What are project-related costs in a bespoke AV project?

You receive a quote for a bespoke AV project and, alongside the equipment and installation, you see an item called ‘project-related costs’. But what exactly are you paying for?  That’s a question we regularly get at AVEX. And understandably so, because a large part of the work on an audiovisual project happens behind the scenes – before anything is actually installed on site.

This preparation often determines whether an AV project runs smoothly or causes problems later on.

With more than 35 years of experience and over 1,500 audiovisual projects a year, AVEX knows exactly what steps are needed to deliver an audiovisual solution that’s reliable, user-friendly and future-proof.

In this article, Harry Beunder, Manager Projects at AVEX, explains how the process behind the scenes works, what happens after an order is placed and what the project-related costs cover.

You’ll read about:

• Which 5 phases a bespoke AV project goes through
• Which specialists are involved
• What project-related costs actually include
• Why these costs are essential for a successful end result

After reading, you’ll have a clear picture of what goes on behind a bespoke AV project and why project-related costs are included in the budget.

What are project-related costs?

Project-related costs are the costs for the work needed to design, deliver and successfully hand over a bespoke AV solution.

A bespoke audiovisual solution brings together many different disciplines. Think of technical design and engineering, project management and coordination, system configuration and programming preparation, testing and quality control, installation coordination, and handover and transfer.

These costs are separate from the equipment itself and relate to the complete process needed to make sure an audiovisual system works properly.

More than just equipment

When you receive a quote for an audiovisual project, you’ll see other costs alongside the equipment. This also includes an item for project-related costs.

A logical question is then: what exactly am I paying for? And perhaps even more importantly: am I paying twice for work that’s already included in the equipment? The answer is no.

Project-related costs cover the work needed to:

• Design
• Prepare
• Deliver
• Test
• Successfully put into use

So, they’re not about the equipment itself, but about the work needed to make sure all the systems work together properly.

As Harry Beunder puts it:

“What a customer ultimately sees is AV equipment in a smoothly working solution. What they don’t see is the extensive process that takes place beforehand.” Harry Beunder Manager Projects AVEX

The team behind every AV project

An audiovisual project is never the work of just one person. Behind every solution is a multidisciplinary team that works together and is jointly responsible for the end result.

Throughout the process, the account manager remains involved as the main point of contact for the client and for coordination at a high level.

Within the project, different specialists then work together. The project manager monitors planning, budget and quality. Engineers develop the technical design and make sure the systems are integrated. Programmers develop the user interfaces for touchpanels and control systems. Installation specialists carry out the installation and testing on site.

The involvement of all these project specialists forms an important part of the project-related costs.

From concept to working solution: the 5 phases

To properly understand what project-related costs include, it helps to look at the complete process of a bespoke AV project.

At AVEX, every project goes through 5 fixed phases:

What do project-related costs actually include?

When you look at all the phases of a project, it becomes clearer what project-related costs actually include.

They cover part of the work needed to successfully deliver a bespoke AV solution, such as:

• Design and technical engineering
• Project management and coordination
• Coordination with IT departments and external partners
• Project preparation and technical documentation
• System configuration and programming
• Quality control and system testing
• Installation coordination and implementation
• Handover and transfer to the organisation

In some cases, specific activities, such as bespoke programming or interface development, are budgeted separately. The scope of these activities can vary significantly from project to project.

Practical examples from the field

To give you an even better idea of what happens behind the scenes, it helps to look at 2 concrete examples.

From box to installation-ready: the technical preparation of a display

For example, every display that arrives is first checked for what’s known as a DOA: dead on arrival. This checks whether the display works properly straight away and doesn’t have any manufacturing defects. The latest firmware updates are then often installed and the display is prepared for installation in the system setup used to prepare for the FAT test.

This process can easily take 30 to 60 minutes per display. You can compare it to a new iPhone you’ve just taken out of the box: before you can actually use it, the device often needs to install updates first.

More than just unpacking: sustainable processing of packaging materials

The packaging of modern audiovisual equipment also requires more work than many people expect.

Manufacturers are making packaging increasingly environmentally friendly, but at the same time they use a lot of protective material to make sure that large displays and other equipment arrive undamaged. Unpacking displays larger than 65 inches alone often produces a large amount of packaging material. This needs to be carefully separated, reduced and disposed of in an environmentally responsible way.

This takes time, but it’s necessary to process materials responsibly. These kinds of activities may seem small, but they’re definitely part of the process needed to carefully prepare an audiovisual system and ultimately deliver it in good working order.

That’s why these activities also fall under project-related costs.

A clear picture of what’s behind your investment

A bespoke audiovisual solution is more than just equipment. Behind every installation is a carefully managed process in which design, engineering, planning, installation and support come together.

Project-related costs cover precisely this process.

When you’re considering an investment in an audiovisual solution, it’s therefore important not only to look at the investment in equipment and installation costs, but also at the process that makes sure everything works reliably, is user-friendly and is future-proof.

AVEX has been helping organisations realise complex audiovisual projects for more than 35 years. Harry Beunder and his team know better than anyone what’s needed to successfully deliver a project.

Do you have questions about the project-related costs in your quote? Then get in touch with your account manager at AVEX. They can explain exactly which activities are included in your specific project. Or arrange an appointment to visit the production facility in Breukelen and see the entire process up close.