Air Conditioning Contractor
Full mechanical contractor services for commercial fit-out — design, install, commission and hand over to CIBSE and BSRIA standards, with a health-and-safety-first culture.
From Priced per tender
Fixed-price quote, held to the day.
Programmed to main-contractor schedule
Typical timeline from survey to commissioning.
5-Year Warranty
Parts and labour covered on every install.
F-Gas Certified
REFCOM-registered engineers on every job.
- SafeContractor & CHAS accredited
- ISO 9001 quality management
- Full RAMS on request
- Weekly WhatsApp progress reports for site teams
Why choose this
- SafeContractor & CHAS accredited
- ISO 9001 quality management
- Full RAMS on request
- Weekly WhatsApp progress reports for site teams
What's included
- RIBA Stage 2–7 involvement
- Design & build or install-only packages
- CDM 2015 compliant
- O&M manuals and as-built drawings on completion
Working with M&E consultants
We're comfortable taking a consultant's design and delivering to spec, or offering value engineering alternatives before order. For design-build packages we produce full drawing sets, load calculations, DNO applications and F-Gas registration paperwork — everything the M&E design team would produce, tender-priced.
Our design team includes two chartered building services engineers and one MCS-qualified heat pump designer, so we can hold our own in RIBA Stage 3 workshops and produce drawings compatible with your architect's Revit model at LOD 300 or higher. We work in AutoCAD, Revit and PDF as required.
Site delivery
Every job gets a dedicated site supervisor with SMSTS/SSSTS, daily briefings and photographic progress reports. We integrate with your programme (Asta or Primavera) and hold to promised dates — commercial delay damages are usually more than the entire M package value, and we operate accordingly.
We track programme adherence weekly and flag slippage at least 5 working days ahead of impact. Extra shifts, weekend working and additional labour are quoted as options rather than assumed as recovery obligation — you decide whether recovery is worth the cost or whether the following trades can absorb the day.
Handover pack
Completion delivers commissioning certificates (BSRIA BG 49 format), F-Gas log book, O&M manual, as-built drawings, EPC-update data and client training. Full electronic pack on USB or client portal.
O&M manuals are structured to the CIBSE Guide M template with sections for: system description, equipment schedules, spare parts lists, service intervals, statutory compliance requirements, warranty terms and emergency contacts. Not a stack of manufacturer PDFs — a curated document your FM team can actually use.
Health, safety and CDM
We operate as either Principal Contractor or subcontractor under CDM 2015. Every project has RAMS specific to that site — no template swaps. Toolbox talks are logged daily; near-miss and injury statistics reported monthly to your HSE lead.
Accreditations: SafeContractor (currently 5 stars, renewed annually), CHAS Elite, Constructionline Gold, ISO 9001 and ISO 45001. Certificates available on demand for PQQ and tender documentation.
Design and value engineering
Many consultant designs land in tender at 20–30% over the client's budget. Rather than declining or padding, we routinely offer value engineering options at bid stage — alternative equipment brands, refined pipe routing, split-phase installation. We present the trade-offs (running cost, warranty impact, aesthetic change) and let the client and consultant decide.
Average VE saving on our commercial bids across the last 24 months: 14.2% versus consultant specification, with no change to CIBSE compliance or performance metrics. All VE proposals are documented in writing and require formal consultant sign-off before we proceed.
Sector experience
Recent sectors: prime residential (Central London and Manchester), commercial offices (single-tenant fit-outs 500–4,000 m²), hospitality (boutique hotels and gastro pubs), healthcare (GP surgeries, private clinics), education (small independent schools and university academic buildings) and light industrial (labs, clean rooms, distribution).
We do not currently take on high-hazard industrial (petrochemical, pharma clean rooms above ISO Class 6) or nuclear-adjacent work — we refer these to specialist partners with the required accreditations.
Framework and public sector experience
We hold current places on several public sector frameworks including NHS Shared Business Services, Crown Commercial Service RM6165 (Building Materials & Products), and multiple Local Authority approved-contractor lists. Framework pricing is generally locked to a published rate card with quarterly indexation to CPI.
We are also experienced with SOR (Schedule of Rates) pricing common in housing associations, university estates and NHS trusts. Our SOR conformity is checked by an independent QS at bid stage — no surprise supplements at final account.
Retention, DLP and defects management
Standard commercial terms include a 12-month Defects Liability Period with 3% retention held against snags. We provide a formal snagging schedule at Practical Completion and complete outstanding items within 30 days unless client-side dependencies exist.
Our defect response is guaranteed within 4 working days for non-critical items and 24 hours for anything affecting building operation. Post-DLP we typically continue with a Silver or Gold PPM contract, providing continuity of the engineers who commissioned the system into the operational phase.
