In this guide
Comparing AV quotes is difficult because the expensive parts are often the parts nobody writes down. This is what a complete quote contains, and how to compare two that look very different.
Scope, stated as outcomes
An equipment list is not a scope. It says what will be delivered to site, not what will exist when the job is finished. A proper scope describes what each room will do.
Eight in-ceiling speakers, one amplifier, one controller.
Four audio zones: kitchen, great room, primary suite, patio. Each independently controllable from keypad and app, levels calibrated at handover.
Exclusions, written down
What is not included matters as much as what is. Unstated exclusions become change orders.
- Mains electrical work and who holds that licence
- Patching, painting and making good after cable routing
- Builder work such as blocking, backboxes and pockets
- Network service from the provider
- Furniture, millwork and mounting substrate
- Anything contingent on another trade finishing first
Drawings and documentation
On anything beyond a single room, drawings should be part of the deliverable: a rack elevation, a signal flow, and a plan marking device locations. These are what make the system maintainable and what let you compare one proposal against another meaningfully.
If nobody drew it, nobody can check it, and nobody can maintain it.
Testing and commissioning
This is the line item most often missing and most often the difference in price.
- Certification results for every network run
- Audio levels set per zone, measured rather than estimated
- Display and projector calibration
- Every scene and every source tested
- Camera views checked at night as well as during the day
- Control tested by someone who did not program it
Training and handover
A system nobody can operate is not finished. Handover should include a session with the people who will use it, in the house or the office, with the system live, plus something written to refer back to.
Support after handover
Ask what happens when something stops working six months later. Specifically: response time, what is covered, what is billable, whether remote support is included, and who to contact. A quote that is silent on support is quoting an installation, not a working system.
Comparing two bids
| If one quote is cheaper, check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Is commissioning included? | Often the whole difference |
| Are drawings included? | Affects maintainability for years |
| Who patches and paints? | Can become a significant separate cost |
| Is cable certified or just connected? | Determines whether faults appear later |
| Is training included? | Decides whether the system gets used |
| What support follows? | Decides what happens when something breaks |
Send both companies the same written scope and ask them to price that, rather than asking each for a proposal. Two responses to one scope are comparable. Two independent proposals usually are not.
Ask us for a written scope
We will put the scope in writing first so you can compare it against anything else you are considering.
Request a scope