Review of AVI-SPL for audio-visual equipment ordering and installation performed in Education Facilities
Updated January 27, 2023
Review of AVI-SPL for audio-visual equipment ordering and installation performed in Education Facilities
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with AVI-SPL
AVI-SPL has been subcontracted to my organization to provide audio-visual equipment and perform installation services of that equipment in new and existing educational facilities in spaces, such as classrooms, labs, conference rooms, and other areas where audio-visual technology is used in those spaces. AVI-SPL has worked on several individual projects for our organization over the last several years.
AVI-SPL recently completed a 2.5 million dollar contract for a 155,000 sf academic building at ACC Rio Grande Campus.
AVI-SPL recently completed a 2.5 million dollar contract for a 155,000 sf academic building at ACC Rio Grande Campus.
- Schedule management of equipment deployment and installation.
- Addressing punchlist items that are generated at the end of a project.
- Holding weekly project management meetings to keep the team informed of progress.
- Timely responsiveness to trouble issues that are discovered during installation.
- Follow-through to address all punchlist and warranty items after substantial completion.
- Accommodating changes in scope from the Owner late in the project schedule.
- Lack of manpower to complete certain tasks on-time and stay on schedule.
- Lack of continuity in the project manager role for the duration of the project.
- Some equipment was incorrectly ordered and not caught before our organization "accepted" it, so we weren't able to resolve the issue in our accounting system, which caused some big issues with the billing of materials.
- Inability to receive technology equipment in a timely manner (not entirely AVI-SPL's fault, due to the supply chain issues being experienced nationally).
- Poor and inaccurate communication between installers and the PM regarding the status of completion of the project.
- Work was completed in instructional spaces on time so that classes could be held in those spaces. AVI-SPL responded to our requests to have certain rooms completed by certain dates.
- Installation schedule has been extended due to AVI-SPL's labor shortage. In addition, they've provided some less inexperienced installers that probably aren't wholly qualified to do these types of complex installations.
- AVI-SPL subsequently brought in a new PM toward the end of the project that was very skilled in completing the project. His attention to detail and good follow-through allowed the Owner to have "good feelings" at the end of the project despite the many hiccups that occurred throughout the installation process.
All of our instructional spaces are designed to support remote/in-person hybrid instruction. AVI-SPL has set up these spaces and performed a lot of fine-tuning, testing, and certification to make sure they are working properly. So far we've had minimal issues with the functionality of those systems aside from some minor code issues that needed to be corrected on the touch panel controls.
We've now been using spaces for a full school semester and I can report that 95% of the classrooms are performing well and as intended. We've had only a few minor issues, which is positive given the size and complexity of this AV project.
We've now been using spaces for a full school semester and I can report that 95% of the classrooms are performing well and as intended. We've had only a few minor issues, which is positive given the size and complexity of this AV project.
AVI-SPL is a mid-tier A/V subcontractor as based on my experience. They get the job done, but there are lots of hiccups that happen along the way. A project never goes very smoothly, but AVI-SPL does take responsibility for the issues that arise and does stay to complete the job to our satisfaction (eventually).
Having had time to reflect on the performance of AVI-SPL against it's peers, the company performed admirably under challenging circumstances and got us to the finish line despite many headwinds. I'd use them again on a big project, however, by applying a few lessons learned that would improve how this project went.
Having had time to reflect on the performance of AVI-SPL against it's peers, the company performed admirably under challenging circumstances and got us to the finish line despite many headwinds. I'd use them again on a big project, however, by applying a few lessons learned that would improve how this project went.
Do you think AVI-SPL delivers good value for the price?
Yes
Are you happy with AVI-SPL's feature set?
Yes
Did AVI-SPL live up to sales and marketing promises?
Yes
Did implementation of AVI-SPL go as expected?
No
Would you buy AVI-SPL again?
Yes
Using AVI-SPL
6 - Owner's rep construction project managers within the Facilities and Construction dept. of ACC.
3 - We have a staff of 3 audio visual specialists in-house in a group called TLED (Teaching and Learning Excellence Division), that service and support all A/V systems college-wide. They also provide guidance and design assist to specify equipment and develop design standards for all AV configurations (space type by space type) and provide support/CA services for the end users for our large construction projects.
- General Purpose Classroom projector/motorized screen systems tied to an instructor podium with a controlling computer.
- A/V integration into conference room and meeting room tables.
- Digital signage/advertisement displays placed in common high-traffic areas.
- Continuity in the design and equipment used for AV in all spaces to facilitate ease of service and maintenance college-wide.
- We've installed some high-tech panelized digital displays for large scale interactive presentations.
- Developed a performance/meeting space with complete audio visual capabilities, such as live streaming broadcast, surround sound, special theatrical lighting and live host microphoning.
- AVI-SPL offered up some creative solutions to address punchlist items that were encountered after beneficial occupancy.
- Utilize AVI-SPL's subject matter expertise to strengthen design standards for AV installations.
Evaluating AVI-SPL and Competitors
- Prior Experience with the Product
As a public entity, we have strict requirements for bidding out construction work. AVI-SPL has a DIR contract and our Board of Trustees had previously approved them for use on larger projects valued over $100k. By using this "pre-approval", we were able to avoid a several month long formal competitive bid solicitation process that would've delayed installation of the final product beyond an acceptable date.
I would've started earlier and used a formal solicitation process rather than fast-tracking the project to a single A/V firm that knew they had the project from day one (and probably didn't offer us the most competitive pricing).
AVI-SPL Implementation
- Implemented in-house
Yes - AVI-SPL installed the project in three distinct phases. We had three different substantial completion dates for different parts of the large academic building and AVI-SPL was nimble enough and able to adjust "on the fly" to complete installations following a construction schedule that moved around a great deal.
Change management was a major issue with the implementation - Change was the name of the game on this project. We had more change that 99% of the typical projects out there. Considering the amount of change thrown at them, AVI-SPL did an admirable job or responding accordingly.
AVI-SPL Support
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Quick Resolution Good followup Problems get solved Kept well informed No escalation required Support understands my problem Support cares about my success Quick Initial Response | None |
No, we have a standard one year warranty period. We are currently being supported by AVI-SPL during this period. ACC has it's own in-house service and support team that has subject matter expertise to perform services in-house. For specialized installations that are unfamiliar to our in-house support team, we may elect to engage premium support in the future. Technology is rapidly evolving and sometimes we can't keep up.
We have some malfunctioning Absen digital tiles on a digital wall installation. AVI-SPL was able to pull in the manufacturer's rep and distributor to come in and troubleshoot the issues and offer up solutions to remedy. The problem was so beguiling that it had everyone at ACC and AVI-SPL stumped, but by pulling in right people we were able to fix the issue with additional expertise. The problem had been ongoing for months after beneficial occupancy, but it's finally been rectified.
Using AVI-SPL
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Relatively simple Technical support not required Well integrated Consistent Convenient Feel confident using | None |
Yes - ACC has a standard design for a custom touch-screen interface. It is driven by a lot of code. AVI-SPL struggled at times to get the code correctly input so that the outward facing design was consistent from room to room. After much work during the warranty phase, AVI-SPL has fixed all known issues.