The importance of electrical, mechanical and electronic installations in modern buildings continues to increase. Sophisticated control systems and installations which improve the internal environment for the occupants are in high demand. At the same time, economies in initial installation costs and long term running costs are a key requirement.

We foresee that even more complex services installations will be developed, particularly in the light of environmental issues and the need for fuel conservation. Information technology is making an increasing impact on traditional building services and running costs are becoming an even more important consideration.

The building services component of a modern office building can account for 15 to 50% of the project cost, depending on the sophistication of the services, the type of air-conditioning system and the inclusion of systems such as sprinklers, fire detection, evacuation, access control, security, CCTV, building management systems and the like. Lifts and escalators also have a significant impact on this component.

It is therefore imperative that meticulous procurement methods and cost control of these services form part of overall budget control. This can only be done by quantity surveyors experienced in this field, making use of established systems and knowledge of the work involved.