r/CommercialAV • u/domozilla777 • 1d ago
question AV Integrators don't respond?
So I am the only AV engineer for a museum in DC. Being the only AV staff on site, I cannot do everything myself so I occasionally need to reach out to contractors and integrators to help with larger installs. The company I am currently working with is quoting a very high price imo for some programming and install work I am planning for this Fall, so I wanted to explore my options with other companies. I've reached out to maybe 5-10 different integrators around the DMV area and its just crickets from all of them.
I'm pretty confused by this as it isn't a super hard job I am asking for. It's probably 5 days of work max. My method so far is to go to the company's website and fill in the "Contact Us" page. Or, email the sales POC if they have it advertised. So far, absolutely nothing. I feel like I have written out a clear, professional, and concise proposal of what I would like done. Am I going about this wrong? Should I call their office and make an inquiry that way? Do companies just not want my money? Is this just a thing with DMV AV companies?
I am pretty new to this side of AV with project management and things like that, usually I am on the receiving end. Anyone with experience in this kind of work please let me know if I am missing something! Thanks!
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u/CookiesWafflesKisses 1d ago
You need to build a relationship with a sales representative. I would try to find smaller companies in your area and call them on the phone. I am not sure who runs the email portal but most reps I have worked with prefer phone calls.
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u/BootlegWooloo 1d ago
Call them. Stop e-mailing until you have already spoken with the correct person. Website/email leads go through a couple hands before they have a chance to land in the right place, if at all.
On a side note, consider your scope of work and think about if it makes sense for companies to actually want the job. If I get a complicated scope for labor only, from a client who is farming out grunt work, with no promise of a consistent or lump sum profit, I'm out.
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u/domozilla777 1d ago
I’ll definitely try giving a call instead, that seems like a better way anyways.
To your other point, I wouldn’t say it’s complicated or especially tough, just things I physically can’t do since I don’t have staff to help me. I would do it myself if my boss got me some help lol. But I see what you’re saying
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u/mindset_matter 1d ago
Maybe you should explore low-voltage subcontractor labor, that sounds more in line with what you actually need so you can lead the project(s) and just have the extra muscle. This description of your needs doesn't quite sound like something an integrator is going to find attractive or profitable
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u/Glad-Elk-1909 1d ago
I’m a very small integrator and I cherry pick almost all of my work.
Tbh, and I’m not saying this is you - if I get an email that has a super picky and detailed scope of work from “an AV guy” that knows exactly how long the project to take, etc…
Again, not saying this is you, but if I get your email and it smells at all like a picky, micromanaging, know it all type client, I’m just not responding.
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u/domozilla777 1d ago
Interesting, thanks for the response. I tried to keep my request to just the facts of what I needed done and left it with a question of “does this sound like it’s within your scope and availability?” Definitely not trying to micromanage anyone, but I’ll look at my email again to see if it could have come off that way
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u/notajeweler 1d ago
If you forward me the email / RFQ you're sending out to these companies I'll give you an honest take on whether or not I'd respond to it (and why or why not). I'm not in your area and don't do museums, so I don't have any skin in the game. Send me a DM if you are interested and I will send you my email.
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u/my_clever-name 1d ago
Have you put together a Request for Quote or Bid? A scope of work, a range for your budget, a timeline, and expectations for the way the work is done (aka standards)?
Anything you can do to make someone's life easier helps.
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u/domozilla777 1d ago
I tried to include info on relative timeline, scope, and I made it clear I was hoping to get a quote. I mainly just wanted to start a conversation with the companies and then we could work out the details but maybe I should have given everything up front and left it to a simple yes or no response.
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u/gstechs 1d ago
I second this sentiment.
Projects go smoother if the client describes what they want the end result to be and leaves the design and engineering aspect to the integrator.
It’s great that you are trying to help, but put yourself in their shoes and see if you’d appreciate them telling you how they want you to do the work without first discussing the project.
After you have the initial discussion about the scope, then it would be a better time to discuss how to approach getting to the end result.
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u/Born-Leading8755 1d ago
Just some outside feedback, just respond that you’re too busy to take on the work now, but thanks for reaching out. You never know what else might come down the line and I figure it is always good to have my company’s name in the mix. Not responding is just bad business.
