On Thu, Apr 28, 2011 at 12:45 AM, <[email protected]> wrote: > > > or it means that they think that with these certifications they can charge > more for the same service. > > True that. In this case, in initial budgetary pricing, vendor with certs came in lower.
cue the standard debate about how much certifications are worth ;-) I'll take that bait and state that I have no current certs, but I'm pretty sure that I do a good job. :) > I think the key is that before you have any company do a major job, have > them do a small job and see how good they are. > > absent this, get refrences, get pictures of their prior installs. > Yes and yes. I've worked with multiple companies doing wireing and I don't know what > certifications each has, but the company that I would have expected to have > more (larger, government contracts, etc) is definantly not the one I want to > have wire my datacenter, the small shop with a half a dozen people (most of > who I have seen enough that we know each other by name) has done far better > work See my earlier email regarding the validity of certs. Herein lies the problem. If I do not specify qualifications for the vendor, I open the door to Joe's Toaster Shop bidding, undercutting the price, and getting the job. I have been involved with jobs that were awarded to "big" shops that turned out to be meat mills with employees that didn't care. That's what drives my no-sub requirement -- I want folks on site who have a vested interest in doing a good job. I agree with the importance of doing the job right. I just question if what > tests someone has taken (and note that this is not neccessarily the tech > assigned to your work) really is the deciding factor. I think we're fundamentally on the same page. I want the job to be done right. I don't believe that certs = excellence. But in the arena where I have to put out the bid publicly, I think that it is sane and smart to put some parameters around it. I want to know who is going to be working on cabling my floor, what their background is, and I want qualified personnel to be involved in the job. This is something I request, no matter how small the job is. My best case scenario = Designated Project Manager -- so I don't have to drive the project -- I supply info and dates and PM makes stuff happen. OSHA trained foreman on site -- so I don't have to worry about job site safety. BICSI cert'd installers at a certain % of overall staff - so that I know that they have at least a minor clue. There are always one-offs, but as a representative and proponent of my current employer, it's my duty to give them the best solution possible. Thanks for the input, M
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