A useful power-delivery date connects a defined amount of power, a specific location, the work still required, and the party responsible for each dependency. Start by asking what “ready” means. Utility service at a site, an energized building, and usable capacity for a particular workload are different milestones.
This screening framework helps capacity buyers and investors organize the evidence behind a proposed date. It does not assign a universal grade to a utility document or establish a delivery guarantee.
Define the requirement before comparing dates
Write down the minimum capacity needed at the first operating milestone, any later expansion, the workload’s rack density and cooling needs, and the latest acceptable start date. State whether a power figure describes utility supply, facility electrical capacity, or usable IT load. Do not compare figures with different definitions as if they were equivalent.
Ask the provider to express its proposal in the same terms. If the requirement is usable IT load, a headline utility figure leaves a conversion and design question to resolve.
Request an evidence package, not an isolated date
The relevant documents vary by utility, site, service arrangement, and stage of development. Use the following questions to identify what needs to be examined.
| Question | Evidence to request where applicable | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| What capacity is being discussed? | Current service documentation, electrical design information, and the provider’s capacity schedule | Quantity, units, service location, existing commitments, and the distinction between site power and IT load |
| Who is requesting or receiving service? | Utility correspondence and agreements identifying the parties and location | Whether the information relates to the proposed site and transaction; ask counsel about assignment or other rights where relevant |
| What does the utility say about timing? | Dated utility correspondence, study results, and service or construction agreements | Whether a date is a target, an estimate, or a commitment subject to stated conditions; request clarification of ambiguous wording |
| What utility work remains? | Scope of work, milestone schedule, and status of material dependencies | Studies, approvals, access, upstream work, funding, or construction that could affect the proposed date |
| What site work remains? | Design status, permit schedule, procurement records, construction plan, and commissioning plan | Dependencies between utility delivery, installed equipment, building readiness, and the required workload |
| What has actually been completed? | Relevant completion records, test reports, and current site-status evidence | The scope tested or completed, outstanding work, exceptions, and whether the evidence covers the required operating condition |
| What happens if delivery changes? | Proposed commercial terms and the agreed milestone definitions | Notice obligations, remedies, dependencies, and the buyer’s fallback options; have counsel assess the actual contract |
An executed agreement is useful evidence of what the parties agreed. Its title or signature alone does not tell you that every condition has been met. Read the scope, dates, qualifications, and outstanding obligations together.
Build one dependency schedule
Place the required operating date at the end of the schedule. Work backward through commissioning, completion of facility systems, equipment delivery, site construction, and any utility work on which they depend. Identify which activities can overlap and which require an earlier milestone to finish.
For each material item, record:
- The responsible party and the party able to confirm status.
- The underlying document and its date.
- The planned completion milestone and current evidence of progress.
- Any predecessor activity, unresolved condition, or decision deadline.
- What changes in the buyer’s plan if that item slips.
This is a way to expose gaps. It is not a substitute for the utility’s assessment or an engineering review of the design and commissioning scope.
Illustrative screen: two proposals with the same target date
The following example is hypothetical. It does not describe available sites or a completed engagement.
Assume a buyer needs 5 MW of usable IT load within 24 months. Both proposals advertise delivery within that window, but the evidence supports different next steps.
| Screening item | Proposal A | Proposal B |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity definition | A facility schedule identifies 5 MW of IT load, subject to stated assumptions | Marketing material states “5 MW” without defining the measure |
| Utility position | Dated service documents have been provided; outstanding conditions still need review | A summary refers to a utility discussion; the underlying correspondence has not been provided |
| Facility readiness | Equipment and commissioning milestones are listed, with some dates awaiting confirmation | Building completion is shown, but the workload-ready milestone is not separately defined |
| Appropriate next action | Verify the conditions and the unresolved equipment milestones | Clarify the capacity definition and obtain the utility and facility evidence before relying on the date |
Proposal A is better documented in this example. That does not establish that it will deliver on time. Proposal B may become viable when the missing evidence is supplied. The screening conclusion should state what is known, what remains unresolved, and the decision that can responsibly be made at that stage.
Make the uncertainty visible in the decision
Avoid collapsing the review into a single confidence score. A missing document can affect a decision differently from a confirmed delay or a technical mismatch.
Useful next steps include:
- Continue review: the proposal appears relevant and the remaining questions can be investigated before the decision deadline.
- Condition the next commitment: a specific unresolved item must be addressed before the buyer relies on the proposed capacity or date.
- Carry a fallback: another capacity route is needed while a material dependency remains open.
- Set the option aside: the current evidence cannot support the buyer’s requirement within the available decision window.
Record the reason and the evidence needed to change that conclusion. Update the screen when a material document, scope, or milestone changes.
Prepare for a site screen
For a capacity inquiry, provide the required location, usable IT load, density and cooling needs, earliest and latest operating dates, and any flexibility to phase deployment. Identify which provider documents are available; confidential records can be handled through an agreed process.
Explore data center capacity sourcing and the Site Screen. For a proposed purchase, review the acquisition advisory service.
Read the evidence and editorial methodology for the distinction between documented, reported, assumed, estimated, and missing information.