WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO PURCHASE A SOUND SYSTEM?

     Sound systems tend to be peculiar items to purchase, primarily because there is little or no required standardization among sound system contractors as to quality of workmanship, or even consistency in the design of the system. Designers have their own equipment choices and recommended methods of system installation. Some of these designs may be appropriate, but some may not work at all. Electrical contractors have the National Electric Code which provides a minimum standard of equipment and installation workmanship; general contractors have many standards to which they must adhere. The sound contractor has virtually none. Therefore, evaluation of the purchase of a new sound system must necessarily involve a corresponding evaluation of the sound contractor who is to install it.

A. THE "LOW-BID" METHOD

     Soliciting the purchase of a sound system via some form of bidding process must involve some method of providing "level ground" among the various bidders. This process must also provide some method of being sure that only bidders who are truly qualified to perform the work are allowed to submit bids on the project.

     Solicitation of bids involves the preparation and distribution of formal documents which outline the scope of the project, the complete construction of the sound system, the materials from which it is constructed and the qualifications of the installing contractor. Preparation of these bid documents is quite similar to the process used by Architects and Engineers when soliciting bids for the construction of a new building. There are two primary ways that these bid documents can be prepared:

     l. HIRE A CONSULTANT

     A Sound System Consultant is usually an Acoustical Consultant who also designs sound systems as part of his job. Since the design of the sound system involves consideration of the acoustical character of the space within which it is to be installed, a knowledge of Acoustics is necessary to know exactly how the system should be designed.

     An Acoustical Consultant is normally part of an Architect/Engineer team in the planning and construction of a new building. He is familiar with the procedures necessary in soliciting bids. The Acoustical Consultant (who is not a potential bidder) will be responsible for the system's design, the pre-qualification of bidders, preparation and distribution of bid documents, qualifying bids received, supervision and inspection of (a) installation, (b) final setup and (c) tuning of the sound system. The Acoustical Consultant makes sure the pre-qualified bidders are bidding on exactly the same design. Assuming the Acoustical Consultant deems each bid valid, they should all be an "apples-to-apples" comparison. The lowest bid from these pre-qualified bidders should be the best value for the purchaser.

     The advantages to the Acoustical Consultant approach include a professionally-designed system and a competitive cost for that system. Disadvantages include the facts that the consultant may have to come from several states away, and he may in turn invite bidders familiar with his work who are also several states away. These facts can cause serious problems with situations which require on-site service occur, especially after the warranty expires. In addition, the consultant charges a fee for his services; the more services he provides, the higher the fee. Fees from a few thousand dollars to many thousand dollars are not uncommon. If your proposed system is not large, or if you desire to re-use some existing equipment in the new system, a consultant may not wish to invest the time necessary to properly handle the project. After all, one would not retain the nation's top attorney or surgeon to perform a routine procedure.

     One point to note is the mis-use of the term "Consultant". A true Consultant designs a system and sells that design; others supply the equipment and install it. The Consultant may include his services to properly set up and adjust the system components and to provide an overall inspection of the system, but his on-site services are generally limited. There seems to be a growing number of Contractors (firms who design systems, and also sell and install the equipment) that refer to themselves as "Consultants" - they are not. If a firm sells and installs the actual system, whether or not he actually designs that system, that firm is still classified as a Contractor!

2. THE "WRITE THE SPECIFICATIONS YOURSELF" METHOD

     There are a few situations where someone within your organization has the expertise to design a system and generate the necessary specifications with which to solicit bids. An organization may have an Architect or an Engineer as a member who is familiar with the bid process, or there may be others in the group that can actually design the system and specify the components. Another method of in-house bid solicitation is to write a "performance" specification rather than an "equipment" specification. That is, specify what the system is to do and the performance criteria that it must meet, rather than the specific components from which it is to be constructed.

     Advantages to the In-House Specifications method include economy, since no outside consultant and his resultant fees are involved. However, somebody must be responsible for doing all the things that you would be paying the consultant to do: evaluating potential bidders as to their competency, evaluating the bids as to their completeness, supervising and inspecting the system as it is installed to insure compliance with the specifications and to good engineering, electrical and structural practices, etc. Unless you have someone who can do this, In-House Specifications can be very difficult to implement.

B. THE "PRICE-QUOTATION" METHOD

     Soliciting the purchase of a sound system via price quotations involves contacting various sound contractors, informing each in general terms as to what you expect your system to do and how much peripheral equipment you desire, and then let each potential contractor design and price the installed system for you. This process results in several price quotations from which to choose.

     Notice that I did not call these quotations "bids", because they are not bids. These quotations represent what each individual contractor thinks you need as the result of his conversation with you. There is little or no standardization among these various quotations. In other words, you have "apples, oranges, and bananas" from which to choose. The "apples" system may be the lowest-priced, but may be improperly designed, constructed from inferior materials and installed by incompetent personnel. If you purchase the "apples" system but really needed the "bananas" one, you may have wasted the entire "apples" price tag in your pursuit of the best bargain, and you have to go shopping all over again.

     Should you choose this approach, do not share specific design information provided by one contractor (brand names, model numbers, flow charts, pricing, etc.) with another. This is an unfair business practice and is morally wrong. You have made the first contractor a "Consultant" by using his design (usually without his permission), to solicit "bids" from other contractors. If this contractor's design was wrong, you are now seeking bids on a system that will not work properly, or possibly not work at all.