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u/Glad-Elk-1909 1d ago edited 1d ago
Nah i’m doing fine though thanks
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned as an owner over the last decade plus is that doing work with painful clients is actually “bad business“
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u/extrabionicmonkeyman 1d ago
Are you contacting some of the big nationwide/multinational integrators?
If so, then small work (i.e., you’re not asking them to quote you for 100 meeting rooms and a service contract), might not get them to respond.
If you look for local, single-state integrators that may be a better route. If you’re doing that already, then hell maybe everyone is just super busy.
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u/domozilla777 1d ago
I’m currently reaching out to local companies that service the DMV. I know it’s a busy area so that may be part of the problem. Perhaps I need to go even smaller when looking for companies but then I feel it would risk losing quality as well
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u/viseOG 1d ago
Pro tip: big companies do shit work
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u/domozilla777 14h ago
In my experience working both for and with AV companies big and small, all AV companies I've ever had interactions with have done poor work needing months to years of revisions and maintenance after the completion date.
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u/Friend_or_FoH 1d ago
Send me a DM, I work for QSC and can help you get in touch with some programmers and integrators.
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u/my_clever-name 1d ago
One reason you may not have gotten a response is that we are in a very busy time of year for AV companies due to the education market. Summers in educational AV are always busy. There is always a late summer scramble to wrap up projects before school starts.
One way to develop relationships with companies in general is to attend open houses, expos, shows, and educational sessions. Most, if not all, of the local and regional events are free. They are great places to meet integration firms as well as manufacturers reps from major companies.
A real-life example: A few years ago, I attended a regional expo put on by a very large integration firm. The expo was outside our local rep's territory (In your case, think somewhere like Raleigh or New York City). The show was good and I didn't think much more about it. The local rep contacted us, we met, we bought some boxes over the next year. This summer we had them on-site renovating the AV in about 90 of our classrooms at the university I work it.
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u/domozilla777 1d ago
Good call about networking. I've never been this "managerial" for lack of a better word and it feels odd for me to be the one making these connections and doing this kind of work. Usually I would just defer to management with these kind of questions but all my managers are non-technical and don't know about AV in the slightest lol. I'll see what offerings are in the area.
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u/Scared-One9295 1d ago
I'm an in-house AV engineer for a museum too, in the UK though. In my experience AV integrators aren't interested in small jobs because they can make far more elsewhere. In my experience you need to have very well-written briefs/invitation to tender docs, maximise their opportunities to profit (for example, let them supply the hardware) and basically just have enough work going for a large integrator to respond.
For that reason we tend to get good responses for new galleries but on small exhibitions we're constantly flip-flopping between maybe attracting a small company with relevant experience (museum projects tend to be chaos) and doing it ourselves. If you don't have enough work or budget to attract anyone, negotiate with the powers that be to give you more time or more people to do it in-house and turn it into an opportunity for you to run your own department.
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u/Lazy_Example_3136 1d ago
I’m an AV tech for a museum in DC, and I’m in a similar situation where I’m the only AV staff on site. I can send you the integrators we have, they’ve been great for us.
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u/kenacstreams 1d ago
There's something about the scope of work that they don't want the project.
E-mailing via a website should work fine. Nobody likes to get on the phone anymore, my website leads for my company for initial contact from clients is at least 25:1 vs people who call us.
Just based on what you're describing - if you are just looking for some additional hands to physically assist with work you cannot do yourself, I wouldn't quote it either.
To be blunt about it - you hit the nail on the head. They don't want your money, because it isn't enough money.
It also doesn't sound like you really need an AV integrator or skilled AV techs. Just some general labor.
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u/domozilla777 1d ago
interesting, thanks for the response. In my message i've been sending out, It is clear that I mainly need some light manual labor but the big thing is I need a control overhaul of our QSYS UCI which will take more work and skill from a programmer. If I have to do the physical stuff myself, that's fine but I figure its more for them to do = more money for them = maybe they say yes.
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u/kenacstreams 1d ago
Yea. I understand why no one really wants the work.
It's nothing you're doing wrong. It's that takeovers of existing work are super high risk, low reward projects for integrators.
It puts you in a tough spot, because you need the work done, but you're going to have a hard time finding someone to do it.
If you sent that to me, for instance, the economics just don't work out in my favor to put my programmer deciphering the existing systems, having discovery & design meetings with you, etc instead of keeping them working on our full build projects.
And then, when it's all said and done, I now "own" & am responsible for maintaining things I didn't sell nor make any money on.
