Design of MEP - Electrical works - Activities that can adversely impact business

There are various types of packages under MEP services such as below, but not limited to:

1.      Design of Electrical - external and Internal works

2.      Designing of Airconditioning -Works

3.      Design of lighting works

4.      Design of plumbing and water (hot and cold) supply works

5.      Energy management works for green building,

6.      Firefighting works

7.      Designing of lifts/elevators works

8.      Design of STP (sewerage treatment plant) works

9.      Waste management works

10. Design of fuel storage and supply works

11. Design of solar energy works

12. Design of wind engineering works

13. Design of audio-visual works

14. Heating works

15. Ventilation & exhaust works

16. Acoustics works

17. Facility management works

18. Hospitality works like kitchen and laundry

19. IT infrastructure

20. Building automation, and so on

This blog covers only the Design of Electrical - external and Internal works for any type of buildings used for residential, commercial, shopping malls, education institutes, hotels, hospitals, offices, etc

Characteristics of a Robust Electrical Design works can be measured vis a vis:

·       Optimum usage of energy-saving BOQ materials and systems for Electricals (eg. Transformers, Solar power systems, low fuel consumption Gensets, etc.)

·      BOQ and the entire electrical system that conforms to international & local Quality standards

·      Design schemes that enable installation & commissioning of equipment with optimised capacity

·      Layout schemes designed for power supply distribution systems, cables, and wires    that are optimum and are concealed   

·      Coming up with designs that are eco-friendly and sustainable energy

·      Design arrangements that enable easy maintainability

·      Incorporate flexibility in the design to meet challenges towards potential changes in technology or energy savings or costs   

·      Coming up with design solutions that are scalable /expandable

·      Configuring the design of electrical BOQ, their installation, and commissioning that ensure conformance of integrated system to meet statutory requirements  

·      Approving specifications/brands of BOQ that enable the least downtime 

·      Approving designs that lay focus on the total cost of ownership including running costs

·       Approving designs for all types of lights, including fixtures and lamps for internal and landscape Lighting 

·       

·      Delivering drawings and line diagrams that are easy to understand and incorporate international standards for symbols of electrical parts and numbering of wires and components

·      Integrated building management systems

Inputs that contribute to making an excellent Electrical design include:

      1 Proposing the right choice of strong materials, in terms of specifications while

       optimizing costs for:  

2 Incorporating, in Electrical works related to design & drawings, good practices for construction or & installation of the following as per applicable Quality standards:

i)External electrical/High side designs

·       Installing & commissioning sub-station equipment like ACB, VCB, etc

·       Installing & commissioning HT cables, and earthing

·       Installing & commissioning rising mains, metering boxes, panels

·       Installing & commissioning DG sets, Solar panels

·       Installing & commissioning exhaust systems, cooling towers, etc

·       Installation, testing, and commissioning of completed high-side External electrical package

And so on

ii)Inside electrical/low side designs

·       Laying of conduits, wires, cables, and accessories

·       Installing & commissioning electrical fixtures and lamps

·       Installing & commissioning access control systems like CCTV, Videophones

·       Installing & commissioning metering units and public address system, telephones, etc

·       Installation, testing, and commissioning of a completed low-side electrical package

And so on

iii)Providing inputs to the building architects, landscape and softscape architects, Interior designers, and all other MEP-package designers for integration of all designs across the project  

3 Building quality in the designing MEP-Electrical design process-using designing software:

Essential technical steps/activities include performing the following for developing designs.

·       Computing total power loads, assessing the capacity of each type of equipment

·       Incorporating installation, testing, and commissioning aspects  

·       Including detailed 3D models depicting electrical components like entire electrical layouts with BOQ depicted, ductwork, electrical fixtures, Lighting, lamps, switches, sockets, etc.

·       Circuit designs and reuse

·       Identify any inter or intra-discipline clashes 

·       Develop electrical works related to shop drawings using international conventions for wires and component -numbering tags

·       Designs supporting all applicable electrical standards

Software like AutoCAD Electrical, Smart Draw, Autodesk, Ansys, or similar ones having 3D MEP BIM modeling features can be considered for developing electrical works related to designs

Eight stages for developing the design of Electricals    

Design activities vary considerably from company to company, but generally, there are eight stages to designing the MEP-Electrical works for buildings as below. Whatever designing processes and software are used, designing must result in developing Robust designs by accomplishing the following:

·       Build designs that are comprehensive, accurate

·       Contributes to building quality in construction by incorporating national and international quality standards in BOQ/material specifications and construction processes

·       Integrates statutory and safety requirements (if applicable) in the designs and drawings  

·       Optimise project costs

·       Enables efficient delivery of designs & drawings

·       Incorporates maker-checker step in each design stage through the implementation   of segregation of duties concept

Eight stages are

Stage 1 - Develop a preliminary design brief and drawings

Stage 2 - Develop detailed drawings and schemes.

