Upgrading a security system for a strata building can be daunting for both strata managers and the Owners Corporation.
How do you compare three quotes with different scopes and prices?
What’s a reliable product? And is it really what the owners want or need?
By following five simple steps, you can reduce your workload, find the right contractor, and install a security system that will work for the owners for years to come.
Step 1: What do you want to achieve with this project?
Create a project brief with the committee. This document is designed to assist committees or strata managers in identifying important information regarding the security upgrade planned for their building. It also enables discussion and an informed decision on whether to proceed with the installation after considering the legal aspects and costs involved in the project.
Step 2: Apples for apples. How to get three similar quotes.
Create a scope of work for your contractors. On agreement that the security system will be installed, the information in the project brief can be easily exported to a Scope of Works document that can be issued to the three preferred suppliers, enabling them to quote accurately and equally for the work.
Step 3: Who’s the right contractor for the project?
Compare quotes and contractors with an easy-to-use checklist. Make sure your contractor has the right experience and is the right company size for the work they are taking on. Where can you see previous installations? Product warranty should also be included in the comparison. Price is important, but lifetime value is key.
Step 4: Ensuring a smooth installation
Ask your contractor for an implementation plan. When will the work be done, and when must residents be home? This includes fob and garage remote allocation sheets.
Step 5: What happens next? The important bit.
Passwords and warranty. It’s easy to heave a sigh of relief once the system is installed and invoices have been paid. But this shouldn’t be the end of the process; you’re missing the really important bit: passwords and warranty.
You must record vital information about the new systems that will allow you to manage them in the future. Most modern security systems are password protected; without these passwords, no one can access the system to add new fobs or replace cameras or faulty equipment.
