ORD MARKET / FIELD OPERATIONS

ORD Site Operations Runbook

A practical guide for site access, deliveries, material moves, tickets, reverse logistics, and the rules that can affect the work.

START HERE

How to use this runbook

You do not need to read this front to back. Pick the site, find what you are trying to do, then follow that path.

Pick the site

Start with ORD1, ORD2, ORD3, or ORD5. Each site handles access, deliveries, movement, and handoffs a little differently.

Decide what you are doing

Is this a delivery, outbound/RL, vendor access, moving material inside the site, or a request for colo support?

Make sure everything is ready

Check access, WO, COI, the right request, vendor support, timing, and any lift, escort, or cutoff requirement.

Follow the site steps

Use the numbered steps for the selected site. They show what normally happens and who takes over next.

Check what can stop the work

If something required is missing, fix it before moving forward. This list is here to catch those issues early.

Close it out

Confirm the handoff, material condition, cleanup, staging, and anything that still needs follow-up.

Common jobs

Incoming deliverySite → Access → How the work happens → Tickets and requests

Get the material received, staged, and handed off through the right path.

Vendor access / project startSite → Access → House rules → Rules for all ORD sites

Make sure the vendor can get where the work is happening and knows the site rules before arrival.

Move material inside the siteSite → How the work happens → Tickets and requests

Know who moves it, where it is going, and whether a lift, escort, or Smart Hands request is needed.

Reverse logistics / outboundSite → How the work happens → Tickets and requests → What can stop the work

Prepare and identify the material correctly before the colo or carrier takes over.

Colo supportSite → Tickets and requests → Terms

Use the right request type and clearly explain what you need the colo to do.

DRT

ORD1

DRT site with Suite 366 staging and multi-floor material movement

350 East Cermak Road, Chicago, IL 60616

InboundTST

Outbound / releaseTRT

StagingSuite 366

SITE BASICS

Where you can go and what you need

Meta spaces

2nd floorSuite 220

2nd floorCage 285

3rd floorSuite 366

Access

Project access is time-bounded and should include the full path required for the work: building access, the required Meta spaces, and Freight Elevator 3 access when movement across floors 1–3 is needed.

Building access

Space access: Suite 220, Cage 285 and/or Suite 366 as required

Freight Elevator 3 access when the project requires movement across floors 1–3

Arrival / parking

South lobby parking with a 3-hour limit, or street parking.

In other wordsMake sure the person, the route, and the space are all approved before the work starts. Building access by itself may not be enough.

ExampleA vendor has building access but needs to move equipment between Suite 366 and Suite 220. Make sure the vendor also has the right Meta-space and Freight Elevator 3 access before the work starts.

HOW THE WORK HAPPENS

Site workflow

Who moves it and who has it

Read this step by step: the tags show who is involved. The text tells you who is doing the work, who has the material at that point, and who takes over next.

REQUIREDWho's involvedDriverSecurityDRT

Driver checks in with dock security on arrival. Dock security verifies the work order and COI and alerts DRT that the truck has arrived.

REQUIREDWho's involvedCarrierDRT

A valid inbound request allows DRT to receive the shipment into DRT custody and stage it in DRT-controlled space. The ticket instructions should identify the PROGW#, carrier/shipment, material description, expected count, and delivery window.

REQUIREDWho's involvedMetaDRT

To release received material from DRT custody, Meta submits the outbound/release request with detailed handoff instructions. DRT then moves the material into Suite 366.

REQUIREDWho's involvedMetaVendorDRT

Once material is in Suite 366, it is in Meta custody. No additional DRT release verification is required for the vendor to pick it up from Suite 366.

REQUIREDWho's involvedVendor

The responsible vendor moves material from Suite 366 to Suite 220 or Cage 285 as required. Freight Elevator 3 access is required for movement across floors 1, 2 and 3.

REQUIREDWho's involvedVendor

For outbound/RL, the vendor owns preparation: identify, count, wrap, secure, label, and stage the material with the correct PROGW# clearly visible.

