Project Costs can vary
Project costs can vary greatly depending on several factors:
1. Specifications often require extra equipment and sometimes they require 10% extra of the devices and sometimes they ask for 10 of each type which can be excessive.
2. Certifications such as NICET can be a requirement that can narrow your competition and increase the professionalism of a project.
3. Specific brand names and model numbers can narrow the competition when the products are proprietary. Example: There are some fire alarm brands that only one company per state can do and after they get the job the prices tend to be very high for parts and labor so be careful about this.
4. When the specifications require CAD drawings this can add quite a bit to a project.
5. When an Engineer requires additional warranties or excessive training and added trips the cost can go up several thousand dollars. Sometimes the warranties are a good idea and other times the normal manufacturer's warranties are sufficient.
6. When comparing companies don't forget to look them up on http://www.bbb.org
7. Keep in mind that some companies have changed their names several times to avoid a poor reputation. Peak Alarm has had the same name for the last 45 years and we have an A+ rating with the better business bureau.
8. So after your specifications are written it is prudent to read through them and decide when there are any excessive requirements or not and you may want to edit the extra equipment and the CAD requirements especially if you already paid an Electrical Engineer to do the CAD then paying a Fire Alarm Company to do it again may not be the best option.