How do I check an AV integrator's references properly?

Check AV integrator references by requesting 2 to 3 from the same sector at comparable scale, calling each one directly, and asking specific questions about how the integrator handled the parts that went wrong. Most integrators look the same on a good day. The differentiator is how they behave on a bad one.

The brief to give the bidder when requesting references: same sector (legal, financial services, education, hospitality, public sector), comparable scale (single room, 10-room rollout, 50-room estate refresh), within the last 24 months. A 5-year-old reference from a different sector at a different scale is not useful. If the bidder cannot provide sector-matched references at scale, that is the answer to the question.

Do not just ask for the contact name and stop there. Call. The phone call should take 20 to 30 minutes per reference, and the questions should target the parts that reveal real behaviour:

• What was the change-control process when the scope shifted? Was every change a fight, or was there a sensible commercial mechanism?
• How long was the snagging list at handover, and how long did it take to close it out?
• When something failed in the first 90 days post-install, how quickly did they respond, and was the fix definitive or a workaround?
• Did the lifecycle costs come in where the proposal said they would, or did year 2 introduce surprises?
• Was the named technical contact the actual technical contact, or did they disappear after the first month?
• Would the reference re-engage them on the next project? More tellingly, have they?

Listen for hesitation as carefully as you listen to the answer. A reference who has to think hard before saying "yes, I'd use them again" is telling you something even if the words are positive.

For sector-matched evidence and the framework around it, see the consultation and design service and the published accreditations register.

Quick reference: sector-matched and scale-matched references within 24 months, called not emailed, ask about change control, snagging, post-install response, lifecycle accuracy, contact continuity and repeat engagement.