VSD- Audiovisual Consultants- Video Conference Consultants

The following are elements found in typical Consulting & Design contracts. Use these descriptions as a guide in determining what services fit your requirements.

SCOPE MEETING

This initial meeting, with you and your agents, acquaints all of the parties involved and establishes a dialog covering the overall scope of the requirements. These discussions develop a basic understanding of your functional requirements, as well as your operational expectations. The discovery process brings to light any special considerations, construction practices or union requirements that must be addressed and any impediments or limitations that would restrict the overall design. Your budget allocations should be discussed at this meeting, and a framework for proceeding adopted.

This framework is flexible and should be crafted to fit your needs and comfort level. At one end of the scale, we offer a Time & Materials contract that includes an initial Retainer (to retain our services) and hourly rates for work, to be billed as it is expended. If you are just getting your feet wet and want to explore your options, perhaps this pay-as-you-go plan is best. At the other end of the scale is a contract for the entire project. For those in the middle, we offer a step-by-step approach: a contract for an initial, limited scope of work with optional follow-on packages for subsequent stages of the project. You may chose any or all of the services outlined below. When you have decided, we will prepare a formal proposal listing the scope of work to be performed under the contract, our fee(s) and all deliverables.

PRELIMINARY DESIGN

Working with you, our team establishes the fundamental concepts and components of the overall design. We discuss these criteria with your Architect, and/or any other professional agencies you retain, to coordinate the physical requirements of the design. At this stage, the physical spaces required to implement the design are defined and any special structural, functional, or construction requirements considered. In addition, aesthetic concerns, lighting schemes and acoustical considerations are addressed. At the completion of this stage, any preliminary sketches, capabilities lists, and budget requirements are formulated for submission.

DELIVERABLES:

Preliminary Programming Statement, and/or an Executive Summary.

Preliminary implementation budgets for each system.

Revised Budget for Remaining Consulting & Design (if required).

Acoustic recommendations.

Lighting criteria and control recommendations.

INITIAL DESIGN REVIEW

The purpose of this meeting is to make sure everyone is on the same track. All parties review the documents generated during the preliminary design stage and identify any desired revisions or areas of special concern. Any concerns that arise are addressed, and suggested changes evaluated. Adjustments deemed desirable are incorporated during the next stage.

CONTINUING DESIGN

Essentially, this stage is a refining of the preliminary design. It incorporates the information gleaned from the initial design review, and any subsequent modifications necessary to accommodate new architectural constraints, or changes you request. This process may take several iterations. The goal is to achieve an integrated, coherent design that meets all of your expectations, and provides an effective and friendly environment for your conferences and presentations.

DELIVERABLES:

Final Programming Statement, or updated Executive Summary

Final implementation budget estimates for each system

FINAL DESIGN REVIEW

At this meeting, all previous revisions are discussed and any applicable options adopted or deleted. Upon acceptance of the final design proposal, the construction phase may begin.

CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS

During this phase, all shop or fabrication drawings are prepared. These drawings, and all supporting information, are furnished to the Architect/Design Firm for use in producing the construction drawings. In addition to providing support to the Architect/Designer, we will also confer with your other agents to provide them with information specific to their disciplines.

DELIVERABLES:

Acoustic requirements

Lighting layout and control requirements

Empty signal conduit requirements

Conduit Riser drawings

Power requirements, indicating locations and loads

Thermal loads for HVAC requirements

Appropriate floor plans and elevations

Appropriate reflected ceiling plans

Structural support requirements

Applicable cut-outs or basic casework/millwork details

Cut-sheet submittals for architectural elements, as necessary

BID PACKAGE PREPARATION

Whether you plan to request bids, or prefer a directed or negotiated contract, this step is essential. This package must contain all of the elements required by the installing contractor to provide the system as planned. Our bid packages contain the following:

The Executive Summary, Programming Statements, and other material(s) you signed during the consulting and design phase. These documents describe your system, how it is to operate, and what your subjective and operational expectations are. They are included because they provide essential information that cannot be supplied in a list of instructions and drawings.

