An EPC contract typically bundles engineering, procurement and construction into a single scope, delivered by one contractor under a fixed-price, turnkey arrangement that runs from design and equipment sourcing through to a completed, ready-to-operate facility. At Lih Ming, that means our EPC contracts for underground utilities and infrastructure cover everything from initial engineering and permitting to procurement of materials and the physical construction and handover, so clients deal with a single point of responsibility rather than coordinating separate contractors.

Under an EPC contract, procurement is the stage where the contractor sources, evaluates, and orders every material, piece of equipment and subcontracted service the project needs, then manages supplier delivery schedules so materials arrive on site exactly when construction requires them. At Lih Ming, our procurement team handles sourcing locally and internationally, supplier vetting, and logistics as part of the same contract that covers our engineering and construction work, keeping materials management and site works aligned under one plan.

The difference comes down to who holds the risk. An EPC contract places engineering, procurement and construction under one contractor working to a fixed price and a fixed completion date, while an EPCM arrangement keeps the contractor in an advisory role, managing and coordinating the work while the client retains control of construction and its associated risk. Lih Ming delivers under the EPC model, taking on full responsibility for our clients’ projects from design through to handover.

Project duration depends on scope, site conditions, and the number of regulatory approvals and utility coordination steps involved, so there is no single fixed timeline. A smaller underground utilities contract can run over several months, while a larger, multi-stage infrastructure project can extend well beyond a year. Because Lih Ming manages engineering, procurement and construction as one connected process, we work with clients early to give a realistic, project-specific schedule rather than a generic estimate.

Lih Ming’s EPC service covers the full range of underground utility infrastructure we deliver in-house: underground gas pipe laying, underground cable installation, underground pipe laying, and district heating and cooling systems. Because these all sit under the same EPC contract, clients get a single team handling engineering, procurement and construction across each of these utility types, rather than coordinating separate specialists for each one. Because excavation and underground works carry genuine safety risk, we always recommend clients engage a licensed contractor for every stage of underground works, which is the standard our own ISO- and bizSAFE-certified teams are held to.