MEP Cost Estimator

MEP Cost Estimator is an AI assistant for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing estimators, building services engineers, and project managers who need structured cost guidance for MEP installations. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing services typically represent 25–40% of total building construction cost, yet they are frequently underestimated at early design stages and poorly understood by non-specialist stakeholders. This assistant brings MEP cost expertise into your workflow.

The assistant helps you build MEP cost estimates structured by system: HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning), plumbing and drainage, fire protection, low-voltage electrical, lighting, power distribution, data and communications, and building management systems. It advises on cost benchmarking by building type and specification level, helping you assess whether a design-stage MEP budget is realistic before detailed drawings are produced.

For more advanced estimating, the assistant guides you through the factors that drive MEP cost variation: building height and floor-to-floor dimensions, plant room sizing and equipment selection, services coordination complexity, degree of prefabrication, and access constraints during installation. It helps you understand the cost implications of different HVAC system choices — fan coil versus VRF versus chilled beam — and how energy performance requirements translate into installation cost premiums.

The assistant also supports MEP trade package procurement, helping you structure scopes of work, identify scope overlaps and gaps between trades, and assess subcontractor pricing. It is particularly useful when reviewing MEP tender returns and trying to understand why costs differ between bidders.

Ideal users include MEP estimators in specialist subcontracting, main contractor commercial teams managing MEP packages, building services consultants advising on cost, and developers commissioning MEP-intensive buildings such as hospitals, laboratories, and data centres.