Stage 3 - Develop schematic drawings for statutory approvals

Stage 4 - Develop a Tender with BOQ and specifications

Stage 5 - Develop constructions drawings duly coordinated (GFC)

Stage 6 - Carry out and validation of design calculations

Stage 7 - Making Cost estimates- including values in Rs and Cost/Square foot of saleable area or built up as appropriate.

Stage 8 - Develop as-built design calculations and as-built drawings

This may require using software such as AutoCAD Electrical, Smart Draw, Autodesk, Ansys, and other software options.

The below-listed activities, those marked *reflect those activities which can have adverse statutory implications.

Stage 1 activities that can adversely impact business

·       Strategic plans for design not aligned with the vision

·       Develop a non-comprehensive design brief   

·       Skipping developing all preliminary designs  

Stage 2 activities that can adversely impact business

Making Compromises in the external and internal electrical designs by skipping or compromising on essential aspects such as below.

·       Design features External electrical works – (Diesel Generating sets, substations, High-speed diesel/fuel storage, and distribution, Electrical distribution system and backup system,  ACB-Air circuit breakers, VCB-vacuum circuit breakers, Panels, bus bars, General Lighting, power layouts, and illuminations, distribution boards, switches, Fire doors, Access controls, CCTV, Public address system, telephones, building management system, MATV (Master Antenna Television system), Security system, wi-fi, Solar lighting system, inverter, UPS

·       Design features Internal electrical works (Wirings, Fixtures and fittings, Distribution system, rising mains, MS conduits, insulated conductors, Panels, etc)

·       National and international standards for quality    

·       Specifications of BOQ material

·       Tolerances on workmanship vis a vis installation and commissioning

·       Not incorporating comprehensive Quality requirements

·       Not considering comprehensive Design-related construction processes for external and internal electrical works

·       Without considering standardization leading to higher costs

·       Inaccurate Bill of quantities for each design area /no off

·       Not factoring in acceptance criteria for Electrical design work in process and completed area

·       MEP designer or consultant Insisting on specific brands of BOQ -both external electrical and internal electrical items. * 

·       Compromising specifications for developing samples in collusion with vendor/contractor*

·       Using unlicensed software while developing Electrical designs.  

·       Issuing of design and drawings to Electrical (external or internal) contractor at project site without any version control *

·       Not shredding waste designs/drawings or not deleting obsolete /old soft drawings*

Stage 3 activities that can adversely impact business

·       Not incorporating all requirements vis a vis Statutory approval and sanctioned design/drawings*

·       Bribing mandatory Agencies which approve the safety-related specifications of electrical design works relevant for issuing safety certificates *

·       Contractors influence certifying agencies for making compromising on certification in return for favors. * 

Stage 4 activities that can adversely impact business

·       Making tenders that are not comprehensive vis-à-vis technical specifications or are deliberately stated vaguely for subsequent manipulations amongst the MEP team members and contractor with ulterior motives. * 

·       In the tender, the MEP consultant/employees /engineers include names and brands of specific materials only for pre-identified /preferred vendors of the BOQ materials and MEP designers in return for commission or kickback from such vendors. * 

·       MEP designers recommend only a single source for many BOQ materials and thus leaving very few options with the project materials team to negotiate prices aggressively in return for commission /kickback to MEP designers from such vendors.

·       Tender drawings not incorporating applicable quality standards for all works.

·       Tender drawings not incorporating applicable Statutory requirements vis-à-vis applicable National/International codes w.r.t safety. * 

Stage 5 activities that can adversely impact business

·       Making constructions drawings inaccurate by not obtaining or not incorporating inputs from interfacing functions into various design elements for MEP plans

·       Preparing coordinated drawings for each of relevant External & Internal Electrical work scope items vis designs and drawings without factoring inputs from Architect team, Interior design team

·       Using unlicensed software while developing MEP drawings   

Stage 6 activities that can adversely impact business

·       Validating designs without proper incorporation of all proposed connected power consumption points at different progressive loads or estimated occupancy of constructed areas or pro-rata electrical power consumption over a period  

·       Considering inaccurate proposed power factor & proposed power sanction /KVA* 

·       Inadequate vetting of design efficacy and drawings developed vis-à-vis specification of BOQ materials and installation requirements.  

·       Colluding of main MEP consultant and validating design consultant to accept the design work with incorrect design calculation in return for some favors.  

Stage 7 activities that can adversely impact business

·       Estimating costs based on thumb rules rather than considering detailed working vis a vis each BOQ item (e.g. Generators, ACB, VCB, Cables, Panels, Lights and fixtures, etc.), their quantity, and estimated rates based on tender documents, designs & drawings-external electrical works and internal electrical works  

·       Not considering installation, testing, and commissioning costs 

Stage 8 activities that can adversely impact business

·       Making “As-built drawings” designs and drawings without verification of actual supply and installation of each BOQ material for external and internal electrical works*    

You can read more about the 35 activities that can adversely impact business in Chapter 1 of my handbook ETHICS in the real estate and hospitality industry, Volume 1- Architectural, Interior design, and MEP services “