Industrial Requirement Brief: A Canada-Wide Framework for Occupiers
How an occupier can translate operating needs into a credible, private industrial requirement before a leasing conversation begins.
For planning and research. Not legal, engineering, tax, financial or regulated real estate advice.WHO THIS IS FORFor operating leaders, founders, finance teams and project leads planning a warehouse, distribution, manufacturing, flex or yard-oriented move.
Begin with the operating change, not the building search
A useful requirement begins with the business event: a lease expiry, capacity constraint, new market, workflow problem, consolidation, growth plan or change in fleet and inventory. That event determines the questions the space must answer.
Document the current state before proposing the future state. Capture present area, staffing, shifts, storage method, receiving and shipping patterns, equipment, power, office use, customer access and outdoor operations. Then separate what is required on day one from what supports the next phase of the business plan.
Make functional criteria specific enough to compare
Area alone rarely defines industrial fit. A warehouse requirement may depend on clear height, bay depth, dock count, grade doors, trailer circulation, power, sprinklering, office ratio and parking. A small-bay or service-commercial requirement may depend more heavily on grade loading, storefront access, permitted use and customer parking. Yard-oriented uses need a separate description of outdoor area, surfacing, fencing, gates, access and vehicle movement.
Use ranges where flexibility is real and flag non-negotiables where the operation cannot adapt. This keeps the early search broad enough to learn from, while preventing a team from spending time on buildings that cannot support the core workflow.
Set timing, authority and information permissions
A requirement should state when the business needs occupancy, when an internal decision can be made, what lease or project deadlines exist and who can validate the brief. A realistic timing view helps determine whether an existing building, a sublease, a renewal, a relocation or a build-to-suit discussion is even feasible.
The brief should also state what can be shared. IndustrialLeasing.ca keeps a saved requirement private by default. An occupier can separately choose whether de-identified themes may contribute to aggregate research; that permission does not make the requirement public or identify the business.