REQUIREDWho's involvedVendor

A vendor-provided photo of completed RL staging is strongly preferred because it confirms the material is prepared and identifiable before the outbound request is executed.

REQUIREDWho's involvedMetaVendorDRT

The vendor returns prepared outbound/RL material to Suite 366. Meta submits the outbound request with PROGW#, material description, count, handoff instructions, and pickup timing; DRT then executes the outbound movement.

REQUIREDWho's involvedDRTSmart Hands

Smart Hands is the DRT support path for everything outside inbound/outbound logistics: internal movement, staging assistance, RMA work, break/fix, circuit verification, troubleshooting, cleaning/scope work, and other onsite operational or technical support.

REQUIREDWho's involvedVendorSmart Hands

Smart Hands supplements the responsible vendor or operations team; it does not transfer ownership of the underlying scope. Requests must be actionable and state what is needed, current location, destination, requested action, PROGW#, timing/handoff, and any access or lift dependency.

In other wordsAt each step, know who has the material, who has to do the next thing, what needs approval, and when it changes hands.

ExampleThe carrier arrives and checks in at dock security. DRT receives the shipment and is responsible for it while it is in DRT space. Meta submits the release request. Once DRT moves it into Suite 366, Meta is responsible for the material and the vendor handles the final move to the assigned Meta space.

TICKETS AND REQUESTS

What request do I need?

What you are trying to doRequest typeWhat needs to happen

Receive materialInbound (TST)

Use for material arriving at the site. Comments should include PROGW#, carrier/shipment identification, material description, expected count, delivery window, and any receive/hold/stage instruction.

Release material from DRT custodyOutbound / release (TRT)

Use to release or move staged material out of DRT custody. Comments should identify the material, PROGW#, count, current location, destination/handoff point, timing, and receiver.

Reverse logistics / carrier pickupOutbound (TRT)

Use after the vendor has completed RL preparation. Include PROGW#, material description, count, pickup/handoff instructions, and preferably vendor photos showing completed staging.

Operational / technical supportSmart Hands

Use for everything else: internal movement, staging support, RMA, break/fix, verification, troubleshooting, cleaning/scope work, and other onsite support. The comments must define the exact task.

DRT uses three request classes: Inbound, Outbound, and Smart Hands. The ticket class tells DRT the category; the comments and detailed instructions tell DRT exactly what to execute.

In other wordsThe request type tells the colo what kind of work this is. The notes tell them exactly what you need them to do.

ExampleMaterial is arriving today. Use the inbound request for the delivery itself. If DRT also needs to do a separate onsite task, that extra work goes through Smart Hands, not a separate staging ticket.

BEFORE YOU SEND A VENDOR

House rules to cover with your vendor

If you are the PM or engineer sending the vendor: cover these items before they show up. These are the basic housekeeping and site-awareness rules they should already know when they walk in the door.

Rules every vendor should know

Secure the space

Keep cage, suite, entrance, and air-containment doors closed when they are not actively being used. Never prop a secured door open.

Keep the work area clean

Remove trash, cardboard, packaging, cable scraps, dust caps, ties, labels, and other job debris as the work goes on and again before leaving.

Keep paths clear

Do not block aisles, exits, cabinet access, electrical equipment, or clearance areas with carts, boxes, tools, or staged material.

Return shared equipment

Return crash carts, ladders, folding tables, tools, and other shared equipment to the location set aside for that site.

Use the right staging area

Do not turn an open area into temporary storage just because it is convenient. Use the staging area approved for that site.

Food and drinks stay out

Use the approved break area. Food and drinks do not belong in the data-center work space.

Protect the facility

Do not cut, drill, mount, tape, or build a makeshift setup unless that work and method are specifically approved.

Follow the photo rules

Only take photos when the job needs them and the site rules allow it. Avoid unrelated equipment, people, badges, screens, or other customer space.

Call out open issues

Before leaving, report abandoned material, damage, access problems, or anything else that still needs attention.