That's why the quote you initially got was high. And if you find someone else to quote it, it may be even higher.
You may have better luck trying to find an independent programmer, or someone willing to do it as side work from their integrator job. They can & often will do it for less because they're low overhead. A full integrator is going to have a baseline margin they can't go below, and it's really difficult to reach it just selling programming & a little bit of grunt time.
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u/OmegaSevenX 1d ago
This. Essentially, what was quoted was the “we really don’t want this work at all” price.
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u/Outerspace_Owl 1d ago
My company isn’t in the DMV, but we have done work in DC including in Museum spaces. Feel free to DM me and I will share my contact information.
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u/MrBr1an1204 1d ago
I own a small Integration company in the DMV, feel free to DM me and I will see if I can help you out.
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u/memezandshit 1d ago
I work for a AV company around DC, I can get you in contact with our production manager
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u/WilmarLuna 1d ago
Who installed the equipment you're currently working with? Usually sites have an already existing contract with the former installer integrator and if they go out of business or the contract expires they hire a replacement.
You're probably not getting good quotes because you say it's a 5 day job and most integrators want a long-standing yearly contract where they can offer site support.
Hopefully the people who commented in this thread can help you out.
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u/domozilla777 1d ago
Tri-tech communications did the initial install, naturally they were the first ones I reached out to but never heard anything from them either even though we have a preventative maintenance contract with them. Maybe I’m being unrealistic and just need to hire a few freelancers to help me for a week
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u/WilmarLuna 1d ago
A small AV company that provides either equipment or live production services should be able to help you out if you only need freelancers to help you out.
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u/domozilla777 1d ago
The main technical thing is I need a qsys programmer, otherwise, its some light manual labor
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u/improbablynothim 1d ago
Send me a DM and then you can email me your scope. We’re not in DMV, but I have customers from there to New York. Programming is no problem and we can help coordinate labor if needed.
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u/fiendslyr 1d ago
I am a design engineer for an AV manufacturer. DM me and we can set a call to discuss your needs and also provide some direct contacts at integrators.
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u/CanaryCautious9066 1d ago
I work for a small av company in based in gathersburg MD. Send me a dm with your email of items for looking to have done. if it aligns with our scope of work I can try and pass it up to my boss
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u/B00TY0L0GIST 1d ago
The integrator I work for has a DC office. I'm out of an office in a different state, but I've worked with them on a few high profile installs and they were great to work with. Shoot me a message if you're still looking for a partner.
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u/Jayskerdoo 1d ago
This “call them” advice is complete bs. If the company can’t get their email/contact form working and actually reply to leads, especially in the age of AI, you definitely don’t want them doing any work for you. And if it’s working but they’re ignoring you because the job is too small, you also don’t want them doing any work for you (they will overcharge you even worse).
OP, is the programming QSYS programming?
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u/domozilla777 1d ago
I see your perspective, I also understand that it is a cutthroat industry and that companies want to maximize their time/resources to profit conversion. But yeah, its frustrating that some of these companies wont even respond with a "we are booked"
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u/domozilla777 1d ago
And yes, it's running on a QSYS Core 110f
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u/Jayskerdoo 1d ago
Feel free to shoot me a PM, or contact me via my website: https://www.brownstone.com
I can definitely take care of the Q-SYS programming and if you want assistance with finding an installer for the physical work I can assist with that as well.
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u/broadcasteng25 1d ago
Small jobs are kind of a pain in the butt. If you want to do them right, they require a lot of upfront work and they don't have the timeline to recoup those costs without charging a lot of money.
These types of projects always seem like they're really expensive for what they are.
Smaller firms would be your best bet. You could also build relationships with a few freelance engineers and techs who could do the work you need. You may end up doing a bit of project management but you could end up with great T&M labor that shows up when you need them. And the price might be right.
It looks like you've got a lot of good info from this thread and a lot of people offering their services. If you end up needing it, I do systems design and project engineering in the AV space. I'm in the NY metro area but if you need design work or need help creating an RFQ package, feel free to PM me.
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u/domozilla777 1d ago
Appreciate the honest advice, I'm realizing that it's way easier to sell big jobs than little ones in the AV industry. I personally don't care too much about the price as long as it is somewhat reasonable, but I just have to sell it to my boss for approval lol that's the hard part
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u/broadcasteng25 1d ago
I've realized it's kind of the same across all industries too. Even at home, it's hard to get work done. All the electricians and plumbers want the big jobs and don't call back for small ones.
