Dubai, UAE, 7 November 2018: In view of the immense growth potential of the Middle East region, Pramod Kumar Jha, Senior Mechanical Engineer, Building Services, Middle East, Atkins, Member of SNC Lavalin, stressed that the region needs more metro-experienced MEP professionals who have knowledge of local climate, culture and authority requirements.  “With the Dubai Metro running trouble-free over the last nine years and new metro projects being under construction in the region, the metro MEP expertise has increased over the years,” he said. “However, there is still scope for enhancing metro expertise in the region.”

With the importance of such projects, Jha quickly stressed that it is vital for stakeholders to focus on long-term cost over short-term savings. “There is a saying that the ‘customer always pays’,” he said. “Possibly, one may pay less initially, by choosing the cheapest available product and services, and pay later, in terms of poor quality, high operating cost, more breakdowns and repairs. This quote also holds good for consultancy services. The client may pay less initially, hiring the cheapest MEP consultant with less or no metro experience and this will result in inefficient MEP services design, which will cost more during construction and operation, in terms of cost variations, due to change notice and high O&M cost.” Jha stressed that the client will always benefit from making the right choice in expert consultants, after undertaking proper cost-benefit analysis, based on overall cost of the project for its lifecycle.

Jha will hold a seminar on ‘Design of environmental control and ventilation systems for metro projects in the Middle East region’ during the HVAC R Expo, part of The Big 5 Dubai. The talk will be held on Tuesday, November 27, from 1:00pm-1:45pm.

Hannah Jo Uy is Assistant Editor at Climate Control Middle East magazine. She may be contacted at hannah@cpi-industry.com