The telecommunications consultant should have extensive experience performing due diligence reviews for a wide range of clients. As a standalone service, a due diligence review can be performed on any service provider, contractor or vendor that the building owner or developer is considering using. As part of the overall turnkey statement of work, the telecommunications consultant can perform a detailed review of any of the companies that respond to the RFP(s). The due diligence process assesses the ability of the company to perform the services requested and proceeds until all requirements are met, or until such time as a critical deficiency is identified that would remove the bidder from consideration. If the due diligence uncovers a fatal flaw, the next best bidder will move to the head of the list and the process is repeated until a suitable provider can be identified.
At the end of the due diligence process, the building owner will have absolute confidence that the selected service provider or vendor will meet all the requirements of the RFP and that the service will be installed according to the timeline and budget requested.
10. Contractor selection
In a Telecommunications Project, the "Contractor" may be a carrier or service provider, or may be an infrastructure construction company. No distinction is made here as to the type of contractor.
As part of the turnkey Statement of Work, Contractor Selection is a direct result of the RFP process and the due diligence. The selection is a collaboration between the building owner and the telecommunications consultant.
As a standalone service, Contractor Selection is a service that can be provided at several distinct milestones during the implementation of a Telecommunications Project. In fact, several different contracts may be needed in an end to end deployment, including:
· Building infrastructure - telco rooms, riser conduit, horizontal wiring,
fixtures and outlets, etc. This contractor may be your overall building contractor,
or a specialist telecommunications contractor.
· Local Service provider or competitive service provider - installs their
access facilities in the telco rooms, cross connects them to the inside wiring
and extends them either to demarcation points throughout the building, or to
the main demarc location.
· Local Area Network developer - either the owner or tenants may need
to contract with a LAN deployment contractor who will extend fiber, cable or
copper into the tenant suites. This task may be done as part of the initial
construction, or left for the tenant to do when they move in.
Regardless of the kind of contractor, The telecommunications consultant should be well equipped to perform all the research and due diligence necessary to select a contractor and negotiate a contract with them with the building owners' best interests at heart.
11. Vendor selection
As with the selection of contractors, the selection of vendors of telecommunications equipment can occur throughout the deployment timeline. Depending on the telecommunications budget, the design of the infrastructure, the responses to the RFP and many other factors, selection of vendors may be the responsibility of the building owner, or of the contractors and service providers.
In most cases, the building owner will have to install some basic infrastructure prior to any of the contractors and service providers. This installation will include the basic infrastructure for the telco rooms and closets including panels and conduit, cable racks, and a variety of other standard telecommunications products. The telecommunications consultant will assist in identifying those products that are the building owners responsibility, identifying potential vendors, soliciting bids and selecting the appropriate vendors.
For equipment that is the responsibility of the contractors, the telecommunications consultant will act as an independent engineer to ensure that the contractor is selecting the most appropriate products and obtaining the most favorable pricing.
12. Deployment planning
Once the design has been finalized, contractor and vendor selected, and construction has begun, it is important that a coordinated plan is put together so that all aspects of the deployment are completed in an optimal manner. Project plans, resources, timelines, cash flow, milestones, test plans, validation and turn-up are all documented in a Master Deployment plan. This plan is developed in conjunction with all contractors and vendors associated with the development of the overall building. Coordination between contractors and vendors is critical to minimize re-work, resources, and equipment. The Master Deployment plan will be the document of record for assessing the success and timing of the overall project.
13. Contractor/Vendor Management
The telecommunications consultant will act as an independent engineer, managing and monitoring the deployment of infrastructure and equipment. This allows the building owner and construction management to focus their efforts on what they do best, while ensuring that the contractors and vendors meet their obligations under the terms of the contract.
The role of the independent engineer is to monitor contractor compliance on a regular basis in the areas of:
· Quality of Work
· Design parameters
· Cost
· Time
The independent engineer will coordinate communications between the client, the prime building contractor and the telecommunications contractors and vendors, and will be responsible for ensuring a successful deployment of the telecommunications infrastructure.
