Preparing an AV tender for the corporate sector: 6 technical risks that cost buyers money
Reading time: 7 minutes
A company launches a tender. Five offers arrive, three of them cannot be compared with each other, one wins purely on price, and after a year of operation the IT department is dealing with unhappy employees who start avoiding the rooms altogether.
From our experience, the problem is usually not the technology or the supplier. The problem is the specification, which allowed this situation to happen.
The following six points describe the most common weak spots in AV tenders that we encounter when working with corporate clients. For each risk, we have added sample wording that you can use directly in your RFP.
1. Why does a device specification alone, for example 75″ display, 4K, not work?
A typical requirement reads: “75-inch display, 4K resolution, HDMI input.” The result is that each bidder offers a different product – from consumer electronics store screens to commercial professional displays – and you end up comparing things that are not comparable.
The measurable result that should actually matter is not the display diagonal. It is the readability of the presentation for the participant sitting farthest from the screen.
What to write in the RFP:
“The display must ensure readability of 20-point text (Times New Roman) from a distance of [X] meters under standard office lighting of 300-500 lux. The bidder shall submit a calculation of the resulting brightness (cd/m²) for the given conditions and the proposed display model.”
2. Are technical parameters, for example HDMI 2.0 or SNR > 60 dB, a real guarantee of functionality?
“HDMI 2.0 compatible”, “4K support”, “SNR > 60 dB.” These values may be technically correct, but in the context of real deployment they can be surprisingly empty:
- A device with “4K support” may realistically transmit the signal only at a choppy 30 frames per second.
- An SNR of 60 dB may be acceptable for consumer electronics, but it is simply not enough for a distant microphone in an echo-heavy meeting room.
The bidder technically meets the requirement, but the result does not match the intended outcome. A proven way to protect the investment is to require parameters tied to a specific usage scenario instead of isolated values.
What to write in the RFP:
“All parameters (resolution, bit depth, frame rate, signal-to-noise ratio) must be documented under full system load and in the configuration that will be deployed in practice. The bidder shall submit technical documentation proving compliance with the parameters for the specific installation scenario.”
3. What is the real hidden cost of the cheapest offer?
Purchasing AV technology at the lowest capital cost (CapEx) without considering the total cost of ownership (TCO) often leads to a painful situation where the apparent saving returns in the form of:
- Recurring costs for service interventions
- Unavoidable premature replacement of equipment
- Lost company productivity and postponed meetings
Specific example: A cheap video conferencing codec becomes obsolete after 3 years and loses manufacturer support. A security vulnerability remains unpatched, and the IT department has to replace the device long before the end of the planned lifecycle.
Instead of competing only on the lowest price, a multi-criteria evaluation works better:
| Criterion | Recommended weight |
| Total price including service over 5 years | 40% |
| Technical quality of the solution | 30% |
| Supplier references and experience | 20% |
| Maintenance and lifecycle plan | 10% |
What to write in the RFP:
“The offer must include the total costs for a five-year period, including service contracts, planned software updates and hardware lifecycle costs. The evaluation will be based on multiple criteria; the purchase price alone shall account for a maximum of [X]% of the total score.”
4. What is the difference between a “box seller” and a system integrator in a project?
Dozens of companies sell AV technology on the Slovak market. But when it comes to installation and maintenance, their capabilities differ dramatically:
- A standard reseller handles your order and delivery to the building.
- A system integrator designs the solution, calibrates it to the physics and acoustics of the space and, in case of failure, communicates directly with the manufacturer’s highest-level hardware support.
To illustrate the professional standard: the Slovak company MediaTech Central Europe a.s. is the only PSNI alliance member with Certified Solution Provider (CSP) status and holds key certifications – from PSNI Global Validation and Deployment through to the elite PSNI Quality Assurance Masters seal from 2026.
What to write in the RFP:
“The bidder shall provide proof of partner status at the level of certified reseller or installation partner for the key technologies included in the offer (e.g. Biamp, Shure, Crestron, QSC). The bidder shall also prove that at least one engineer from the implementation team holds CTS (Certified Technology Specialist, AVIXA) certification or an equivalent professional accreditation. References for at least [X] completed projects of comparable scope must be verifiable.”
