Basics

The Physical Access Control Project Planner

A well planned access control project provides appropriate protection at a reasonable cost with minimum disruption. And if it's poorly run? Expect cost overruns, permitting delays, and a very, very annoyed workforce. An experienced system designer's guide to avoiding common access control errors.

By Jason Cowling

A. How many access control projects similar in scope and size have you completed in the past year? Can you provide references from these clients?

B. Is your system proprietary (meaning it can only be installed and maintained by certified individuals), or open-architecture (usually interchangeable between companies, and between a wider variety of devices and platforms?)

C. If we signed a contract today for the installation of the access control system, how long will it be until you can begin the installation? -- Companies can often have backlogs extending for 6-8 weeks, or have to order parts which can create an equally long wait time for installation. Look for a vendor who will commit to a specific installation date, and take note of how long it takes vendors to respond to this request.

D. Does the vendor have a guaranteed service response time in the event of a problem with the system? (24-hour or same day is ideal). Also, ask whether you'll be calling a local representative or a corporate call center environment for service requests and other inquiries. Will your local representative be available for help after the system goes online? How long has he or she worked for the company?  Take note how long it takes you to receive responses to phone and email messages from your potential vendors. If they are slow during the sales phase, they're likely to be slow when it comes to service.

E. What are the financing options? Look for a company that offers purchase, rental, and third party lease options. Specify that you want all three options presented in your quotations. Involve your organization's finance individuals during procurement. Tax implications, setting up net payment arrangements, depreciation of equipment, and contract reviews are all important financial aspects of the access control system that need to be accounted for during the procurement stage. Once a final vendor is selected, be sure to take the time to set up interaction between your finance department and the vendor's ⬠billing issues frequently eat up time and make everyone unhappy, but can often be avoided with a few minutes of due diligence during the planning stage.

F. Be sure to ask your vendors for a maintenance agreement quotation. Generally, maintenance agreements cover the loss of equipment due to general failure. Be sure to ask what the manufacturer's warranty is for all the equipment being installed. Some manufacturers offer one- to three-year warranties on their equipment—but systems integrators may or may not honor those warranties. Be sure to get it in writing! Look for a company that honors or exceeds the manufacturer's warranty, and ideally covers both the materials and the time a technician spends at your site. Ask the vendor to provide an hourly maintenance price as well.  If your manufacturer's warranty is for several years it may be financially advantageous to pay the integrator by the individual service call, rather than via a recurring maintenance fee.

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