Are you willing for your project to be the first effort of a new company?
I thought not. New companies often do not know what they can (or cannot) do. They are willing to try any project that they can sell (what's to lose?)

• How long has the company been around?

• What type of rating do they have with Dun & Bradstreet?

• Who else have they done business with? Can you get references?

What is the Integrator's track record? In our business, it is pretty easy to start a job. It is a lot harder to finish a job.

• Can you get references from other companies who have used their services?

• Does the Integrator have the financial wherewithal to handle the project (labor, purchases, and subcontracts) to keep the project on track?

• Will the referred customers let them provide services again?

Does your project have a tight schedule or will you require installation during a short term shutdown? A lot of Integrators can take on the familiar jobs, or a job that has a relaxed installation schedule. It is important to make sure your Integrator can handle the installation requirements.

• Does your Integrator have experience performing installations on a compressed time basis?

• Can your Integrator staff an installation on a 24 hour per day basis?

• Can your Integrator support the system during the difficult period after start-up until the small bugs are resolved?

They say that when you owe the bank $1000, the bank owns you. When you owe the bank $1 million, you own the bank. How financially capable is your System Integrator? The last thing you need is to be responsible for the financial health of your System Integrator. Some small companies have all that it takes to manage their technology and to manage their financial house with equal success. If your Integrator gets into trouble on your project (or someone else's project) will he survive?

• How big is your System Integrators office?

• How many people work in the office?

• Is there a dedicated office staff?

• What is the size of the largest project they have successfully completed?

These days, a great many people, some of whom are probably pretty good engineers, are trying their hand at running their own business. The first thing most of these engineers cum entrepreneurs learn is that they should have studied harder in school. If you are going to be in this business, you had better be really good at your technical craft. Otherwise, you will never stay on the playing field.

• What credentials do the principals of the company present?

• How many engineers are really available to do the work? Have you seen them?

In addition, your Integrator better have a good handle on the process requirements. The old joke goes that “Nobody goes to the hardware store to buy a ¾ inch drill. They go to the store to get a ¾ inch hole.” Good engineering providers can help you implement technology in your factory. Great engineering providers help you solve your problems.

• What background do the principals have? Sales or engineering? Any factory experience in the mix?

• Does the Integrator's staff have persons with hand-on experience?

A famous person once said that a long journey begins with a single step. Your first chance to see an Integrator's first step is the proposal.

• How does the proposal look?

• Do you get to see a preliminary Scope of Work?

• Is the proposal a single page with a dollar cost at the bottom?

• Does the proposal indicate that the company has a clue about how to start or (more importantly) finish the job?

What happens when you need follow-op support for your project? Will the same engineers be available to work on it? Or will you have to start the same familiarization process all over again because of turnover?

• Does your Integrator use contractors or temporary help?

• Or is all work done using direct staff?

• Will any work be done by part-timers? (Who may not be available during shutdown or during key installation dates)

• What is the average longevity of the key persons who will be assigned to your project?

Most control System Integrators are not engineering companies, although several can provide excellent control systems. The problem is how to know the excellent providers from everyone else.

• Is the company registered to provide engineering services? (Hint: Do they use the word engineering in their advertising or in their name?)

• Will the design be executed or supervised by an engineer?

Will your System Integrator be there 24 hours per day forever after you install a project? Didn't think so. Then documentation might be important to consider. Today's control systems are large and sophisticated. Most factories have a large number of different types of control systems. At the same time, it is becoming more and more difficult to locate talented technical people to service, maintain, and modify these systems. At AEC, we think documentation is the key.

• Have you seen typical documentation from other projects?

• Does the company place an emphasis on documentation?

In this business, nobody is going to make their fortune on a single job per customer. You have to be able to go to your customer time and again and continue to solve problems and make the relationship work.

• How long has the company been working for their largest customer?

• Does the referred customer indicate that the Integrator will continue to provide services for the company?

Wait a minute, you say. You are only making these out to be the important issues because that proves that AEC is the best there is.

Well, yes we are.

These are the questions we think are important because these are the things we do to define our company.  We feel that these are the attributes of an excellent engineering services provider. We work hard to excel in these areas because we feel they are important to your success and to our success.