     The Price-Quotation Method of purchasing a sound system is probably the most common. Evaluating these various price quotations, however, is much more difficult than evaluating bids, because there may be vast differences among the various quotations. One contractor may tell you that his competitor's equipment is no good, or that his competitor is incompetent in sound system design, etc. Some of this information may or may not be true, and you are faced with the burden of finding out. Incidentally, the average Church purchases three sound systems before they finally get one that does its job properly. Then, fifteen to twenty years later, the Church may have had changes in administration and membership, the lessons learned may have been forgotten, and the same Church has to buy three more before they get another one that works properly!

C. THE "DESIGN-BUILD" METHOD

     This method of purchasing a sound system involves evaluation of the potential sound contractors available to furnish and install your system, and choosing one before the system is even designed or a price quotation prepared. Since a good sound system can be provided by using medium-priced equipment installed by good electronics technicians, and a bad sound system can be provided by using high-quality equipment installed by incompetent technicians, the choice of the contractor is actually more important than the choice of the equipment used. (Don't expect an equipment manufacturer to tell you this!) The contractor must be competent to design the system he installs. He must have all the training necessary to evaluate the acoustical and structural character of the environment in which it is to be used and to recommend the proper system design to accomplish the needs expressed by the Owner. In other words, he must possess most of the System Design knowledge that the Acoustical Consultant possesses, together with enough knowledge of Acoustics to properly design the system, and the necessary knowledge of construction/installation practices, electrical conduit layout training, etc. to properly lay out and install the system. In addition, there are aesthetic considerations that must be dealt with in most situations; the contractor must be sensitive to these facts.

     Incidentally, this method is the one by which virtually every Architect is selected by an Owner when contemplating the construction of a new building. Prospective Architectural firms are interviewed, and the list is narrowed down until one firm is finally selected. The one who is chosen has the reputation which the Owner can respect and who specializes in structures similar to the one proposed.

     The main advantage to the Design-Build approach is sole-source responsibility for design, installation, and overall performance of the system. Only one contractor is involved; the finger need point in only one direction if there is a problem. Honestly, the system may cost a bit more than the "Price Quotation Method", since the selected contractor is not under the pressure to attempt to have the lowest quotation, but you should find that you get a much better quality system for only a little more money.

     Another advantage to the "Design-Build" Method is, since the contractor is assured of getting the job and installing the system, he will readily help with the preparation of conduit layouts, preparation of openings for speakers, etc. that should be coordinated with the Architect and included in the project plans before the project is actually put out for bid. If the conduit requirements are not indicated on the contract electrical plans and a change-order is subsequently asked for, the price for that conduit may be several times what it would be otherwise.

      How do you go about finding the right contractor with which to pursue a Design-Build system? The answer is relatively simple - reputation. Since there are virtually no standards to which sound contractors must work other than the ones they themselves set up, the only real method of evaluation is to check with other clients for which the contractor has worked and find how he performed for them. Request the names and addresses of several projects the contractor has recently completed which appear to be similar in size and scope to yours. Call them, go see them, and see how they look and how well they perform. Most contractors already have a prepared list of systems they have completed; ask for it and check several of the references.

     Go visit the contractor at his place of business, to see how he operates. Reputable contractors have offices and warehouses; they stock some or all of the equipment they propose to install, and have office personnel to greet you. They also stock spare components which may be required for immediate replacement of a component which might fail unexpectedly. Spare parts should be in stock to allow timely repair of units when required. You can find out a great deal about a contractor with a simple fifteen-minute visit. Pay special attention to how often the phone rings - it's a good indicator as to how busy the contractor is. Sound contractors are generally small concerns - a contractor with 20 employees is considered quite large. Don't expect to find a mammoth granite-and-steel building when you visit - you may find a small steel building with offices, a warehouse and no fancy showroom, unless the contractor also has some form of retail operation requiring one.

     You don't want to do business with someone who treats the sound business as a sideline to his "real business" - whatever that might be. Don't be afraid to candidly discuss the kinds of things the contractor does and does not do - burglar alarms, telephone systems, musical instruments, sheet music and guitar picks, satellite dishes, TV/stereo and appliances, etc. You want the contractor that concentrates the bulk of his business on what you want to purchase - professionally installed sound systems.

      The Design-Build Method seems to be becoming more popular as time goes on. Due to the intense competition when the Price-Quotation Method is used, some contractors, in their eagerness to make a sale, will design a system that is less than adequate. Such pressure is not nearly as intense in a Design-Build situation.

Make sure that the contractor you select understands several things:

l. There is no legal obligation between any of the parties concerned until the system is priced and the actual contract is signed, although there is a moral one. In other words, the Owner can back out at any time for any legitimate reason he sees fit.

2.The selected contractor should be able to provide necessary financing for the job on his own, unless the job is to extend over a long period of time or is very large. Normally, no payment should be made to the contractor until the system is finished and proven to be satisfactory. Occasionally, a different method of payment might be in order. However, under no circumstances should full payment or anything near full payment be made until the system is finished and satisfactory.

3.The Owner should require proof of liability insurance, worker's compensation and may even require some form of bond to insure proper job performance. Such bonding may increase the cost somewhat, but it does provide a form of insurance that the job will be completed properly.

4. The Owner will not share any of the designs or other information prepared by the contractor with any other sound system contractor. Sharing of one price quotation with a second contractor for the purpose of soliciting another "bid" is considered illicit business and should never be done.

5. Make sure the contractor knows and agrees to what is expected of him in terms of job performance and completeness of the system. This includes training, warranty, options, performance of his on-site personnel, final tuning and performance certification, etc. Leave no subject open to debate. If you have chosen your contractor carefully, you should have no problems in this area.

All of the above methods have advantages and disadvantages to the Owner. We hope this explanation may be of some help to you during your decision-making process.