Queensland-wide commercial switchboard project delivery
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Commercial Switchboard Questions and Answers

Common commercial switchboard questions, answered.

These are the commercial switchboard questions we are asked most often by facility managers, property managers, builders and body corporate committees across Brisbane and Queensland. The answers below cover the company, pricing and process, technical standards, service coverage and emergency response. Every board we build is type-tested to AS/NZS 61439, and you can see the full scope of what we deliver on our switchboard services page.

01 — About the Company

About Commercial Switchboards.

Commercial Switchboards is a brand-new specialist division of SEQ Sparky Pty Ltd set up to serve the commercial and industrial switchboard market in Queensland. The brand is new. The depth behind it is not. Our director brings 10 years of hands-on switchboard experience including 6 years building tier-1 boards on the iPower Solutions manufacturing floor, 3 years underground at Lady Loretta running HV substations, and end-to-end delivery of a greenfield open-cut gold mine in central Africa.

Commercial Switchboards is a specialist trading division of SEQ Sparky Pty Ltd. Same parent entity, same QLD Electrical Contractor’s Licence #90899, same insurance, same workmanship guarantee. The Commercial Switchboards brand exists specifically to serve commercial and industrial customers who need specialist switchboard depth. SEQ Sparky continues to serve residential, body corporate and general commercial customers across South-East Queensland.
The 10 years of switchboard experience were earned through employment at iPower Solutions, employment at Lady Loretta, and as the sole electrical delivery partner on the central Africa mine site project. Commercial Switchboards is the first time that depth has been packaged under a single specialist brand offering it to Queensland commercial customers directly.
Not under the Commercial Switchboards brand. We are a specialist contractor focused exclusively on commercial and industrial switchboard project delivery. Residential customers, light-and-power work, and general commercial electrical needs are served by our sister brand SEQ Sparky. If you contact Commercial Switchboards with a residential enquiry we will redirect you to SEQ Sparky during the initial enquiry rather than try to fit your project into the wrong brand.
02 — Quoting & Process

Quoting and project process.

Most commercial main switchboard upgrades run 8 to 14 weeks end-to-end. Phase 1 (investigation and design) typically takes 1-3 weeks. Phase 2 (manufacture and procurement) takes 6-8 weeks for a tier-1 type-tested board. Phase 3 (installation, commissioning and energisation) takes 1-2 weeks depending on shutdown windows and site complexity. Phase 4 (documentation and handover) wraps up in the final week. Custom or larger boards (Form 4, 2000A+) can extend this to 16-20 weeks.
Every project starts with an initial site review (no charge for a standard scope review) where we inspect the existing installation, assess loading, identify constraints and gather the information needed to scope properly. From that review we provide a written project review and indicative cost range. A formal fixed-price quote follows once the scope is agreed. Detailed engineering studies, RPEQ-stamped designs or extensive load investigations may be quoted separately depending on project complexity.
Standard project scope includes initial site review and condition inspection, maximum demand analysis, manufacturer-independent board specification, AS/NZS 61439 compliant board build with full type-test documentation, site delivery and rigging, shutdown planning and tenant coordination, installation, testing, commissioning and energisation, and a full handover documentation pack including as-built drawings. Engineering input is coordinated where required and RPEQ-stamped on request.
We respond to standard project enquiries within 1 business day. Switchboard emergencies on commercial sites including burnt-out main switches and failed breakers on trading sites are prioritised when emailed with subject line “URGENT”. Initial site reviews are typically scheduled within the same week for South-East Queensland projects, depending on urgency.
Yes. We regularly pick up stalled or problematic switchboard projects, complete a site review, and reset the scope, programme and supply authority pathway. If a project is partially built or installed, we will assess what is recoverable and what needs to be redone before quoting. We will tell you upfront if a project cannot be salvaged at the existing scope.
03 — Technical & Standards

Technical capabilities and standards.