DELIVERABLES:

Executive Summary, Programming Statement, etc. as described above

A Bill of Materials listing the major components and subcomponents

Architectural drawings completed during the construction drawing phase

A detailed scope of work listing everything the contractor is responsible for providing

An implementation timeline

A list of rules and regulations explaining how the system is to be wired, tested, etc.

Required single-line system drawings. These drawings vary from job to job, but generally include the following, if not already included in the architectural drawings:

Audio block drawings

Video block drawings

Control panel layouts

Control system drawings

Panel, plate and layout drawings

Custom equipment and interface drawings

Floor plans and equipment elevations

Reflected Ceiling plans

Conduit Riser drawings, with cable fill information

These materials are incorporated into the formal package sent to the prospective bidders. Typically, packages are sent to three qualified bidders. If you do not already have contractors you favor, we will provide a list and make recommendations. After sending the materials, it is sometimes necessary to hold a bidder’s meeting so that bidders may gather additional information, or have any questions answered.

BID EVALUATION AND REPORTS

After receiving each bidder’s submissions, we evaluate the responses to make sure they conform to both the spirit and the letter of the design. This evaluation is furnished to you as a report, listing any deficiencies we found in the submissions along with our recommendations.

SUBMITTAL REVIEW

As a requirement of any contract, the successful bidder must submit applicable cut sheets, sketches and system drawings for approval prior to building the system. The intent of this review is to be certain that what was designed and bid is actually what will be built.

FINAL SYSTEM CHECKOUT

This is a proof of performance review wherein the installing contractor must prove to us that all aspects of the system function as intended. If we find substantive deficiencies, another checkout will be required after the contractor effects repairs. If there are only a few minor deficiencies, we will generate a punch list and certify the system(s) for operation. Either way, we furnish reports to you, as well as the contractor.

END-USER TRAINING

Generally, the installing contractor is required to provide a warranty covering the entire system, not just the components covered by a manufacturer’s warranty. As such, they will become your service organization for the life of the warranty. It is often desirable to have the people who built and will maintain your system train the end-users in its operation. If you prefer that we provide this training, we are happy to include it in our scope.


ABOUT US SERVICES APPROACH VC PACKAGE CLIENTS ANSWERS CONTACT US HOME	The following are elements found in typical Consulting & Design contracts. Use these descriptions as a guide in determining what services fit your requirements.

	SCOPE MEETING This initial meeting, with you and your agents, acquaints all of the parties involved and establishes a dialog covering the overall scope of the requirements. These discussions develop a basic understanding of your functional requirements, as well as your operational expectations. The discovery process brings to light any special considerations, construction practices or union requirements that must be addressed and any impediments or limitations that would restrict the overall design. Your budget allocations should be discussed at this meeting, and a framework for proceeding adopted. This framework is flexible and should be crafted to fit your needs and comfort level. At one end of the scale, we offer a Time & Materials contract that includes an initial Retainer (to retain our services) and hourly rates for work, to be billed as it is expended. If you are just getting your feet wet and want to explore your options, perhaps this pay-as-you-go plan is best. At the other end of the scale is a contract for the entire project. For those in the middle, we offer a step-by-step approach: a contract for an initial, limited scope of work with optional follow-on packages for subsequent stages of the project. You may chose any or all of the services outlined below. When you have decided, we will prepare a formal proposal listing the scope of work to be performed under the contract, our fee(s) and all deliverables. PRELIMINARY DESIGN Working with you, our team establishes the fundamental concepts and components of the overall design. We discuss these criteria with your Architect, and/or any other professional agencies you retain, to coordinate the physical requirements of the design. At this stage, the physical spaces required to implement the design are defined and any special structural, functional, or construction requirements considered. In addition, aesthetic concerns, lighting schemes and acoustical considerations are addressed. At the completion of this stage, any preliminary sketches, capabilities lists, and budget requirements are formulated for submission. DELIVERABLES: Preliminary Programming Statement, and/or an Executive Summary. Preliminary implementation budgets for each system. Revised Budget for Remaining Consulting & Design (if required). Acoustic recommendations. Lighting criteria and control recommendations. INITIAL DESIGN REVIEW The purpose of this meeting is to make sure everyone is on the same track. All parties review the documents generated during the preliminary design stage and identify any desired revisions or areas of special concern. Any concerns that arise are addressed, and suggested changes evaluated. Adjustments deemed desirable are incorporated during the next stage. CONTINUING DESIGN Essentially, this stage is a refining of the preliminary design. It incorporates the information gleaned from the initial design review, and any subsequent modifications necessary to accommodate new architectural constraints, or changes you request. This process may take several iterations. The goal is to achieve an integrated, coherent design that meets all of your expectations, and provides an effective and friendly environment for your conferences and presentations. DELIVERABLES: Final Programming Statement, or updated Executive Summary Final implementation budget estimates for each system FINAL DESIGN REVIEW At this meeting, all previous revisions are discussed and any applicable options adopted or deleted. Upon acceptance of the final design proposal, the construction phase may begin.

	CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS During this phase, all shop or fabrication drawings are prepared. These drawings, and all supporting information, are furnished to the Architect/Design Firm for use in producing the construction drawings. In addition to providing support to the Architect/Designer, we will also confer with your other agents to provide them with information specific to their disciplines. DELIVERABLES: Acoustic requirements Lighting layout and control requirements Empty signal conduit requirements Conduit Riser drawings Power requirements, indicating locations and loads Thermal loads for HVAC requirements Appropriate floor plans and elevations Appropriate reflected ceiling plans Structural support requirements Applicable cut-outs or basic casework/millwork details Cut-sheet submittals for architectural elements, as necessary

	BID PACKAGE PREPARATION Whether you plan to request bids, or prefer a directed or negotiated contract, this step is essential. This package must contain all of the elements required by the installing contractor to provide the system as planned. Our bid packages contain the following: The Executive Summary, Programming Statements, and other material(s) you signed during the consulting and design phase. These documents describe your system, how it is to operate, and what your subjective and operational expectations are. They are included because they provide essential information that cannot be supplied in a list of instructions and drawings. DELIVERABLES: Executive Summary, Programming Statement, etc. as described above A Bill of Materials listing the major components and subcomponents Architectural drawings completed during the construction drawing phase A detailed scope of work listing everything the contractor is responsible for providing An implementation timeline A list of rules and regulations explaining how the system is to be wired, tested, etc. Required single-line system drawings. These drawings vary from job to job, but generally include the following, if not already included in the architectural drawings: Audio block drawings Video block drawings Control panel layouts Control system drawings Panel, plate and layout drawings Custom equipment and interface drawings Floor plans and equipment elevations Reflected Ceiling plans Conduit Riser drawings, with cable fill information These materials are incorporated into the formal package sent to the prospective bidders. Typically, packages are sent to three qualified bidders. If you do not already have contractors you favor, we will provide a list and make recommendations. After sending the materials, it is sometimes necessary to hold a bidder’s meeting so that bidders may gather additional information, or have any questions answered. BID EVALUATION AND REPORTS After receiving each bidder’s submissions, we evaluate the responses to make sure they conform to both the spirit and the letter of the design. This evaluation is furnished to you as a report, listing any deficiencies we found in the submissions along with our recommendations. SUBMITTAL REVIEW As a requirement of any contract, the successful bidder must submit applicable cut sheets, sketches and system drawings for approval prior to building the system. The intent of this review is to be certain that what was designed and bid is actually what will be built. FINAL SYSTEM CHECKOUT This is a proof of performance review wherein the installing contractor must prove to us that all aspects of the system function as intended. If we find substantive deficiencies, another checkout will be required after the contractor effects repairs. If there are only a few minor deficiencies, we will generate a punch list and certify the system(s) for operation. Either way, we furnish reports to you, as well as the contractor. END-USER TRAINING Generally, the installing contractor is required to provide a warranty covering the entire system, not just the components covered by a manufacturer’s warranty. As such, they will become your service organization for the life of the warranty. It is often desirable to have the people who built and will maintain your system train the end-users in its operation. If you prefer that we provide this training, we are happy to include it in our scope.