centre of attention
LOOKING AHEAD
The UK’s data centre industry must do more to educate clients and develop a
training infrastructure if it’s going to capitalise on the opportunities open to it,
writes Steve Martin of the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA).
O
ur industry is at a
crossroads. Over the
last year some of the
biggest names in the
world of technology
have announced their intentions to
build new data centres her e, and the
UK is hotly tipped to become the
biggest market in Europe for this
technology by 2020.
But despite the growth and
growing confidence in the UK’s data
centre market, clients’ understanding
of the industry – and the technology
it designs and develops – is still
relatively low. Part of the problem is
the fact that very few of them have
data centre specialists within their
businesses, and when data centre
management is just one aspect of a
senior figure’s job, it can be difficult
– if not impossible – for them to
develop an in-depth knowledge of
what it involves.
Even when a client has in-house
expertise in this area, it’s common
for the commissioning process to be
heavily influenced by their procurement
department, which increases the risk
that the contract will be awarded to
the supplier who puts in the most
competitive offer. I’m not saying price
12
isn’t important, but making it the
deciding factor when judging data
centre tenders is far from an ideal
approach – and, in some cases it
can end up costing the client more
in the long run. There have been
occasions where clients have not only
lost the initial saving they made by
choosing the cheapest contractor, but
they’ve actually had to invest more in
upgrading or fixing their data centre
after the installation has taken place
and the technology hasn’t been able to
fulfil the role it was designed for.
In this scenario, it isn’t just the
clients who are affected. There’s a
risk of the industry being labelled
as low cost and low quality or as
expensive troubleshooters – an unfair,
inaccurate image that disregards
the care and attention the industry
takes in designing and building data
centres, and the importance we place
on client service.
This might be part of the issue
– the care the industry takes in
designing and building data centres
creates an opening for firms who don’t
share those values to win work at the
expense of the established firms in
the industry, because they can offer to
carry it out for a lower price.
One potential solution would be
to develop something for clients that
enables them – or their procurement
department – to know what to look
for when reviewing tenders for a
data centre contract, similar to
Pre-Qualification Questionnaires
(PQQs). PQQs have been used
successfully in the construction
industry to ensure suppliers are only
invited to tender for work they have
the technical ability and relevant
experience to carry out, and have
been adopted by both public and
private sector clients – although not
by the entire market, as yet.
However, one issue the
construction industry has faced
is that PQQs have become
increasingly complex, when they
should provide a simple, effective
way of ensuring clients only
shortlist people who can deliver the
required work. The same problem
could arise in our industry due to
the lack of agreed standards or
guidelines, and it could lead to
the process of tendering for work
becoming increasingly laborious
– as well as making the already
challenging process of developing a
PQQ more convoluted.