from both sides of the fence when trudging through the trenches. If you fail to do this, expect mismanaged schedules that cause you to have to send technicians home last minute and disputes over who gets the priority on executing their scope of work. The client isn’t always going to have the foresight to alert other contractors of the changes they make to their priorities, and you can’t always depend on the news to trickle down through the
educated, on the technical aspects of AVL infrastructure, making it difficult for them to know when to act when the wool is be- ing pulled over their eyes. Being a voice that advocates for their best interests in these discussions may add a bit to your plate in terms of interfacing with multiple parties, but it’ll create value and reduce strain on your logistics in the long run. ALWAYS CYA (COVER YOUR ASS–ETS). All of the aforementioned is to be pre- emptive in doing your best to minimize overhead and headaches. But, if all else fails, encapsulate some standard practical disclaimers at the end of your quotes for a client that address common situations that cause conflict in accountability and liability disputes. Draw from your own experiences as examples that help illustrate the validity of cat- egorical overages and justify additional billable hours. FINALLY: THE HONEY AND VINEGAR. Don’t be heavy-handed with your terminol- ogy on contract disclaimers to clients. No one likes to speak legalese and you might create distrust. Be practical in presenting your logic behind your liability waivers, and be firm with stubborn contractors whom you’re forced to work with but prove to be slippery. They will be quick to fingerpoint when things go awry, so create accountability and enforce it within your means. Be fastidious in documenting third-party failures during the project that impact your timeline or costs. It’s critical to perform this postmortem daily because even if you think you’ll remember, after a few days on a busy project, the specifics tend to blur together and you may forgot. If you can’t refer to those details when it counts, it reduces the legitimacy of your statements. And you don’t always know what hiccup might turn into a full-blown problem later down the road. So, there you have it. The back alley, how-to guide to staying AV installation savvy and steering clear of costly and frustrating headaches. It’s a layer cake, folks, so don’t get distracted by the frost- ing. Good luck out there. MI
leading them to attempt more devious ways of recouping that hit. Best to avoid this manure altogether. DON’T BECOME THE LEAD SUSPECT. Just like a crime scene, the last person to put their fingerprints on something is generally the assumed guilty party when something goes wrong. It’s common for clients to request repurposing or integrat- ing pre-existing hardware to save costs.
“It’s critical from the outset to establish the point person from each subcontractor. Identify who has the decision-making power and represents their company on the ground floor.”
procedural pipeline. Plan for communica- tion fail-safes and redundancies so you can adapt and improvise without being caught with your pants at your ankles. SNAKES CAN TAKE MANY SHAPES. It’s also important to remain wary of other contractors seeking to increase their capi- tal influx, thus shrinking your operating budget. This could be through their own negligence or from intentional attempts to do things like “double dip.” Technically complex and nebulous areas may be the blind spot that the client can’t understand enough to call out. Oftentimes, when dealing with more bureaucratic, multi-layered city projects, the budget for your scope of work may fall under another larger contractor’s budget. If that contractor fails to incorporate all your estimates or line items then they will also fail to include them properly in their submittals to the approval commit- tee. I’ve seen that attribute to a delta of over $50,000 in oversight. That contrac- tor was obligated to eat that cost, but it caused a long string of avoidable phone calls, contract reviews and deliberations. It also fertilizes ground that can sprout discontent from the contractor, potentially
You may be there to take over a project which requires a hand-off transition that can quickly turn into treacherous terrain. Regardless if I’m using QSC, JBL or Mackie, I’ve never encountered a perfect system when you tie it into a string of other net- work components. There are always bugs or caveats to be aware of. Make your needs known to the client and the other third parties from the start. Talk tech spec, get an understanding of the signal flow and hardware to a level that answers all of your questions or opens the door to finding the answers on your own. Once that other party begins their departure from the scene, you won’t get the level of attention needed to save you hours of CSI forensic work. Make clear the level of cooperation you expect from them in order to facilitate an amicable transition. Ideally, have the client present to witness and mediate the conversation. Ask questions like, “what are the known failure points of this current system that your team has encountered?” and “what steps did you take to resolve them?” SPEAK NOW, OR FOREVER HOLD YOUR PEACE. As I mentioned earlier, understand that some clients can be more timid, or un-
Cyph Shah is the manager of Astro Audio Video and Lighting in Glendale, California. He is also the lead instructor of the DJ School (Astro Mix Lab) and designs/commissions AVL systems for nightlife, art exhibits, corporate showrooms, sports facilities and live performance venues as Astro’s installation foreman. He has performed across the country for more than 20 years as a club DJ.
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