway?).
Ephany provides a visual, data-rich catalog.
Ephany makes it simple for designers and consultants to stay aligned with approved standards. With an interface that allows for browsing, searching, and filtering, they can quickly find the right fixtures, furniture, and equipment for any project. Each asset’s status—like “pending,” “active,” or “deprecated”—ensures clarity on what’s ready for use, reducing the risk of costly revisions. By streamlining access to pre-approved options, Ephany empowers designers to focus on creativity while staying compliant with brand and operational standards.
Do you hate searching? Kit can find fixtures for you.
Meet Kit, your AI sidekick in Ephany. If you’re short on time or don’t feel like searching through the catalog, Kit can handle it for you. Just describe what you need—like a refrigerated case, a specific color finish, or even an asset ID—and Kit will surface the best match in seconds. With Kit, finding the right asset is no longer a chore—it’s effortless.
2. Find a home for non-textual asset information.
What about the information about an asset that isn’t text or a number that can be saved in a spreadsheet? Design, procurement, construction, and operations teams rely on supplemental asset information to do their jobs effectively such as:
Product catalog sheets, technical specifications, Revit families, and CAD files for design teams
Parts and accessories lists for procurement teams
Installation manuals to guide contractors through the construction process
Operation and Maintenance (O&M) Manuals for the operations and facility management team
How would you provide these critical files in an Excel spreadsheet? You most likely need to provide a link to a Google Drive or other file repository, which opens up yet another disconnected set of data that needs to be managed.
Ephany enables access to downloadable files directly in the asset catalog.
With all of your FF&E information saved in one simplified platform, repeatable design and construction processes are accelerated by enabling teams to more easily find the right file, whether its a PDF, AutoCAD DWG, Sketchup model, Revit family or other.
3. Procure every nut and bolt, without scheduling them on drawings.
Procurement teams are the linchpin for turning repeatable retail designs into reality. They need accurate, timely information on what to order and when. Without a centralized asset catalog which includes component-level items (i.e., parts and pieces that aren’t on construction drawings), teams often rely on outdated spreadsheets or scattered communication, leading to delays and errors.
For procurement workflows, a well-defined asset catalog should include:
Parts and pieces that are not tracked in construction drawings
A list of distributors and their individual pricing
Insights into lead times, ensuring orders are placed proactively aligned to project schedules
This is where managing FF&E asset data in a spreadsheet often fails. While I have seen many advanced Excel spreadsheets with advanced formulas and lookup tables, they still run the risk of duplicative and outdated data in multiple sheets and are difficult to manage in general.
If your organization solves this problem by scheduling component-level parts on construction drawings, you may have already realized that method can quickly get out of hand. Not only do your schedules get unwieldy, they would also then rely on architects to update outdated information. A costly solution!
Ephany provides procurement information that isn’t (or shouldn’t be) shown on construction drawings.
In the example above, this sunglass fixture is actually comprised of four different components, most of which are provided by different manufacturers. By integrating this component-level information into the asset catalog on Ephany, procurement teams have visibility on what to order and from who.
Furthermore, at the project-level, Ephany can calculate the total components per project and create a bill-of-materials (BOM), but more on that to come in the next post!
Stay tuned for part two of this blog series.
Stay tuned for part two of this blog series for more pitfalls of managing FF&E asset data in spreadsheets and how Ephany can help you break free.
