Fire Side Chat: How to Sell Code-Compliant Fire/Life Safety

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Bidding/Installing Procedures

There are established procedures that contractors must follow with regard to bidding and installing fire/life-safety systems. On the bid side, this includes:

  1. Procurement     of a bid specification package.
  2. Writing     a tight, competitive proposal.
  3. Submission     of the proposal in accordance with instructions contained in the bid     package.
  4. Opening     of all submitted bids and the public reading of all provided bid prices.
  5. The     awarding of a contract to the lowest and/or best bidder.

The bid spec usually includes a full or partial set of blueprints along with a specification book. The construction documents, including procedures and general conditions, are contained within the specification book, which is an integral part of the bid package.

Once your company is awarded the job, you must submit blueprints and a variety of calculations and cut-sheets to the local AHJ for a detailed “plans examination.” For more information on bid specifications, the required construction documents and other issues related to the plans examination process, refer to “Estimating the Really Big Jobs Can Lead to Really Big Profits,” published in SSI’s October 2004 issue (see www.securitysales.com/bigjobsbigprofits).

Using the CSI MasterFormat

On larger jobs the bid specification can be quite extensive in size. Low-voltage contractors can reduce the time they spend looking for relevant sections using the CSI MasterFormat, which is a method of organization for construction specifications. The system was developed by the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) and Construction Specifications Canada.

In 1995, the CSI MasterFormat consisted of 16 divisions. This method of organization is still in use today, despite the development of a more extensive system in 2004 that consists of 50 divisions. The expansion from 16 to 50 offers greater flexibility. It also allows architects and owners to better manage the awarding of bids by allowing them to contract with what used to be subcontractors working under a primary contractor, called a prime.

A good example of this is Division 16, titled Electrical. Almost every low-voltage system known to man falls under this division. This means that all of them ultimately fall under the auspices of the electrical contractor (EC), which then becomes the prime.

Using the new CSI MasterFormat, Division 26 is also Electrical and there are several others devoted to low-voltage systems. For example, Division 21 is Fire Suppression, Division 25 is Integrated Automation, Division 27 is Communications, and Division 28 is Electronic Safety and Security. Knowing which one to look under shortens the time it takes to go through the spec book and put an accurate proposal together, which is essential if you’re going to submit your bid on time.

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About the Author

Contact:

Shane Clary, Ph.D., is Security Sales & Integration’s “Fire Side Chat” columnist. He has more than 37 years of security and fire alarm industry experience. He serves on a number of NFPA technical committees, and is vice president of Codes and Standards Compliance for Pancheco, Calif.-based Bay Alarm Co.

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