Leading international construction consultancy Linesight has reinforced its expertise in delivering cost management services for commercial fit-out projects following the successful completion of Hewlett Packard Enterprise's (HPE) office in Dubai Internet City, on time and within budget. Having worked successfully on a number of HPE projects across the globe in recent years, Linesight was commissioned to provide full cost management services for their new Middle East HQ, which was completed in September 2019. Ciaran McCormack, Regional Director for the Middle East, Linesight, said: "We oversaw all pre and post-contract cost management services, including the initial budget validation, cost estimates as well as advice and management of costs for design changes throughout the post construction phase. "We also managed the tendering process and contract negotiation, as well as providing value engineering and advice on procurement strategy." The UAE's fit-out sector is currently one of the fastest growing industries in the GCC and is predicted to reach $973 million by 2022, with Saudi Arabia's fit-out sector following closely behind, according to a latest industry report. McCormack said: "Despite recent challenges in the market owing to volatile oil prices, the GCC – and particularly the UAE and Saudi Arabia – have in fact witnessed a growth in the number of fit-out projects awarded as a result of Expo 2020 in Dubai and the Kingdom's Vision 2030." "With the opening of Expo 2020 now less than a year away, we are seeing an increased focus on refurbishments in the region as clients look at reinventing space rather than building new structures from scratch." HPE's office, located in the heart of Dubai Internet City's Innovation Hub, features 150 workstations, various breakout and quiet spaces, a chill out room complete with pool tables and play stations and a fitness studio. Adjacent to the office building are two independent pods, which are set to become HPE's inaugural Digital Life Garages, a series of next generation HPE innovation centres, which will be established around the world over the coming years. The HPE Digital Life Garage, will consist of three parts once completed; Firstly the ‘Lab', where interactive workshops will take place between HPE, customers and partners to create innovative concepts and in turn, pro-production demonstrations; Secondly the ‘Venue', which will showcase all innovation realised in the HPE Digital Life Garage in the UAE and across the world, to partners and customers. Thirdly the ‘Digital Knowledge Centre', where new competencies in technology, business and management, will be discussed through a combination of seminars, workshops and on-the-job training with lab fellows and senior engineers from HPE and its partners. "With a scheduled completion date of March 2020, we are currently providing full cost management services for the development of these Digital Life Garages, which will offer HPE partners and customers in the UAE, the opportunity to benefit from competencies, solutions and innovations developed around the world, while also showcasing what is created in the UAE market," said McCormack. Gordon McNair, HPE's Global Project Manager, added: "In addition to being our chosen cost management consultant for our new office in Dubai, we have been working collaboratively with Linesight under a global partnership for a number of years now – completing various projects around the world on time and within budget, and we look forward to continuing this successful relationship." Linesight has a global reach, with staff located in 21 offices around the world including the Middle East, Europe, Asia Pacific and the USA. The company is currently working in 150 countries on project developments worth in excess of $31 billion globally and $10 billion in the GCC. — SG
