BMS pre-design that stopsLondon projects unravellingat commissioning.
Points schedules, controls narratives, I/O counts and specification writing — authored in-house by controls engineers, not lifted from a template that doesn't match your plant.
BMS Pre-Design, explainedwithout the marketing gloss.
BMS pre-design is the engineering document set that defines exactly how a Building Management System will control every piece of plant on a project: point counts, control sequences, setpoints, alarm strategy, interlocks, protocol strategy, graphics scope and commissioning checklist.
M&E consultants, main contractors, developers and end-clients who need a controls specification that stands up to tender scrutiny and doesn't collapse into RFIs the day site work starts.
RIBA Stage 3–4 on new-builds; before tender on refurbishments; before a legacy BMS replacement is put to market; and whenever an existing specification is a copy-paste template unrelated to the actual plant on the drawings.
Every energy figure, tender price, commissioning duration and future maintenance liability on a project is set by the quality of the controls narrative. A weak pre-design is billed back through variations, delays and years of avoidable service visits.
What happens whenthis gets left alone.
Skipping a proper BMS pre-design is the single most expensive false economy on a controls project.
- Missing points at tender become variations at installation — usually at three or four times the original per-point cost.
- Controls narratives copied from a previous project don't match the plant on the drawings, forcing on-the-fly logic during commissioning.
- Alarm strategies written after the fact become the operator's daily nuisance for the next decade.
- No protocol strategy at pre-design means gateways, licences and integration costs land as surprises during commissioning.
- A weak specification lets low-quality installers underbid — the client pays the difference back over ten years in service costs.
- ×Assuming the consultant's spec is a controls narrative — it usually isn't detailed enough to build from.
- ×Letting the installing contractor 'do the design as they go' — the client never sees the logic and can't audit it later.
- ×Ignoring integration and metering scope until after tender.
- ×No graphics scope at pre-design — everyone assumes 'the graphics will be nice' and then argues about it at handover.
How we deliverbms pre-design.
- Step 01Design intake
We review M&E drawings, schematics, plant schedules, energy strategy and any existing consultant specifications.
- Step 02Points & I/O schedule
Every input and output on every panel counted, categorised (UI/AI/DI/DO/UO) and tied back to plant and protocol.
- Step 03Controls narrative
Written sequence-of-operation for every subsystem — AHUs, FCUs, boilers, chillers, heat networks, DHW, lighting interfaces, metering — in plain English an installer can build from and an operator can read.
- Step 04Alarm & graphics strategy
Alarm classes, priorities, escalation paths and dashboard hierarchy defined up front — not left to whichever engineer happens to build the graphic.
- Step 05Protocol & integration strategy
BACnet, Modbus, KNX, LON, M-Bus and metering integration mapped, with licence and gateway requirements identified.
- Step 06Deliverables & tender pack
Fully packaged pre-design document set, ready to issue for tender or to hand to your chosen installer.
What the right bms pre-designactually gives you.
Every installer bids the same scope. Comparisons become like-for-like and variations shrink.
A detailed narrative eliminates the vast majority of controls RFIs during construction.
Every point on the schedule is a point to be proved — commissioning follows the document, not the mood of the day.
The client owns a written record of what the BMS was meant to do — invaluable for future service, refurb and audits.
Setpoints, schedules and interlocks decided by an engineer at pre-design outperform anything decided under commissioning pressure.
Protocols and gateways specified openly — no proprietary lock-in written into the tender.
Detail thatbuyers ask about.
Pre-design scope flexes with project stage, procurement route and client sophistication:
All pre-design is authored in-house by controls engineers with 13+ years' hands-on delivery experience. Documents are protocol-agnostic and specify products from the Forest Rock supply chain where relevant (Tridium, Distech, ABB, Mitsubishi, Phoenix Contact, iSMA Controlli, Janitza, Circutor, Thermokon, Eastron, SkySpark). Our professional indemnity cover is £10M.
Residential pre-design tends to focus on landlord-side plant, resident comfort feedback and heat-network billing integrity, while commercial and healthcare pre-design demands tighter alarm schemas, formal SLA readiness and multi-tenant metering separation.
Comprehensive narrative, points schedule, alarm and graphics strategy, protocol strategy and commissioning brief for a full new-build project.
Focused pre-design used to strengthen an existing consultant spec ahead of tender — closes the gaps that would otherwise become variations.
Legacy BMS surveyed, existing panels and controllers audited, replacement scope written against real site conditions rather than assumptions.
Sub-metering point counts, meter types (Circutor, Janitza, Eastron, Hobut), pulse vs Modbus TCP, and M&T dashboard scope defined at pre-design — not bolted on later.
Hospital, laboratory and data-centre pre-design accounting for interlocks, redundancy, alarm escalation and out-of-hours SLA implications.
Controls strategy for heat networks, heat pumps, thermal stores, EV integration and demand-side response designed in from day one.
BMS Pre-Designquestions, answered.
Anything not covered here? Call us on 07500 040578.
BMS work is bespoke and project-based — pricing is quote on application, issued in writing after a site or specification review.
Do you charge for pre-design as a standalone service?
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Yes — pre-design can be delivered standalone, ahead of tender, or as the front end of a full installation project. Priced per project on application.
How long does a BMS pre-design take?
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A single-plantroom pre-design typically takes days to a couple of weeks; a full multi-building portfolio is a phased programme. We agree scope and timeline in writing.
Do you work vendor-independently?
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Yes. Our pre-designs specify open protocols (BACnet, Modbus, KNX, LON, M-Bus) and are not written to lock the client into any single manufacturer.
Can you audit an existing specification?
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Yes — a common engagement. We review an existing consultant spec, flag gaps, and either patch it or issue a replacement narrative.
Do you cover metering and M&T at pre-design?
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Yes — sub-metering, meter selection, pulse vs Modbus, and M&T dashboard scope are defined at pre-design, not bolted on later.
Who owns the deliverables?
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The client owns the pre-design document set — including all narratives, schedules and strategies — and can issue them to any installer for tender.
Do you cover the graphics scope?
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Yes — alarm classes, dashboard hierarchy and screen intent are set at pre-design so the graphics build isn't a debate at commissioning.
Do you deliver directly to consultants and main contractors?
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Yes — we work both direct to end clients and under formal contract to M&E contractors and consultants.
Send us the spec.We'll come back with a fixed scope.
Every bms pre-design enquiry is scoped and quoted in writing — no 'from' prices, no hidden variations, no proprietary lock-in. Response within one working day, sooner for anything urgent.