Electrical, power report: Differences between small, medium, large companies

In April 2014, Consulting-Specifying Engineer surveyed its audience members responsible for decisions related to the design of electrical or power systems within their organizations. Of the respondents, 53% are employed at a firm with less than 100 people on staff, 19% have 100 to 499 employees, and 28% have 500 or more. How does your firm compare to those of similar size?

Less than 100 employees

• The average annual mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection (MEP/FP) revenue for firms with less than 100 employees was about $2.6 million, 88% of which is generated from projects in which electrical or power systems were specified.

• The top three building structures in which products are specified, designed, or selected are office buildings (71.7%), industrial/manufacturing facilities/warehouses (61.9%), and educational facilities (57.2%).

• The top three electrical or power systems or equipment being specified by smaller firms are electrical distribution (82.7%); circuit breakers, fuses, etc. (82.1%); and cable, wire, etc. (80.9%).

• A short period in which a project needs to be completed was cited as a top challenge in electrical or power systems and design for these firms.

• More than 9 out of 10 respondents employed at a small firm agreed that product quality (99.4%), the manufacturer’s reputation (93.0%), and interoperability (91.3%) are very important factors they consider when specifying electrical or power systems.

100 to 499 employees

• The average annual mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection (MEP/FP) revenue for firms with 100 to 499 employees was about $8.7 million, 40% of which is generated from projects in which electrical or power systems were specified.

• The top three building structures in which products are specified, designed, or selected are industrial/manufacturing facilities/warehouses (63.5%), office buildings (61.9%) and educational facilities (55.6%).

• The top three electrical or power systems or equipment being specified by medium-sized firms are electrical distribution (96.8%); cable, wire, etc. (93.7%); and transformers (92.1%).

• Designing with energy efficiency as a priority was cited as a top challenge in electrical or power systems and design for these firms.

• More than 90% respondents employed at a medium-sized firm agreed that product quality (100%), interoperability (95.3%), energy efficiency of product (95.2%), service support (95.2%), manufacturer’s reputation (93.6%), technical advantage of product (92.1%), warranty (92.1%), and initial product cost (90.4%) are very important factors they consider when specifying electrical or power systems.

500 employees or more

• The average annual mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection (MEP/FP) revenue for firms with 500 employees or more was about $12.2 million, 33% of which is generated from projects in which electrical or power systems were specified.

• The top three building structures in which products are specified, designed, or selected are industrial/manufacturing facilities/warehouses (58.1%), office buildings (48.4%), and utilities/public works/transportation (47.3%).

• The top three electrical or power systems or equipment being specified by large firms are circuit breakers, fuses, etc. (88.2%); electrical distribution (88.2%); and transformers (78.5%).

• Providing a high quality design with an inadequate budget was cited as a top challenge in electrical or power systems and design for these firms.

• The majority of respondents employed at a large firm agreed that product quality (100%), previous experience with manufacturer (94.7%), service support (94.7%) technical advantage of product (93.6%), interoperability (91.4%), lifecycle cost (91.4%), manufacturer’s reputation (90.3%), and warranty (90.3%) are very important factors they consider when specifying electrical or power systems.

Access the 2014 Electrical and Power report here.

More research

On a quarterly basis, Consulting-Specifying Engineer surveys its audience based on four main topics: fire and life safety, electrical and power, lighting and lighting controls, and HVAC and building automation systems. All of the reports are available online, free for a limited time, at www.csemag.com/research. 

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