What must an AV project contain so it doesn’t become overpriced?

When a company is implementing AV technology for a new meeting room, training center, or control room, the first impulse is usually to send suppliers a brief description and request a quote. It is a logical step, but it leads to a situation where each supplier interprets the requirements differently and the resulting offers are based on different assumptions.

A budget created without project documentation is, in reality, just an estimate. And an estimate naturally tends to change. It usually changes upwards, when during implementation it becomes clear what still needs to be resolved.

Analogy with building a house

An AV project serves the same function as an architectural project when building a house. When someone builds a house, the first step is the architect. They prepare floor plans, sections, structural assessments, requirements for electricity, water, heating, and a bill of quantities. Only then does the investor approach construction companies. Each of them prices the same scope, the offers are comparable, and the investor has a document that allows them to control the construction process.

A meeting room or conference space is, in a way, a smaller building with electrical distribution, cabling, integration into the space, and precise requirements for how the entire system should work together. A proper project is the foundation of a reliable solution.

Why it can be worth paying for a project and when it is not is explained in the article on the difference between a paid project and a free design.

What is the difference between an estimate and a binding AV technology budget?

The difference between an estimate and a binding budget lies in the quality of the brief the supplier receives.

When three suppliers receive only a short description such as “we need an AV solution for a new meeting room for twenty people”, each of them interprets the assignment differently. The result is three offers with different scopes that cannot be directly compared.

What does a professional AV project design consist of?

A professional AV project is a technical document that defines what will be installed, where, how, and why. It consists of five parts, each addressing a different layer of the project.

How does the technical description of an AV system work?

The technical description is the textual part of the project that explains what the system should do and how it should do it. It is a functional document describing the logic of the design.

What the technical description includes:

• Room usage scenarios – what activities will take place in the space
• Video conferencing workflow – software, number of participants, display size
• Audio control – microphones, speakers, DSP, automatic modes
• System behavior with external presenters or connected devices
• System response to different inputs and combinations of scenarios

When the technical description is specific, both the supplier and the client are referring to the same solution. When it is general, each party imagines something different, and alignment only happens during implementation.

Why is it necessary to map technologies into floor plans (PDF + DWG)?

A floor plan with marked technology positions defines exactly where each device will be installed. This determines whether the camera will capture the correct angle, whether the display will avoid window reflections, whether speakers will cover the entire room, and whether the control panel will be accessible where it is actually needed.

Two formats, two purposes:

PDF – visual review and approval by the client. A floor plan that anyone can view without specialized software.

DWG – coordination with the building design. Architects and site managers work directly with it, check for clashes with other systems (HVAC, lighting, furniture), and prepare the building so it is compatible with AV technology before installation begins.

Precise layout is a tool that allows all disciplines to work from the same plan and thus avoid situations where one trade complicates the work of another.

A professional AV project is a technical document that defines what will be installed, where, how, and why.

Why does unprepared electrical installation most often make projects more expensive?

AV technologies require power in precise locations and with precise parameters. A wall-mounted display, a ceiling projector, ceiling microphones, a control unit in a rack, or a control panel by the door—each device has its own power requirements, and some also require dedicated circuits.

This is one of the most common reasons AV projects become more expensive. It happens because electrical installation was not included in the original scope.

Other details that should be resolved before the design stage are explained in the article on seven hidden details before designing video conferencing.

What does the reliability and cost of AV cabling depend on?

Cabling is the part of an AV project that is rarely discussed, yet it determines the reliability of the entire system. Not every cable is the same, not every one works over any distance, and not every cable is sufficiently shielded against interference.

Transmission type overview

What a complete AV project defines for each cable:

• Type and category (e.g., HDMI 2.1, Cat 6A, OM4 multimode)
• Exact length including reserve
• Route – where it runs, through which conduits, trays, or cable paths
• Required space for routing and separation from power lines

Without this specification, cabling is usually included in the offer as a single lump-sum item. Only during installation does it become clear what the actual routing looks like, what type of cable is needed, and whether there is enough space to install it properly.

A complete project treats cabling as infrastructure—just as important as the devices themselves.

What is a Bill of Materials (BOM) and why should it be required?

A BOM (Bill of Materials), in Slovak výkaz výmer, is a complete list of all products, devices, and components included in an AV solution. It contains exact manufacturer and model designations, quantities, and in many cases also approved equivalents.

An offer stating only “75-inch display” can refer either to a professional-grade panel with built-in calibration and long lifespan for continuous operation, or to consumer electronics intended for home use that behaves very differently in a commercial environment. The difference is fundamental, but it is not visible from the wording “75-inch display.”

What the BOM enables for the client:

Independent quality verification – products can be checked directly with the manufacturer or through technical specifications.

Precise comparison of offers – when multiple suppliers bid, comparison is done item by item, not only based on total price.

Clear substitution rules – if a product becomes unavailable, approved equivalents are defined in advance within the project.

A project without a BOM is only a conceptual outline. A project with a BOM is a binding technical specification.