Leave it better than you found it

An active project is not a reason to leave a mess. Put the area back in order at the end of every workday.

ORD1 — things to call out

01Use Suite 366 for staging and RL holding. Keep inbound and outbound material in the marked areas.

02Packaging can stay in Suite 366 while the delivery is being unpacked, but remove it when that work is done.

03Freight Elevator 3 access must be in place when the move requires it.

04Once material is released into Suite 366, the responsible vendor handles the move from staging to the assigned Meta space.

05Do not leave unidentified or abandoned material in an active cabinet or work area. If ownership is unclear, move it through the proper staging/holding process.

In other wordsDo not assume the vendor knows the local rules because they have worked in another data center. Cover the common rules and the differences for this site before they arrive.

PM exampleBefore an ORD1 install, tell the vendor that Suite 366 is the staging point, Freight Elevator 3 may require access, packaging cannot turn into permanent storage, and the area needs to be cleaned up before they leave.

ALL ORD SITES

Rules that apply at every ORD site

16 rules

Meta controls colo requests

Vendors do not directly task the colo or assume use of colo-controlled resources. Vendor needs are requested through Meta; Meta submits the appropriate colo request.

Ticket class + execution detail

Selecting the correct ticket class is only the first layer. The comments and detailed instructions must tell the colo exactly what is being received, released, moved, verified, repaired, staged, held, or handed off.

Meta sponsors vendor access

Meta submits vendor access requests to the colo. Vendor access is limited to the approved project window or daily access period; only the local MFE maintains year-round full access.

Vendors support their own deliveries

The responsible installation vendor is expected to be onsite to support, identify, break down, route, and guide its delivery whether or not white-glove personnel are assigned.

Readiness before arrival

Required tickets, access, work order, COI, vendor support, and site-specific dependencies should be in place before arrival. If something is missing, the operational correction window is typically less than one hour; unresolved requirements are rejected.

Actual carrier must be covered

Freight may be subcontracted or re-tendered. The actual arriving carrier must satisfy the applicable COI requirements. Rejected freight remains subject to the same validation if it returns under a different carrier; broader umbrella coverage should be used where applicable.

Dock logistics

Inbound and outbound material flow is processed through the site dock with the required tickets, documentation, scheduling, security controls, and responsible vendor support in place.

No food or drinks

Food and drinks are prohibited inside Meta space.

No cardboard

Cardboard is prohibited inside Meta space. Packaging must be removed before material enters.

5S applies across ORD

Tools leave with vendors daily. Carts, ladders, tables, and other shared equipment return to designated areas after use.

Vendor waste ownership

Small trash bins may be available inside Meta space, but vendors are responsible for emptying them and removing project waste through the approved site process.

Photography boundary

Photography and recording are allowed only inside approved Meta space. Colo common areas and other non-Meta areas are never to be photographed or recorded.

Colo-only cabinet responsibilities

Only the colo may mount or secure cabinets, remove cabinets, perform cabinet grounding, or energize/de-energize cabinet PDUs.

No cutting or drilling in Meta space

Cutting or drilling must be performed in a controlled approved area or dock environment, never inside Meta space.

No temporary infrastructure

Temporary or makeshift infrastructure is not permitted inside Meta space.

Incoming MFE closeout standard

Vendor project check-in/check-out with the local MFE, final walkout, and deficiency correction is an incoming standard and is not yet fully implemented.

QUICK REFERENCE

Terms you may see

PROGW#The project tracking number used to tie material, work, and labels back to the right project.

RLReverse logistics: equipment or material being prepared to leave the site.

COICertificate of Insurance. This may be required before a carrier or vendor can enter or make a delivery.

WOWork order for the site activity or delivery.

Smart HandsA request for colo staff to help with work that is not simply receiving or shipping material.

TST / TRTDRT terms used for inbound and outbound/release requests.

About this guide

StatusCurrent guide

Maintained byORD MFE

Started2026

Before usingCheck current colo requirements

CoversORD1 / ORD2 / ORD3 / ORD5