5. Why is it not enough to think only up to “installation day” and how should a long-term plan be set?
A tender protected by a proper technical specification often forgets the device lifecycle and service conditions. The result is a contract where the technician only guarantees arrival on site within 24 hours. But after a critical international call fails, that will not protect your company’s image.
Data analysts from PSNI Global Alliance show that:
- Video codecs and displays become obsolete after just 4 years.
- Microphones and passive components can last up to 15 years.
If you buy all technology at once without a flexible renewal plan, in 4 years you pay the same full amount again for replacement.
What to write in the RFP:
“The bidder shall submit a recommended equipment renewal schedule (Life Cycle Strategy), with components grouped by expected service life. The service contract must include proactive remote system status monitoring with a defined inspection frequency and escalation protocol for critical events.”
6. Why should you never accept a meeting room without a comprehensive handover protocol?
The most common practical scenario is this: IT technicians install the devices, the image appears on the screen and the system shows no errors at the start of the first day. The handover document for the integration has three lines. But in the second working week, microphone dropouts appear after one hour of operation and IP conflicts occur during morning meetings. Only a binding handover standard can protect you, because without it you cannot verify the delivered functionality.
According to international AV integration standards, such as PSNI GQA, a list of functional tests, stress tests and direct measurement of objective remote speech intelligibility STI (Speech Transmission Index) is required. STI evaluates the real communication performance of the meeting room on a technical, objective measurement scale.
What to write in the RFP:
“The work shall be handed over in accordance with an internationally recognized process standard for AV integration (e.g. PSNI GQA). The handover protocol must include: a complete list of performed functional tests (Commissioning Checklist), the results of stress tests under full system load and a measurement protocol for the room’s acoustic parameters, including the STI (Speech Transmission Index) value.”
Quick checklist for your RFP
To avoid selecting an inexperienced supplier, companies typically check these criteria before sending out the specification:
- ☐ Requirements define the outcome (readability, intelligibility), not only hardware
- ☐ Technical parameters are specified in the context of the usage scenario
- ☐ Evaluation is not based exclusively on the lowest price
- ☐ Bidders must prove partner status and certifications
- ☐ The offer includes a Life Cycle Strategy and proactive service contract
- ☐ Handover follows a standardized protocol (PSNI GQA, STI measurement)
Do you want to be sure your specification is written correctly?
Send us your current draft RFP and we will assess whether it is missing technical requirements that protect you from a non-functional installation and unexpected future costs.
Frequently asked questions
Why is it not enough to evaluate only the lowest price in an AV tender?
The lowest hardware price almost always hides the absence of engineering services – acoustic calibration, network configuration and a professional delivery process.
Without them, even high-quality devices generate echo, dropouts and user dissatisfaction. The total cost of ownership (TCO) over five years usually exceeds the initial saving.
What is STI and why should it be required in the handover protocol?
Speech Transmission Index (STI) is an internationally standardized parameter (IEC 60268-16) that expresses speech intelligibility in a space on a scale from 0 to 1.
A value above 0.75 is considered excellent for video conferencing use. STI measurement objectively verifies whether acoustic calibration was performed correctly, regardless of the price or brand of the installed microphones.
What is the difference between a “box seller” and a system integrator?
A reseller handles purchasing and physical installation of devices. A system integrator connects the individual components into a functional whole, calibrates DSP processors to the physics of the specific space and, in the event of a critical software issue, communicates directly with the manufacturer’s development team (Tier 3 Support). The difference is not always visible in the price offer – it appears during the first serious operational problem.
Is it fair to require AVIXA CTS certifications as a tender participation condition?
Yes. CTS (Certified Technology Specialist) is a professional accreditation issued by the independent AVIXA association, which verifies engineers’ competence in AV integration. Requiring it is not a discriminatory condition – it is a common standard in corporate tenders in Western Europe and is becoming more frequent in the Slovak and Czech markets as well.