CONSULTANT VIEW
32 MEP Middle East | N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 8 http://www.mepmiddleeast.com
C
anada-headquartered global con-
sultancy fi rm WSP has almost 30
major projects in the GCC spread
across diverse a portfolio. “We
have over 30 major projects across
different stages in the project life
cycle. Our projects are diverse and span across
many key sectors including rail, commercial,
hospitality, and residential. Currently, WSP in
the Middle East has fi ve high-rise towers (60-80
storey) on its books,” says Mark Farley, direc-
tor of building ser vices, Middle East, at WSP.
Farley says that the fi rm sees itself as “a
very strong local building services company
that has the expertise of several projects that
bring about many different challenges”. He
says: “If we encounter a challenge on a proj-
ect, we are very good at responding locally.
We also have the expertise and knowledge
base around the globe to bring in experts to
the local market.”
Talking about the MEP sector, Farley says
that the market is “challenging but ever-
changing”. The market is price competitive
from a soft and hard cost perspective. Hard
costs are tangible assets that you need to
acquire to complete your construction project.
Hard costs are quantifi able and can be deter-
mined with such certainty that usually they
are detailed by an experienced estimator. Soft
costs on the other hand are costs that are not
considered in direct construction costs. Soft
costs include everything from architectural
and engineering fees, to legal fees, pre- and
post-construction expenses, permits and
t a xes , i nsu r a nce, et c. He s ays: “ For cont r ac -
tors, the challenge is hard costs, whereas
for consultants, it’s soft costs. There’s a realThe challenge is that
clients are taking longer to
award [projects] because
they want to check the
feasibility and make sure
the project is the right fi t
for the market.‰
TO CHANGE
AdaptingAdapting
One needs to adapt in this price challenging market, says Mark
Farley, director of building services, Middle East, WSP
challenge in my area in terms of maintaining
value. So if the price is more competitive and
the soft costs are challenged, what we’ve got
to do as WSP is to make sure we’re delivering
the same end product that the client desires.”
Farley admits that the client’s mindset and
their approach to projects are changing. He
says that there is a more managed approach
to projects. “For me, it’s a maturing market,
and the challenge is that clients are taking
longer to awa rd [proje c t s] be c ause t hey wa nt
to check the feasibility and make sure the
project is the right fi t for the market. We
just need to fi t into that and be responsive
to clients.”Technology
Also, talking about the client’s mindset,
there is greater interest in adopting technol-
ogy. “Technology is rapidly changing. BIM
(Building Information Modelling) is a great
example. BIM’s been around for quite a long
time, but it’s still developing, improving,
and progressing. WSP acquired a BIM Onecompany that feeds into a piece of software
called BIM Track.” BIM Track is an innovative
web - based tech nolog y desig ned to ma x i m i z e
interdisciplinary collaboration in digital 3D
model construction and management. Com-
bining various 3D coordination and model-
ling software applications, this solution helps
consolidate project information. This enables
ac t ive pa r t ic ipat ion of ever yone i nvolved i n t he
BIM process, at both the design and construc-
tion stages, using any type of device (desktop
computer, tablet or smartphone).
Contractors now are engaged in BIM, Farley
believes. He says. “You’ve got to take into
account that the contractors have thousands
of people working with them. It’s a complete
change in the way they do things. So, I under-
st a nd t hat when we work w it h cont r ac tor s , we
review the BIM models with them. To me, BIM
is the only way to do things.”
At WSP technology is embedded in every-
thing that is done, says Farley. “Technology
has been part of what we do for the past 20-
30 years, and it’s part of what we do now,
and will be a part of what we do in 30 years’
time. We’ve got to be on track with where
technology is. We’ve got to keep pace with the
market. We have various ways of doing that.
We’ve got our offi ce setup, which has multiple
screens, docking stations, and hot desks. It’s a
very collaborative working area. It very much
starts at the workspace and our infrastructure.
And the way we actually operate is consistent
across all our offi ces, and you’ll notice that if
you ever come to any of our sites, and any of
our design offi ces.
“So we believe in creating the right work
environment. We’ve got virtual reality rooms