Installing new low-voltage wiring and network cabling at your facility is a difficult task. There are many factors that go into it and so many low voltage integrators to choose from. With that being said, skilled labor comes with an upfront price, but will save you time and money in the long run.
Some low-voltage contractors are cheaper than others, and there’s a reason why. The low-voltage provider often comes with:
Non-transparent pricing
Subpar equipment for the cabling system
Quick, cheap, inconsistent work
Inconsistency across facilities
Unreliable maintenance
These issues lead to delays and cost increases negating the benefit of their initial bid. Avoid these roadblocks by choosing a reliable low-voltage provider to install your IT network instead of automatically going with the least expensive option.
1. Non-transparent prices
Low bids often fail to include certain aspects of the work or materials leading to change orders and resulting in additional hidden costs to your organization.
This means by choosing the low bidder you end up paying the same amount, if not more, than if you were to hire a reliable technician that performs the same work across all of your locations with higher-quality products.
2. Subpar product quality
When choosing the lowest bidder, subpar product quality is definite. Again, if they are cheaper, there is a reason. Different vendors use different products, so it is important to go with a company that is using high quality products and performing high quality work.
Inconsistent product quality also causes a lack of standardization across your facilities. Some facilities may need repairs more than others. The fluctuation in price for each part at each site makes it difficult to set aside a budget and plan for maintenance or repairs. It is much more beneficial to go with one company to oversee the macro and micro details across all of your facilities to ensure consistent and cohesive cabling.
3. Quick & cheap work
Low-bid install teams want to get in and out. The objective of the lowest bidder is to get the network infrastructure up and running quickly and as cheaply as possible. There is little incentive to perform the work correctly and up to the TIA standards.
This causes unfinished or substandard work that you have to deal with later on, potentially making this an ongoing issue with delays, possibly caused by failing inspections. It is financially smarter to pay for quality equipment and work upfront so that you’re not shoveling an undetermined amount of money throughout the year for maintenance and repairs to subcontractors.
4. Inconsistency across facilities
Using different vendors on national, multi-location projects causes inconsistency due to a lack of standardization. For example, Low Voltage Vendor A has one way of setting up the install while Low Voltage Vendor B installs their setup a completely different way. This inconsistency will require more work and research on your end every time a problem arises in order to locate the products and installation method used at one specific location.
Having one reliable low-voltage cabling provider overseeing all of your sites allows for easy maintenance and repair in the long term. When a repair is needed, you can get your facility up and running in a shorter amount of time; meaning less money lost and time better spent.
5. Unreliable maintenance and upkeep
It is difficult to get a low-bid provider to come back and help out after the project is complete. Their scope of work is only to provide the initial setup, They do not worry about any upkeep the job may require in the future.
What if there’s a problem or troubleshooting is needed?
In this case, you need to call another company to come fix something they did not break. Considering they didn’t not do the setup and do not know the ins and outs of the specific equipment used for installation, this could take the third-party company a while to figure out the issue and fix the problem while costing you time and money.
When choosing the low-bid provider, who will not prioritize maintenance and upkeep, you set your company up for failure in the long run. The longer it takes to fix the issue, the longer your facility is not up, running, and bringing in revenue.
Working with Axseter
Choosing a reputable low-voltage cable installer ensures upfront prices, high-standard product quality, consistency of installation across facilities, and reliable maintenance solutions with a quality team.
Axseter works with a referenceable Fortune 500 client base and enables connectivity for rapidly growing, multi-location enterprises to ensure long-lasting, quality work across all of your facilities.
Discover how Axseter's unique, seamless approach to coordinating quick turnaround low-voltage and workplace technology installations helps some of the country's fastest growing companies achieve their goals.
Contact us Today.
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