The word 'Consultancy' often conjures up images of costly middlemen who spend their time finding ways to unnecessarily spend more of 'your' money. Often the opinion of Mechanical & Electrical Building Services Consultants is no different.
As a result particularly in the private residential market, clients often put their trust solely in the builder, developer, contractor or even equipment suppliers to ensure that building services are safe, cost effective to install, run, maintain and are are compliant with all legal requirements.
In other cases Architects and Building Surveyors are expected to carry the responsibility of determining M&E design requirements and the delivery of performance and quality standards, without sufficient financial flexibility to engage with an M&E Consultant.
As a result particularly in the private residential market, clients often put their trust solely in the builder, developer, contractor or even equipment suppliers to ensure that building services are safe, cost effective to install, run, maintain and are are compliant with all legal requirements.
In other cases Architects and Building Surveyors are expected to carry the responsibility of determining M&E design requirements and the delivery of performance and quality standards, without sufficient financial flexibility to engage with an M&E Consultant.
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Why use a Building Services Consultancy?
Note: The above is the opinion of CBS Consulting NI Ltd based on their knowledge of the industry. This is for information and guidance only and is and not a reflection on competitors or any specific companies.
| • | Value & Cost Planning - A Building Services Consultancy will provide pre-contract estimates to enable budgets to be accurately predicted at an early stage. They will also ensure the works are tendered to a range of contractors utilising equipment from a range of alternative suppliers to ensure transparency, competitive pricing and best value for money. Finally they will negotiate contract value, advise on valuations, make payment recommendations and negotiate final account, focusing at all times on the client's best interests. |
| • | Technical Design - A Building Services Consultancy will carry out all necessary calculations & design work to ensure all aspects of the M&E works perform energy efficiently, reliably and comply with the required standards eg Building Regulations. |
| • | Site Co-ordination - A Building Services Consultancy will liaise closely with the M&E Contractors to ensure the project is priced correctly, is completed in a timely manner & complies with the requirements of the design in terms is standards, quality & performance. They will also assist in successfully implementing client design changes and resolution of site issues. |
'Employing the right Building Services Consultant will maximise value for money, minimise ongoing running costs, deliver the required performance levels, futureproof the M&E installations & ensure high quality'
| • | Experience - Given the complex nature of modern Building Services and the cost conscious times we are living in, it is essential that both Mechanical & Electrical Designers have10+ years experience in Building Services, are degree qualified in their discipline and preferably have Chartered Engineer Status (CEng) via CIBSE (chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers) or 'Engineers Ireland'. |
| • | Insurances - A reputable Building Services Consultancy will carry at least £1m Professional Indemnity Insurance (PI), £10m Employer's Liability Insurance (EL) & £5m Public Liability Insurance (PL) |
| • | Recommendations - Signed recommendations from clients for the company and/or staff are essential and should where possible be verified with the clients which provided them. Where possible seek example documentation from a similar project for review. |
| • | Costs & Duties - Expect to receive and insist on a formal fee proposal. Consider the small print carefully. Are there additional charges for re-design and if so how much? Are expenses inclusive? Verify that all of the design elements and duties are clearly listed to avoid confusion - sadly it is not unknown for elements of design to be passed-on to suppliers due to limited time constraints or in an effort to increase profit margins; thus potentially limiting value for money in the process (outright specification of a single supplier on generic type items is often a tell tale sign). |
| • | Standards - A reputable Building Services design consultancy will adhere to the ACE (Association of Consulting Engineers) standards in the provision of the services for which they have been appointed. |
When choosing a building services design consultancy, be sure to consider the following:
'Put simply, a good Building Services Consultant is independent, impartial, client focused and highly experienced in their industry. Their fees will easily be justified in reduced installation costs & reduced ongoing running costs'
Using a building services consultant has a number of advantages including:
