Since Braham Electrical completed its first education project, schools have changed significantly. Yet, on every project completed by the Warrenpoint-based electrical contractor, there is one common denominator – quality.
The company was established in 1972 and, over the intervening 40-plus years, Braham Electrical has completed numerous education projects ranging from work at primary schools through to universities.
The work at St Joseph’s Convent Primary School and at St Clare’s Abbey Primary School and Nursery School – both located in Newry – was unique in that the company had to simultaneously balance the two projects. But for such an experienced team, this didn’t cause too many issues.
Stephen McQuaid, Director, Braham Electrical, explained “We successfully won the tender for St Joseph’s Primary School and we were delighted to again be teaming up with the main contractor, Felix O’Hare, and the consultant engineer, Delap & Waller – two companies that we have enjoyed long-standing relationships with.
“About six months into working on St Joseph’s we were successful in winning the tender for the St Clare’s Abbey project. Again this was alongside Felix O’Hare and Delap & Waller. With those strong relationships already in place, we were confident that we were able to meet the challenge of successfully completing the two schools.”
Relationships are vitally important to Braham Electrical and it is clear that, in the time-sensitive environment where clients want projects completed to ever-tighter deadlines, the peace-of-mind that good rapport brings is an obvious benefit.
Stephen added, “Regardless of whatever industry you are working in, people buy from people, and that is why we prefer to work with companies we can rely on,” added Stephen. “We are accustomed to working on many projects at the same time, but this was a little bit different in that it was two schools within a close proximity.”
That is where the company’s logistical skills came into play.
“We worked closely with Felix O’Hare and Delap & Waller before we moved on site to try and iron out any issues beforehand,” added Stephen. “With the best will in the world, what is planned on paper doesn’t always translate to site, so you’ll never get it perfect. But we will always try to ensure that a project runs as smoothly as possible, and we definitely saved time at both St Joseph’s and St Clare’s Abbey by making changes at the planning stage and taking a collaborative approach.”
While building long-term relationships is important to Braham Electrical, the company is also forward-thinking – a necessity when working on education projects.
Schools have changed extensively since the company first completed a new-build education project, with modern learning environments benefitting from a plethora of new technology that includes the likes of interactive whiteboards, computers and controlled access control systems. All this has to be incorporated into an energy-efficient system.
“Both these projects included much of the innovative technology that is now commonplace in schools,” added Stephen. “From an electrical perspective, this all adds to a more complex installation, which again places an added emphasis on the initial planning.”
For more information on Braham Electrical, telephone (NI) 028 4177 2989 or (RoI) 048 4177 2989,e-mail info@brahamelecrical.com or visit www.brahamelectrical.com
CLICK HERE to read about the following selected sub-contractor and suppliers on this project:
• Electrical Supplier – Milltown Electrical
• Lighting – Concord
• Wholesale Electrical Supplier – Kew Electrical
• Cables and Cable Management – Core Electrical (NI) Ltd
• Solar Panels – Activ8 Energies
• Communication Systems – MGA Communication
• Fire and Intruder Alarms – Radiocontact Ltd
• Switchgear – Automation Controls
