Fast and reliable communications, together with the ability to present, analyse and store information are the cornerstones of all commercial enterprises.
The increasing processing power of computers and the availability of cheap telecommunications has resulted in organisations becoming reliant on the efficient and secure functioning of their IT installations. This will increase as the use of electronic commerce grows.
The role of a structured cabling system is to ensure that changes to staff turnover, voice and data systems can be accommodated at minimal cost without additional cabling or rerouting. They should also be specified with sufficient bandwidth capacity for future changes.
Costs of structured cabling have fallen significantly, and its benefits are such that it is being specified on some projects to provide distribution for climate and lighting control, bems connections and other IT connections in ceiling voids.
This model provides detailed costs for a structured cabling installation in a financial institution, and identifies the different costs associated with on-floor IT distribution for trading floors and general office space. Indicative rates for a range of key system components are also given.
IT cabling is provided by diverse routing with two or more sub-equipment rooms per floor and outlet boxes fitted to desks and wired on an alternate 'salt-and-pepper' basis.
Cost drivers
The principal drivers influencing the cost of a structured cable system are:
PROJECT DETAILS
INSTALLATION COSTS
£5.00/³¾2 NIA - £47.80/person Vertical cabling (voice) Category 3, 100 pair, multi-core copper cable from voice frames to sub-equipment rooms (sers), including links between sers (allow £350 per run)
£1.30/³¾2 NIA - £12.40/person Vertical cabling (data) Category 5 (enhanced), four pair, multi-core copper cable from main equipment room to sers, including links between sers (allow £40 per run)
£9.00/³¾2 NIA - £86.00/person Multi-core fibre optic cable, from main equipment room to ser, including links between sers (allow £600 per run)
£2.10/³¾2 NIA - £20.00/person Sub-equipment rooms Positioning, connecting and interlinking free issue terminal frames, patch panels and cabinets for voice and data services, based on a minimum of two sers per floor
£6.00/³¾2 NIA - £57.30/person Horizontal cabling Combined voice and data cabling using Category 5 (enhanced), four pair, multi-core copper cable from frames in ser to desk-mounted outlet boxes Allowance for trading floors based on a 1·8 m x 1·8 m grid @ £90/m2 of affected area (allow £300/point)
£12.80/³¾2 NIA - £122.30/person Allowance for general office and support space based on a 2·4 m x 2·4 m grid @ £30/m2 of affected area (allow £180/point)
£25.70/³¾2 NIA - £245.50/person Desk-mounted outlet boxes, strain relief bracket, 5 m-long Copex flexible protective conduct. Floor grommets by others Trading floor allowance based on ten-way outlet boxes with RJ45 sockets on a 1·8 m x 1·8 m grid @ £22/m2 of affected area (allow £72/point)
£3.10/³¾2 NIA - £29.60/person Allowance for general office and support space based on six-way outlet boxes with RJ45 sockets, spaced on a 2·4 m x 2·4 m grid @ £8/m2 of affected area (allow £45/ point)
£6.90/³¾2 NIA - £65.90/person Testing and commissioning
£3.50/³¾2 NIA - £33.50/person Specialist contractor's preliminaries and site establishment at 7%
£5.60/³¾2 NIA - £53.50/person Total
£86.00/³¾2 NIA - £821.60/person
INDICATIVE COMPONENT RATES
£750-£900 each Supply and install unloaded patching frame, including frame supports and earthing
£500-£600 each Supply and install full loaded 24-way patch panels
(voice) £80-£100 each (data) £100-£120 each Cable Twelve core fibre optic cable, including connectors
£6-£7/³¾ Four pair Category 5 enhanced lsf cables, including tying and cable labels
£0.40-£0.50/³¾ 100 pair Category 3 lsf cables, including tying and cable labels
£4/³¾ Outlets Ten-way outlet box (desk-mounted only); fully loaded; split conduit and strain relief anchor point; including forming and termination of outlets
£70-£75 each Six-way outlet box (desk or floor box mounted); fully loaded; split conduit and strain relief anchor point; including forming and termination of outlets
£40-£45 each Four-way outlet plate; fully loaded; fixed to sub-floor; excluding floor grommet and flexible conduit
£20-£25 each Allowance for patching flyleads; 5 m long; including RJ45 terminations both ends
£5 each Cable management Fully addressable proprietary on-line database
£85 000-£150 000 Manually updated spreadsheet database including all initial data entry
£25 000
EXCULSIONS
Source
ºÃÉ«ÏÈÉúTV Sustainable Design