Electrical team engages with suppliers to ensure high-quality installations

The team have recently launched a Preferred Installation Methods Guide, intended to make sure electrical contractors know the standard that is expected of them when carrying out installations, leading to better-quality work on University property. Last week Acting Electrical Engineer Steve Harris was invited to address a breakfast briefing at Bojen Electrical, one of the University’s major electrical contractors, on the subject.

The Guide is now distributed to all preferred electrical contractors, and will form part of the induction process when new ones are appointed. Some of its contents were already available, and much of it is simply highlighting areas in which University installations must comply with wider electrical regulations. Other examples are more idiosyncratic to the University – particular ways it wants certain kinds of installation done. This is the first time all this material has been gathered together in an easily accessible form, and it will be updated regularly in future.

All the examples included are things that have caused trouble for the University over the years, accompanied by photos of past poor workmanship to prove it. The Guide provides a fast, accessible way to show electrical installers what they need to do in order to enjoy a long and profitable relationship with the University, and so far it has been well received. This will ultimately be good for everyone involved, including for University engineers, who should have to spend less time getting unsatisfactory work put right. As part of the same process of supplier engagement, contractors are encouraged to tell the University when they find something that is wrong, rather than simply ignoring problems that do not directly affect the job they are doing.