Yes. Our HV competencies were earned through hands-on operational work, not five-day courses. Three years underground at Lady Loretta on a greenfield mine, designing substation layouts, installing 11kV ring main units, performing live HV switching with arc-flash PPE, and maintaining 5.8MW of power generation. We deliver HV switchboard projects up to 33kV across mining, industrial and infrastructure sectors. Most contractors who claim HV competency on commercial sites have a ticket. We have the operational depth.
Every board is built and installed to AS/NZS 61439 (switchboard build and type-testing) and AS/NZS 3000 (electrical installation). Hazardous area work additionally complies with AS/NZS 60079. We provide full type-test certificates, compliance documentation, as-built drawings and an asset-register-ready handover pack on every project. Insurance audits, council inspections and major property owner asset reviews are common in commercial work. Our documentation discipline is built around what those reviews require.
Manufacturer-independent. We specify and procure boards from the most suitable Australian-made manufacturer for each project. We work across Schneider Electric, NHP, IPD, Hager, Eaton and selected local custom switchboard builders depending on application, lead time, budget and site conditions. Our director spent 6 years on the iPower Solutions manufacturing floor building tier-1 boards, which gives us specification depth most contractors don’t have without locking us to a single supplier.

Yes. Energex and Ergon coordination is part of our standard delivery scope on commercial switchboard projects. We handle service-side approvals, metering authority requirements, supply upgrade applications and connection scheduling so the asset owner is not left coordinating directly with the supply authority. Most commercial switchboard upgrades require some level of supply authority engagement and we manage that as part of the project scope.

Yes. We deliver hazardous area installations to AS/NZS 60079 across mining, industrial and chemical sites where required. Our hazardous area depth was earned at Lady Loretta where we ran HV switchgear underground in classified zones for three years. Hazardous area work is one of the technical capabilities most Brisbane commercial contractors don’t carry in-house.
04 — Coverage & Logistics

Service coverage and logistics.

Commercial Switchboards is Brisbane-based and delivers projects across South-East Queensland: Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba, Ipswich, Logan, Redlands, Moreton Bay and Stanthorpe. Regional Queensland project delivery (Mackay, Rockhampton, Townsville, Cairns, Mount Isa, Cloncurry) is available by arrangement. FIFO mobilisation is available for industrial and mining projects.
Yes. Regional and remote project delivery is available by arrangement, including FIFO mining and resources work. Standard mining inductions are held. SWMS and JSAs are provided as part of project scope. Most regional projects start with a short site visit before mobilisation to confirm scope and logistics.
Yes. We hold the QLD Electrical Contractor’s Licence #90899 and operate with $20M Public Liability cover. We are a registered QBuild contractor. Insurance certificates and licence documentation are available on request. HV competencies and hazardous area certifications are held by the operating tradespeople, not just the licence holder.
Yes. After-hours and overnight installation windows are standard on shopping centre, retail and 24/7 industrial work. We sequence shutdowns into windows that affect operations least, coordinate tenant notifications, and where required stage works across multiple nights to minimise impact on trade or production. For trading retail sites, we have delivered switchboard upgrades across consecutive nights with zero trading disruption.
05 — Emergency & Maintenance

Emergency and maintenance.

Yes. We respond to switchboard emergencies on commercial sites including burnt-out switchgear, failed main breakers, smoke or thermal damage on trading sites, and reactive faults on existing maintenance contracts. Email with subject line “URGENT” to prioritise the response. We have delivered emergency response on trading retail sites including forensic-grade fault investigation, temporary generator supply deployment, and source replacement of large-frame switchgear under live operating conditions.
Yes. Scheduled switchboard maintenance, annual thermal imaging inspections, compliance audits and 24/7 reactive switchboard response are available as part of an ongoing maintenance agreement. Many of our shopping centre and commercial property clients move from a project relationship into a long-term maintenance program after their first delivery with us. Maintenance contract structure is tailored to the asset. Number of boards, criticality, response SLA and reporting requirements are all factored in.
Yes. We deliver forensic-grade investigation, documentation and rectification work for insurer claims, including burnt-out switchgear failures, thermal damage events and equipment-related incidents. Documentation is structured for insurer requirements throughout the rectification process. Root-cause investigation, photographic records, source replacement specifications and compliance recertification are all included as standard.
Still Have a Question?

Email us with your specific question.

If your question isn’t answered above, send us an email with the project context and we’ll come back to you within one business day. For switchboard emergencies, use subject line URGENT.
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