Facilitating MEP

McGeever believes MEP to be a sub-set of facilities management.
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The economic downturn has resulted in civil contractors and real-estate developers entering the MEP services sector, while MEP service providers are increasingly looking at facilities management to sustain them through the lean times. We take a closer look at some of the latest developments in the FM industry and what this bodes for MEP.

Mike McGeever, managing director of Transguard, which recently acquired MEP contractor MACAir, says there is a natural dichotomy between contracting and maintenance that the MEP industry, in particular, can take advantage of.

“MEP maintenance and FM are two sides of the same coin: I think MEP maintenance is a sub-set of FM. I do not think you can be an FM company if you are not able to provide the full package. What we are doing is making ourselves a supplier of choice to enable customers to sit down and negotiate with us for all sorts of activities.

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“Many MEP companies have aspired, and some have managed to become, FM companies, particularly in Europe. Similarly, single trick ponies – catering and cleaning companies – have also moved up the value chain to FM. I think MEP is just another example,” says McGeever.

He is careful to add that this does not mean a compromise on quality. “I do not think we are in a business of compromising on quality. I do not think you can, particularly with MEP, as health and safety issues are wrapped around it. Very often, particularly with MEP, security issues are also wrapped around it, so I do not think we can cut corners. Short-termism is inimical to long-term quality in both FM and MEP.”

Synergies
Atkins design director for building services Keith Hill comments that one way that MEP and FM can exploit the natural synergies between the two sectors is to look at implementing a scheme similar to the Soft Landings programme of the Building Services Research and Information Association (BSRIA) and the Usable Buildings Trust of the UK.

Soft Landings aims to provide the necessary structure for project teams to stay engaged after practical completion of a project, working with the client during the first months of operation to fine-tune and debug systems, and ensure the occupiers understand how to control and optimally utilise their new work environment.

Interestingly, the Soft Landings process is designed to extend up to three years post-completion, with a framework that includes procedures and example checklists, which act as signposts for design teams to help end-users get to grips with their often unfamiliar and complex buildings. In addition, it allows for a full programme of post-occupancy evaluation that the project team can use to improve a building’s performance and make it sustainable over the long-term.

“Systematic post-occupancy evaluation is widely recognised to be a hugely important step in the right direction, but it needs to be linked to a rational methodology for assessing the briefing, design and commissioning stages. This is where Soft Landings comes into its own, closing the loop between design, construction, operation, feedback and into design again. As the name suggests, Soft Landings aims to provide better buildings and a more effective service to the client,” explains Bennetts Associates architect and principal Rab Bennetts.