The techmeisters

As you may have guessed, it comes down to computers: most of us feel inadequate when it comes to IT proficiency, and now it's the M&E contractor's turn. This is because modern building systems are getting dauntingly complex. These days, companies want highly controllable energy-efficient heating, cooling and lighting systems, and – in our terror-conscious world – the best security systems money can buy. They want the latest IT and telecoms technology and they want to be able to easily reconfigure it as their business evolves. Building services managers want to know if the fire alarm has gone off when they are on the other side of the world, and office workers want to be able to turn down the air-conditioning from their desktop computer. The problem is, installing and configuring these systems is beyond the average M&E contractor, and even consultants are struggling get their heads round what is required.

A few smart movers have responded to this changing market by creating a new breed of specialist: the technology contractor. This ringmaster co-ordinates all of a building's services, as well as its IT systems, and in some case, the telecoms system too. "I guess the reasons these companies are setting up is because it requires a heck of a lot of thought and skill to be able to put these kinds of systems together," says Mark Cunniffe, senior partner at services engineer Hoare Lea. "The general M&E contractor wouldn't be able to deal with it."

The Mitie Group, which owns traditional M&E contractor Mitie Engineering Services, has shown itself to be on top of this trend by establishing a company called Mitie Technology. Peter Abbott, its director, explains why: "The functionality of the building is down to the services, data and telecom installation – the technology in the building. It's the flexibility and integrity of that which is important to the client," he says. "We believe there is a real need in the marketplace for technology end solutions, so we have set up this division. We take control of the whole thing, including costing, budgeting, planning, programming, installing and maintenance of the scheme."

Mitie Technology tackles a diverse range of technology tasks. If necessary, it will take on the job straight from the telecom provider, such as British Telecom, and dig up the road itself to lay the fibre-optic cable. It will distribute the cable around the building and sort out the services and the IT system. If the client is a big bank or switch centre operator, it will also take care of putting in standby power and back-up generation to ensure the client's data systems never fail.

The only other technology contractor from a traditional M&E background is Bailey Telecom, an offshoot of NG Bailey. Most of the other technology contractors – firms such as Invensys Climate Controls Europe, Trend Controls and Johnson Controls – have their heart in systems manufacturing. They don't always install their own products; there is a such a diverse range available that, since many building control systems share a common language (see "Orchestration", below), products from different manufacturers can be mixed together.

One advance that is driving the rise of technology contractors is open-system architecture. All of the building systems are connected through one lot of wires, rather than having separate sets for the services, telecoms and IT. With separate wiring, a whole host of specialists can install their system without understanding the rest of a building's services. An open system demands that the installer understands the full gamut of a building's systems and can ensure that they are fully integrated. Integrating the systems is important because if, for example, the fire alarm goes off, then you also want your security doors to unlock.

Currently, only a few clients need the services of a technology contractor. "About 2% to 5% of our projects use this open-system architecture. It might not sound much, but it's growing and has the potential to grow much more," says Cunniffe. Especially since the demand comes from high-value clients, such as banks, telecoms and pharmaceutical companies, all of which need super-sophisticated technology.

Open systems are set to become the norm in a few years because of the benefits they offer; they can be easily reconfigured if a client changes their office around. "I would say open systems cost about the same as separately cabled systems, but the end user benefits rather more," says Cunniffe. "The developer could use this as an argument to persuade tenants to move into a development."

The problem facing this budding industry is a chronic skills shortage – only a handful of M&E contractors are up to speed. Peter Rogers heads up Arup's controls and commissioning division and had been brought in specifically to provide integrated solutions for building services and technology at Arup. "There are very few people who have the expertise," he says. "It is getting more and more difficult to find someone to provide the total package. Its getting harder and harder to keep up. A lot more training is required both on the installation and design side."

Cunniffe reckons anyone who can crack this problem has got it made. "I predict, in six years' time, maybe 30% to 40% of the marketplace will use integrated systems. There's big money in all of that; if you can deliver, it's fabulous."