I took that to mean they are readying the equipment in anticipation of the purchase order for the production equipment that they are absolutely certain to be forthcoming.
The purchase order may come late, but they still want to have the equipment ready to deliver on the original schedule to not delay the project.
Does preparing a bill of materials qualify as "readying?" Over the years, QMC's ambiguous language always felt just cutesy enough to provide a level of legal protection.