Which components belong in each type of room is explained in the AV technology configuration guide.

What are the most common problems with standard AV offers without a project?

When an AV offer is created without project documentation, four typical situations usually occur. These are not caused by bad intentions from suppliers, but by the natural result of an imprecise brief.

1. Non-comparable offers

Each supplier works with a different scope, different products, and a different approach. The only thing that can be compared is the total price—and without a consistent scope, that number does not say much.

2. Cost increases during implementation

Without a project, there are no precise requirements for electrical installation, cabling, or construction adjustments. These items appear gradually and are billed as change orders.

3. Non-optimized technology selection

Without a detailed design, suppliers tend to propose what they know best and have experience with. That is not always what best fits the specific room or use cases.

4. Lack of documentation for future use

When the system needs to be expanded later, there is no reliable documentation of what was installed, how it is connected, or what capacity reserves are available.

How to use an AV project in a tender process?

A complete AV project changes the dynamics of the procurement process.

Without a project, the client sends suppliers a description of what they want, and each supplier interprets it differently.

With a project, the same document is sent to everyone—containing the technical description, floor plans, electrical requirements, cabling specification, and Bill of Materials. Every supplier then prices the same scope.

What this gives the client:

Clear understanding of what is being compared – item by item, not just total prices.

Visibility into pricing accuracy – where an offer is overestimated or underestimated becomes clear.

A basis for targeted questions – the client can ask specific, technical questions to each supplier.

Fact-based decision making – decisions are made based on data, not presentation style.

Long-term documentation – the client retains full technical documentation even after implementation is completed.

How to verify an integrator’s quality in a tender is explained in the article on PSNI standards for medium-sized businesses.

Open approach to project independence

MediaTech is both an AV integrator and a provider of design services. In collaborations where the project is intended to serve the client for an independent tender process, we set up the cooperation so that the project is usable for any supplier from the start. This means it does not contain criteria tailored to any specific company, including us.

The client can then send the same project for pricing to three, five, or even ten integrators.

This mode of cooperation must be agreed in advance so that it is clear from the beginning what the client expects from the project and what role MediaTech plays in it.

The investment into an AV project is typically returned already in the first round of the tender process, in the form of more accurate comparison of offers and a lower risk of change orders during implementation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What must a complete AV project contain?

A professional AV project consists of five parts: a technical system description defining what the system should do and which use cases it covers; PDF and DWG drawings with precise technology positions in the floor plan; an electrical installation scheme with power supply requirements, circuits, and cable routes; a cabling specification defining type, category, length, and route for each cable; and a Bill of Materials (BOM) listing specific products with manufacturer and model designations plus approved equivalents.

What is the difference between an estimate and a binding AV budget?

Without a project, each supplier interprets the brief differently, works with different products and scopes, and only the total price can be compared – change orders during implementation are common. With a project, all suppliers price the same defined scope, items can be compared line by line, change orders are rare and predefined, and the budget is binding and predictable. A budget without project documentation is essentially an estimate that naturally tends to increase during execution.

Why does unprepared electrical installation most often make AV projects more expensive?

AV technologies require power at precise locations with specific parameters — wall displays, ceiling projectors, ceiling microphones, rack units, and control panels each have their own requirements. Without an AV project, electrical installation is addressed only during AV installation, leading to cutting into finished walls and ceilings, electricians returning multiple times, work billed as change orders, and schedule delays of days or weeks. With a project, electrical requirements are part of construction preparation and costs are included in the original building budget.

What type of AV cabling is used for which distance?

Passive copper HDMI is reliable up to approximately 5 meters, with signal loss risk beyond 10-15 meters. HDBaseT over shielded Cat 6A or Cat 7 cable transmits video, audio, control, and power up to 100 meters and is the standard for fixed installations. Fiber optic cable handles tens to hundreds of meters for large buildings and campuses. USB works passively up to 5 meters and requires active extenders or AV-over-IP for longer distances. Balanced audio over XLR or Cat cabling requires shielding and proper grounding for long runs to avoid interference.

What is a Bill of Materials (BOM) in an AV project and why should it be required?

A BOM is a complete list of all products, devices, and components in an AV solution with exact manufacturer and model designations, quantities, and approved equivalents. An offer stating only ’75-inch display’ could mean either a professional panel with built-in calibration and long lifespan for continuous operation, or consumer electronics intended for home use. The BOM enables independent quality verification directly with manufacturers, precise line-by-line comparison of offers between suppliers, and clear substitution rules when products become unavailable. A project without a BOM is only a conceptual outline; a project with a BOM is a binding technical specification.

Why are two drawing formats (PDF and DWG) needed in an AV project?

PDF is for visual review and approval by the client – a floor plan anyone can view without specialized software. DWG is for coordination with the building design – architects and site managers work with it directly, check for clashes with other systems (HVAC, lighting, furniture), and prepare the building to be compatible with AV technology before installation begins. Without DWG, there is no shared reference that allows all disciplines to work from the same plan and avoid situations where one trade complicates the work of another.