Planning your office electrical and infrastructure cabling? Here are 8 critical decisions often not considered when customers are planning their office Electrical and infrastructure cabling and why it’s important for you.
Letting the builder include it in their scope.
Our experience is quite often the builder is tasked with including the Electrical and Communications specification within the Tender package. This often comes with no understanding of the customer Technology requirements which is imperative to the type of Communications infrastructure required and the installation techniques used to install it. Don’t fall into the “It’s only cabling” comment and most certainly invest the time in understanding what infrastructure supports the technology you are investing in. Cabling is not a commodity, it’s a necessity.
Going out to open tender! Surely this is the best practice and ensures the best price.
In our experience, this can be a race to the bottom. Australia’s largest companies never do this. They do their research, make a shortlist of the best companies and choose a shortlist to price the project usually no more than three. This ensures quality and future proof of your installation.
Not having a clear specification.
If you leave this open or use words like “best practice” and “or equivalent “, you may not get what you need. Clearly specifying your needs, products, locations, labeling, as-built drawings, etc will lead to a predictable outcome and quality installation. Shortlisting certified installers for the product to be installed is crucial. Including trusted installers who are certified to install the products and have invested time and money in training and design, technics will guarantee a quality outcome.
Leaving out the patch leads and the fly leads.
Don’t be fooled, even in our days of wireless technology Patch and Fly leads are required. Wireless installations still require these at the Wireless Access Point and at the racked hardware location within your facility. Leaving these out of the scope of works can be costly and delay the completion of your project. Don’t open yourself up to variations and unexpected costs.
Understand that the meeting rooms may need some specialized cabling like HDMI, USB3, and extender cables.
Understanding your meeting room Audio Visual needs is also a critical part of your installation. Utilising an installer who specialises in this area as well as your infrastructure cabling can save time, money, and heartache. Specialised cabling is often needed and a clear understanding of AUDIO Visual practices and products is a huge advantage. This is often not considered early in the planning process.
Outlet locations and planning.
Making sure your Electrical and Communications design are complementary to each other needs to be considered. Often if there is Data there will need to be power. Even if Power over Ethernet (PoE) is being implemented the requirement of power for devices connected to the network around the office can be forgotten. Furniture layouts and warehousing locations can often conflict with the furniture design and outlet locations if not planned correctly.
Certification and Application Warranty, yes or no!
Make sure your installer has the appropriate installation and design certifications for the Vendor products you choose. Not all installers have invested the time and money in training their technicians and believe it or not it does make a difference. Choosing a certified installer gives you a level of guarantee for quality and warranties. The Vendor Application warranty will also give you peace of mind to ensure your installation will support your applications for years to come. A Quality certified installation gives you a predictable outcome for your business. Take the cabling out of your IT troubleshooting equation.
Not limiting the number of brands.
Leaving the quote or tender wide open to any brand of product can often lead to many choices and confusion. Prepare a shortlist of Vendor products and only include know reputable brands which can be certified for future-proofing and include a suitable warrant for your application. The rule of thumb is to shortlist 3 Cabling Vendors of comparable quality. Limit the brands to your specific needs and applications.
Fast Track does this for a living and we love what we do. Talk to us before you start and save yourself some pain. If you’d like to talk to one of our professional team members about the best solution for your requirements, then fill out the form here or contact us at 1300 663 200 today, we are here to help!
