Choosing a cabling and wiring provider

Cabling and wiring installers are usually either low-voltage electricians who do commercial wiring exclusively or phone systems professionals who install wiring as an additional service. Either choice is fine as long as the installer is a certified RCDD (Registered Communications Distribution Designer). This certification ensures that the installer is proficient in telecommunications wiring and understands all national and local codes.

Look for installers who are both licensed and insured. Your cabling and wiring project must adhere to local safety standards set by the National Electronics Code and EIA/TIA. Installers who are certified by standards organizations such as BICSI or AECS learn how to comply with all regulations to ensure that you get a safe and compliant installation.

A great way to learn how a cabling company does business is to see them in action. Ask if you can observe while the vendor installs cabling for another company in your area. Watch how the installers interact with the client and the level of detail they put into the project, and how they communicate with each other while on the job. This should give you a clear idea of how they work and show you what you can expect in your office.

Project specifications document
All cabling and wiring companies should provide a detailed specifications document of your network architecture. This document will explain the project overview, scope of services, labeling and testing details, turnaround time, and necessary equipment.

The spec document also puts a cap on your total costs. Since it details all the required work and associated costs, you’re responsible to pay for what’s listed and nothing more — unless your requirements change during installation.

The spec document should provide a clear estimate of how long the project will take to complete as well as any downtime you should expect. The document may specify compensation you’re entitled to if the vendor doesn’t get the job done in time.

Working with a spec document helps you avoid exorbitant fees for making late project changes. This is work you need done beyond what’s listed in the document and can add significantly to your costs. A quality vendor will clearly review everything with you so there are no surprises. When you get a copy of the document, share it with your IT and facilities staff to get their input and make sure everything is in order.

Finally, the spec doc should describe the customer support you’re entitled to. What happens when problems emerge? Will the vendor respond to your service call and diagnose and correct the problem? What guarantees can the vendor provide for response time? The specifications document should explain the level of service you get, but don’t depend only on those written guarantees. Ask plenty of questions about each vendor’s customer support policies, so you feel comfortable with a potential partnership.

Get quality references
Make sure to get references before you work with any installer. This is an opportunity to get information the vendor may not have shared. Installers will likely provide you with contact details from their best customers, but you can still elicit honest responses if you ask direct questions about an installer’s performance, such as:

• Overall, how happy were you with the installation?
• What challenges did your company face before the project started? Did the installer solve them?
• Were there any delays or problems during the installation?
• Did you receive a detailed specifications document for the work provided?
• Did the installer communicate well with your other service providers (phone systems, Internet access, etc.)?
• How much downtime did you experience?
• Would you use this installer again?
• Was there anything about the installation process that could have been improved?