Mechanical & Electrical (M&E)
Within M&E, a broad range of activities may qualify for R&D Tax Credits where competent professionals are seeking a technological advance and the solution is not readily deducible. This can include developing or materially improving building services systems where performance, compliance, space constraints, coordination and constructability must be achieved together, such as HVAC, public health, electrical distribution, controls/BMS integration, fire and life safety interfaces, and energy performance optimisation. It may also include engineering new installation methodologies, prefabrication strategies, validation approaches, or system integration methods where standard designs, manufacturer guidance, or typical sequencing does not deliver stable, repeatable outcomes across real site constraints and operating conditions.
How our skillset can help you claim
M&E development is often driven by stringent plantroom footprints, demanding programme interfaces, and the need to prove systems meet performance targets and regulatory expectations once installed and commissioned. Our specialist team works directly with your engineers to define the advance being pursued, set a clear baseline against established practice, use testing outputs and performance results to support the proprietary design iterations made, and separate qualifying development from routine installation or standard design work. We then set out the development work in a clear and compliant technical narrative, supported by a practical and defensible approach to cost capture, helping you secure funding to reinvest in capability and delivery resilience.
Project Examples
A technological advance could be achieving reliable performance where multiple services must be accommodated in restricted zones without compromising access, maintenance or compliance. The advance is demonstrated through iterative design coordination of a proprietary system and measured results that show the installed system performs consistently in operation.
Projects may focus on developing a more dependable technological process to sequencing, control tuning and fault handling so systems behave predictably under real occupancy and load conditions. Progress is shown through testing data and repeatable functional outcomes rather than one-off set-up success.
Some work targets a faster, more repeatable technologically-driven integration process that reduces on-site variability while still achieving required tolerances, testing outcomes and handover quality. The advance lies in validating a process that remains robust across technological constraints, not just under ideal conditions.
