News

EIC has recently completed a £2m MoD contract with RAF Northolt in London. The specialist building services provider is helping to relocate the Royal Air Force’s Central Band and their Head Quarters Music Service from their current home at RAF Uxbridge to their new, purpose-built headquarters at RAF Northolt.

The design and build contract covers electrical and mechanical installation of the heating and ventilation, lighting and power, and the specialist MoD data systems across four separate buildings, built by main contractor Vinci Construction UK Ltd, formerly Norwest Holst Construction.

Installation work on the new build blocks, which will house recording studios and rehearsal rooms, recreation workshops, office and training facilities has been completed after a five month programme.

Special consideration has been given to soundproofing the rehearsal rooms and recording studios, where the 80 members of the military band practice. Ventilation ducts have been insulated to reduce noise travelling within the building and the M&E installation has only be fitted to the internal walls, rather than the external walls, in order to reduce the amount of noise which leaves the building through vibration.

Ian Lyall, joint managing director of EIC, was delighted to be working with Vinci Construction UK Ltd on such a prestigious scheme. He said: “Only contractors with specialist skills and a well proven track record are invited to work on MoD projects so it is very satisfying to have been selected for this contract and believe we can continue to expand within this sector.

“The design element, especially with regards to the soundproofing, has been particularly interesting for the team which has employed its extensive experience of working in education and healthcare on this scheme. I am pleased to once again be working with Vinci Construction UK Ltd, one of the leading firms in their field, and hope to continue to build on the important relationship we have with them.”

Due to its proximity to London, the base at RAF Northolt is used by members of the Royal family, politicians and other dignitaries. The historic airfield was the site from where a liberator aircraft landed following the first non-stop flight between US and UK capitals, Washington DC and London, and predates the airforce itself having been established in 1915 to help defend London from the Zepplin raids.

The new build development has been carried out by Vinci Construction UK Ltd, with whom EIC has worked previously, most notably on the Wembley School project which is the largest primary school in the UK.

Craig Learoyd, project manager for Vinci Construction UK Ltd, said: “We are pleased to have retained the services of EIC for the M&E design and build on this particular scheme. We felt confident the EIC engineers would bring their usual professionalism and expertise to this important MoD contract.”

An energetic team of EIC employees have raised more than £1,700 for The Anthony Nolan Trust. Ten hardy rowers headed to the River Avon, Stratford-upon-Avon to take part in the ancient Chinese tradition of dragon boat racing and pitted their paddles against 22 other teams in the local area.


Led by a drummer at the helm to encourage them to keep up momentum, the enthusiastic team guided the 40ft boat across the finishing line in 5th place.

Clive Ward, Contracts Manager at EIC, said: “We had a great day, it was a pleasure to take part in the event and we’re delighted to have raised some money for a great cause. Thankfully the weather was kind to us and we hope everyone watching from the riverbank enjoyed themselves.”

Organised in aid of The Anthony Nolan Trust - the charity which connects people suffering from Leukaemia and are in need of an organ transplant with prospective donors - the race attracted thousands of spectators, participants and tourists.

The custom of dragon boat racing has been traced back more than 2,000 years. It sees competitors battling their way across the waves in colourful boats to the sound of a beating drum, creating an exciting and impressive sight which has become increasingly popular for team events.

Headquartered in Alcester, EIC has 12 regional offices from Scotland to Cornwall and specialises in Engineered Facilities Management and Engineered Building Services.

For more information about the Anthony Nolan Trust, please visit www.anthonynolan.org.uk

National building services provider EIC has completed a major civil engineering contract. The building fabric team delivered a 128-space car park for multi-national IT solutions provider SCC, in Birmingham.

Under the management of civil engineering expert Gordon Gibson, the scheme involved the construction of a new security lodge and laying the new car park in grasscrete. The EIC team recommended the use of recycled stone aggregate as it is considered more environmentally friendly than traditional materials, yet is still hardwearing and cost-competitive. Soil and grass were also incorporated into the foundation bed to enable natural drainage and meet standards set by the local water authority.

The civil works project marks a departure for EIC which was originally established as a mechanical and electrical engineering contractor. Over the last 2 years the firm has expanded its remit to provide additional construction and maintenance services, and has recruited a building fabric management team which includes civil engineers and quantity surveyors to complement its M&E specialists.

Building on its core expertise, the Midlands-based company can now provide a one-stop-shop building services solution for clients, offering everything from design and installation to planned and reactive maintenance. Thanks to its network of 12 regional offices - from Scotland to Cornwall - EIC can provide a comprehensive service for both local and national firms, wherever they are located.

Ian Lyall, joint managing director of EIC, said: “The development of our national building fabric team has been an integral part of the EIC evolution over the last 18 months. We have almost 40 years’ experience in delivering high quality M&E contracts to a wide range of blue chip firms but wanted to offer our clients even more choice, with the same high quality level of service.

“Once we decided the time was right to extend our remit we wanted to build on our expertise by bringing in the right people in order to be able to offer both building fabric and building maintenance services. The successful handover of the SCC car park not only demonstrates our capacity to deliver a contract which people might not have traditionally associated with EIC, but has also enabled us to build a relationship with a valuable new client.”

Richard Seal, property director for SCC, added: “As a leading provider of IT solutions we recognised in EIC a similar ethos of taking on new challenges and surpassing expectations. We knew of EIC’s reputation for quality and delivery in the building services industry and were happy to invite them to tender for this contract. Following an impressive pitch, we retained EIC to undertake these improvement works and I am pleased to say they met their commitment to deliver an innovative solution both on time and on budget.”