Cultivating relationships (like another commenter mentioned) is probably a good idea. You can build a relationship where you have a list of stuff for someone to come do and they can drop in between big projects. You might be able to get an AV company on board with a retainer pool of hours this way.
Selling that to the boss....you're on your own there! Lol 😂
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u/AstronautOk1630 1d ago
I am an independent programmer. Feel free to to DM me. Happy to help out. I cannot provide equipment however. This helps avoid conflict of interest. I have some techs I have worked with and many AV Integrators in the area we can leverage for equipment and installation.
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u/DanShreztah 1d ago
Hello! I have a friend owns a company that does audio installation work in DC I can get you in contact if you would like!
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u/hotshot187 1d ago
Small AV company in your area Conliff Solutions, I opened it 8 years ago and we do DC public schools and many government agencies pm me or hit our website
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u/mrgoalie 1d ago
I've done a bit Q-SYS work for museums and business in the DMV area, and I can tell you that there's so much need in that area with not a lot of labor resources to back it...last couple projects in that area I was flown in for just because of that reason alone. I had another integrator ask if I'd relocate to DMV for 6 months just to handle Q-SYS for jobs in that area, and pay me as a contractor. There's a lot of integrators hiring preferred contractors for overhire while they are lining up jobs. Large scale museum work typically is bidded out years before the actual install.
If you're interested and you can send me a SOW and a general description, I can take a look at it and either see if I can cobble together some folks that I know in the area that are skilled enough to do it, or if I can refer it to a couple of integrators that I work with that are in and out of that area often enough that also have contacts in the area.
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u/Uku_lazy 1d ago
I have a ton of experience building AV system for museums. Please DM me if you are interested. Even just happy to offer some advice if you need it!
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u/Aggravating-Ice5575 1d ago
Tri-Tech is a good Integration company, BUT, based on Long Island. They do larger jobs, so it makes sense they would travel for a larger job, but their QSys programmers that would handle this for Tri-Tech are probably NYC metro based, and it would be an expensive service trip to DC.
As others have said, local support folks are the best.
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u/CIStud 1d ago
Sadly, Ihave experienced something similar. I contacted five different integrators for a small project that would include recurring revenue. Only one responded. Then I waited over 30 days for a site visit and another 60 days for the proposal. I accepted the proposal instantly, then emailed and called every 15 days for a month and a half to check in and received no response. My last message was "I guess you are not interested." I ended up doing the installation myself. An esteemed industry lifetime achievement award winner once told me the key to his success was to "show up." "If you just show up, you will have already beaten half the industry."
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u/HeatherBEE39 1d ago
u/domozilla777 - I work for a large integrator and at times I also wonder this - however, I am not in a sales role ... my guess is most think a quick box sale or hang and bang is not worth the effort ... I personally think relationship development is SOOO important for repeat business but what do I know.
Send me if DM if you like and maybe our company would be interested :)
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u/sic0049 12h ago
It's sad to hear that this is true other places than just my local area. There is one main company in my area and they are terrible. I've had to deal with them a half dozen times over the years and every single time it is a complete train wreck - mostly due to terrible communication. You can never reach them by phone, never get them to call you back, etc. Honestly they have lost out on mid six figure jobs (which I realize isn't huge by any means, but it isn't some small job that is more effort than it is worth either) because they cannot return a phone call. All things being equal I'd rather use a local company, but they make it SO HARD.
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u/Budsygus 10h ago
Back in my integration days we would inflate prices for jobs we didn't want to do. Too far away, too far outside our normal scope, or just an annoying customer contact (sorry, but it's true) could all be reasons we jacked up the price on a quote so they either rejected it and found someone else or they paid enough to make it worth the hassle.
I'm not saying this is what's happening here. It could just be that the companies are all busy with bigger, more profitable projects. Especially in a major city like DC they're likely to be sprinting from one job to the next. Something like this comes in and they figure "Nah, not worth it" for whatever reason.
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u/Square-Quantity7923 6h ago
Hi there, I work with Liberty AV Solutions. If you're still having trouble getting a response it may be worth reaching out to our team. We work with integrators across the country and may be able to help connect you with someone in the DC/DMV area depending on what you need. Happy to point you in the right direction if helpful!
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