Digital handover: BIM, CAFM and data continuity
For BIM Level 2 projects we deliver our M package data as IFC 2×3 or IFC 4 files, coordinated with the architect's federated model. Equipment asset data is exported in COBie format for direct import into most CAFM platforms (Concept Evolution, Planon, Elogbooks).
We also publish an API-accessible asset register with sensor data streams where BMS integration allows — supporting predictive maintenance and digital twin applications. Data continuity from design through operation is a genuine competitive differentiator on modern commercial fit-outs.
Programme delivery — typical project timeline
A typical 800 m² commercial fit-out HVAC package runs to a 14-week programme from award: weeks 1-2 design coordination and drawing package; weeks 3-4 procurement and equipment order; weeks 5-8 first-fix installation of pipework, ductwork and electrical distribution; weeks 9-11 second-fix installation of indoor units, controllers and grilles; weeks 12-13 commissioning, testing and BMS integration; week 14 witness commissioning, snagging and handover.
Milestones are contractually fixed at award and reported weekly against actuals. Programme slippage triggers formal change control — we quote acceleration options (additional labour, extended hours, expedited delivery) rather than absorbing recovery risk silently. Historic on-time completion across 87 commercial projects delivered 2022-2025: 91% on originally programmed date, 98% within 5 working days of programmed date.
Value engineering — real savings without compromise
Value engineering (VE) delivered £2.4m of cumulative capex savings for our clients in 2024 alone, without compromising CIBSE compliance or system performance. Common VE moves include: alternative equipment brand delivering equivalent performance at 12-18% lower cost, refined pipe routing eliminating 20-40% of copper runs, split-phase installation aligning with main contractor's other trades to eliminate labour idle time, and specification refinement removing gold-plating from consultant-drawn spec sheets.
All VE proposals arrive in writing with performance impact quantified — no verbal shortcuts, no hidden reductions. Client and consultant retain full approval authority; nothing is changed unilaterally. We publish anonymised VE case studies quarterly showing before/after specifications, cost delta and performance data. This transparency is why we win repeat business from major M&E consultants and main contractors — VE is a value add, not a race to the bottom.
Insurance-backed guarantees and financial stability
Every commercial contract can be backed by an Insurance-Backed Guarantee (IBG) — protecting your warranty rights even if we cease trading during the warranty period. Cost is typically 1.5-2.5% of contract value, arranged through our commercial broker at RIBA Stage 4 or later.
We publish annual accounts on Companies House and maintain a Dun & Bradstreet financial stability rating of 4A1 (very low risk of failure). Our contract insurance covers projects up to £5m single value and £15m annual aggregate; higher values available on request via project-specific parametric bonds. Financial due diligence packs are provided as standard on any tender above £250k.
Frequently asked questions
Do you work as a sub-contractor to main contractors?＋
Yes — most of our commercial workload is exactly this. NEC3 Option A or JCT terms accepted.
Do you provide retention bonds?＋
For projects over £250k, yes — via our commercial insurance broker.
Can you complete DNO applications?＋
Yes — G99 applications for VRF and heat pump connections >16 A per phase, submitted and tracked to approval.
Do you tender fixed-price or cost-plus?＋
Both — most commercial work is fixed-price lump sum. Cost-plus available for open-book framework arrangements.
Can you manage refrigerant compliance for existing estates?＋
Yes — F-Gas Responsible Person service across multi-site estates, with annual leak checks, log book maintenance and Environment Agency correspondence handled centrally.
Do you offer post-completion service contracts?＋
Yes — we default to a 12-month DLP with the option to convert to Silver, Gold or Platinum PPM at practical completion.
Do you work under NEC3, JCT or bespoke forms?＋
All standard forms accepted. Our contracts team reviews bespoke terms and flags any that materially change risk allocation.
Can you accept liquidated damages?＋
Yes — negotiated at contract award. Our historic performance data supports typical LD levels of 1–2.5% of contract value per week of delay.
Do you take on framework and DPS opportunities?＋
Yes — we hold current places on NHS Shared Business Services, Crown Commercial Service RM6165 and various local authority frameworks. We are actively pursuing places on additional DPS arrangements for education and social housing sectors. Framework rate cards are published and CPI-indexed quarterly; DPS opportunities are pursued via our commercial team and priced against published SOR schedules.
Related services
Home Air Conditioning Installation
Whole-home cooling & heating with quiet inverter splits engineered for UK houses and flats.
Commercial Air Conditioning Installation
Retail, hospitality and mixed-use fit-outs — cassettes, ducted and VRF with BMS integration.
Office Air Conditioning Installation
Discrete cassette and ducted systems that keep meeting rooms cool without wall-mounted eyesores.
UK-Based Coordinators, 7 Days a Week
Our friendly team answers every call, message and booking request — day, night, weekends and bank holidays. No call centres, no bots, no waiting in a queue. Speak to a real coordinator who dispatches an F-Gas certified engineer fast.