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Government Video Magazine
October 2008
AV Systems
It Pays To Be Prepared
How to choose the right integrator for your next AV installation
by Joy Zaccaria
It pays to be prepared.
A little self-assessment goes a long way. To choose the right systems integrator for your next AV installation project, your agency needs to know as much about its own parameters as possible. The more details the better when it comes to describing the objectives for the job or room. The most important duck to get in its row is the money. How much money is there for this project? And how long will it take to procure?
At Communications Engineering, Inc., Jay Wood is the senior support engineer. He said money, scope, and scheduling are three big issues to address when getting started. Agencies need to know what the room is used for, if there are multiple rooms and if they are tied together, and what sources need to be displayed.
Considering the fast pace of changing and growing technology, its important for a client to define expectations for the system and gear, in lieu of just listing products. The details may change, Wood explained, but if the contractor knows what the goal is, he has the flexibility to suggest a more cost efficient way of achieving it. Plus, it means shortcomings from a particular manufacturer can be identified.
It is important to establish a service contract with qualified AV companies to service the equipment as well as train the personnel and technology managers at the facility. --Randy Lemke, InfoComm
Indicate why you want it and what you expect to get out of it, added Mark Siegel, president of Advanced Broadcast Solutions. If you can write that in the proposal, then when or if issues arise, they can be better addressed. If there is a clear scope and understanding and workflow, that can be addressed up front.
When starting a project, its important for a government agency to understand that a contractor is not just an additional expense. It could be a net savings, Siegel explained, because good contractors are going to value-engineer the job. This is something a contractor does every day.
While gear is important, the expertise of the designers and installers to make sure that gear work together as a system is crucial. A common mistake for government agencies is that while they look at the bid and the price, they wouldnt look at the qualifications of the design and install team, said Randy Lemke, executive director of InfoComm. Look for people with CTS-I or CTS-D. Those are designations of people who have been in the industry because they have an experience level to them and they have taken the time to learn and demonstrate their knowledge of building systems.
The expertise of the installers extends through the following service contract. Its one thing to have the system installed, but people need to be trained in order to use it and maintain it, said Lemke.
The main thing government agencies need to do is write out a total scope of work. --Jay Wood, CEI
Security can be a consideration for some government installs. In a room with restricted access, you may need security escorts for the installation crew. If there are three installation people running wires in the ceiling to hang a projector, said Wood, if they need something out of the van, all three contractors have to go with the escort out of the building and work stops.
With the continued convergence of audio, video, and data, you also need to consider IP access. IT groups within an agency have to be involved from the beginning, said Wood.
Static IPs are needed for equipment to talk to each other. Government clients IT departments dont like to give out static IPs for security reasons. To overcome this problem, the contractor can create VLANs or create firewalls to have the equipment run on specific ports in order to facilitate monitoring.
One of the biggest things that cost the agencies money is when an IT department comes in and decides to do a Windows update, Wood added. Then the program that was built to work on that particular version of Windows doesnt work anymore. And you cant go back. Weve lost $20,000 to $30,000 pieces of equipment because somebody in the IT department decided to do a Windows update. ★
MORE INFO
Advanced Broadcast Solutions advancedbroadcastsolutions.com
CEI commeng.com
InfoComm infocomm.org
INSTALLATION QUESTIONS
Funding
★ How much money will be available?
★ When will the money be available?
★ Can the project/funding be separated into stages?
Scope of Work
★ How will the room be used?
★ Are there multiple rooms?
★ Are the rooms tied together?
★ What sources need to be displayed?
★ What are power and ventilation considerations?
★ How often will it be necessary to change a projector bulb?
During Installation
★ What are the security access considerations?
★ Do the contractors need escorts?
The Systems Integrator
★ What have previous clients said about the integrator?
★ Is the integrator local enough to fulfill the service contract?
★ Will the integrator subcontract the installation?