What red flags should I look for in an AV proposal?

The most common red flags in an AV proposal are no site survey, no named technical contact, capex-only pricing, vague commissioning, an unspecific network upgrade, front-loaded payment milestones, no exit terms and brand loyalty over fit. Any one of these warrants a follow-up question. Two or more is a reason to disqualify the bid.

The big ones, in order:

1. No site survey. A quote based on a floor plan will miss ceiling void depth, mains positioning, acoustics, daylight and existing cabling. Expect a six-figure project to land a five-figure change request on day one of the install.
2. No named technical contact. Generic "your project team" language tells you the integrator does not know which engineer will run the job. The named contact should appear in the proposal, with their CTS or manufacturer accreditations.
3. Capex only with no support, warranty year 2 or refresh schedule. A quote that ends at handover is incomplete. The lifecycle cost is typically 30 to 50% on top of the install over a 5 to 7 year horizon, and a serious proposal prices it alongside the capex.
4. Loose commissioning ("we'll test on the day"). Commissioning should be enumerated: which tests, with what acceptance criteria, signed off by whom. "We'll test on the day" means commissioning is whatever the engineer remembers to do before they leave.
5. Unspecific network upgrade responsibilities. If the proposal says "client to provide network" without specifying PoE budget, VLANs, bandwidth, ports and DHCP scope, you will own the gap.
6. Front-loaded payment milestones. A proposal asking for 60 to 80% on signature is asking you to fund their cashflow with no leverage if delivery slips. Healthy milestones track survey, equipment delivered, installed, signed off.
7. No exit or handover terms. What happens to the control system source code, the documentation, the configuration backups if the relationship ends? If the answer is silence, you are buying a vendor lock.
8. Brand loyalty rather than fit. A proposal that recommends the same platform regardless of room type, room count or platform standard is selling what they know, not what you need.

For the framework that should be in place instead, see the consultation and design service and the published accreditations register.

Quick reference: no site survey, no named contact, capex-only, vague commissioning, unspecific network scope, front-loaded payments, no exit terms, brand loyalty over fit.