MEP consultants · United Kingdom
Mechanical, electrical and public health design for buildings across the UK.
SDE is a building services engineering consultancy working nationwide. We design MEP systems at RIBA Stages 0 to 7 for commercial, retail, banking, education, hospitality and industrial projects across all four nations of the United Kingdom.
Fee estimator- Coverage
- United Kingdom
- Disciplines
- Mechanical · Electrical · Public health
- RIBA stages
- 0 – 7
01 / SERVICES
Mechanical, electrical and public health design
Mechanical, electrical and public health are designed in-house and coordinated together, so services are resolved against each other before the drawings are issued. Compliance modelling and BIM delivery are run by the same team, on the same design, rather than bought in once the drawings are fixed.
- Heating and cooling design
- Ventilation design
- BMS and controls design
- Domestic water services
- Drainage design
- Gas services design
- LV distribution design
- Lighting and emergency lighting
- Fire alarm and detection
- Security systems
- Small power and data
- Utilities and renewables
- Dynamic thermal modelling
- TM59 overheating assessment
- SBEM, Part L and Section 6
- Net zero and energy strategy
- TM65 embodied carbon
- Passivhaus design
- BIM modelling at every LOD
- Revit MEP, RIBA Stages 0 to 7
- MEP coordination workshops
- Stage 5 contractor design
- Full BIM services
- COBie data delivery
02 / COVERAGE
MEP design across the United Kingdom
SDE works on projects across all four nations of the United Kingdom. Design is delivered remotely with engineers attending site as the project requires, and we work to the building regulations of the relevant jurisdiction — the Approved Documents in England and Wales, the Technical Handbooks and building warrant process in Scotland, and the Technical Booklets in Northern Ireland.
England
London, the South East, Midlands, North West and North East. Design to the Approved Documents and the Building Regulations 2010.
Scotland
Edinburgh, Glasgow and nationwide. Building warrant applications under the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004.
Wales
Design to the Building Regulations as applied in Wales, including the Welsh Part L and Part F.
Northern Ireland
Belfast and nationwide. Design to the Building Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012 and the Technical Booklets, through district council building control.
Site attendance
Engineers attend site at the stages that need it — surveys, coordination workshops, witnessing and handover.
03 / PROJECTS
Projects
Each project page records the sector, value band, region, RIBA stages and disciplines delivered, so the work can be filtered and compared directly.
04 / CLIENTS
Client feedback
Quoted as written, and attributed to the person who gave it.
SDE has assisted us on many M&E projects over the years ranging from £3k to £4.2m. We have always found Craig easy to deal with and he delivers detailed submissions within a timely manner. SDE would be my first point of call with all projects, I highly recommend them
Working with Craig at SDE has been a game-changer for our project. Their expertise in MEP design brought clarity, efficiency, and innovation to every stage of development. From the initial planning to the final implementation, they demonstrated a deep understanding of technical requirements, compliance standards, and sustainable solutions.
Their ability to translate complex requirements into efficient, compliant, and buildable solutions made a significant impact on our timeline and budget. We greatly appreciated their reliability and expertise, and wouldn't hesitate to work with them again.
05 / RIBA STAGES
What we deliver at each RIBA stage
SDE can be appointed for the full design or for individual stages.
STAGE 1Preparation and brief
Incoming supply capacity, budget loadings and early feasibility.
STAGE 2Concept design
MEP strategy, plant space requirements and utility applications.
STAGE 3Spatial coordination
Coordinated services routes, builder's work openings and plant sizing.
STAGE 4Technical design
Full calculations, schedules and drawings for tender and building warrant.
STAGE 5Manufacturing and construction
Contractor submittal review, site queries and inspections.
STAGE 6Handover
Witnessing, O&M review and as-fitted records.
06 / ARTICLES
Technical articles
Written by SDE engineers, with the standards and sources referenced.
procurement
Why MEP design fees fall as a percentage when project value rises
A flat percentage fee is either too high on large projects or unsustainable on small ones. What actually drives the sliding scale.
regulation
Building warrant or Building Regulations approval: what changes when you cross the border
Scotland requires approval before work starts. England does not always. The difference reshapes the design programme, not just the paperwork.
07 / GOVERNANCE
Accreditations, quality and policies
The documents main contractors and public sector clients request at pre-qualification, published rather than sent on request.
Accreditations and quality
Professional memberships and certifications held across the team, and the design review, checking and approval process before any drawing is issued.
Health and safety
CDM 2015 designer duties, risk elimination and the design risk register.
Environmental policy
How carbon is considered in design decisions, and the practice's own footprint.