Value Engineering through Lighting

If you’re a project manager or contractor then you’ll want to read this! But we know that you’re probably looking at this on your phone and don’t have a lot of time, so here are the main points.

• The Lighting fixture market is tightly controlled by agents who make sure only a select few receive competitive pricing.
• The lighting fixture schedule takeoff is the easiest way to cut costs on a project.
• Ask the engineer, client, or general contractor if any fixtures can be value engineered to optimize savings.

The Way Things Are

What if I told you that the lighting fixture market is tightly controlled by agencies that make sure only a select few receive competitive pricing? What if I told you that certain manufacturers and their agencies will only provide pricing to electrical contractors through an electrical supply house? That’s 3 levels of markup before you ever see the price. What if I told you, that if you didn’t introduce the opportunity to the agent or manufacturer, you are never going to receive the lowest price? That’s why, when you ask for pricing on large bids sometimes, they will ask for the address or job name. So they can make sure they are giving the best price to who they want to. That’s just the way things are!

Late To The Party, Now What?

Whether you’re an estimator, general contractor, or electrician, picture this scenario. You’ve received the plans for a project and want to maximize your potential to save costs and win the job. Where can you start? Lighting. Lighting is one of the easiest and fastest ways to value engineer a project while still providing a quality product(s). Hundreds to thousands of dollars can be shaved off the “would-be” bid by using a different manufacturer or source to procure the requested items. The exact amount depends on the counts and project scope, but with the right approach, it can be done.

How Do I Find Out?

Often times, just reach out to the contact that provided the bid. Sometimes, you have to reach out to the project design and architects at the front pages of the project plans to ask if the lighting fixture schedule is a “hard-spec.” Ask if alternates are acceptable as long as they match specifications and are approved. Offer to submit product sheets for pre-approval. The process itself really can be that simple.

Here is where LED LYSI Lighting can help:

• We can cross the products for you.
• We can provide all product and design sheets for the alternate products.
• Oftentimes, we can even provide pricing on the original products and prepare two quotes for submittal.
• We can even provide samples when requested.

Let LED LYSI help you win that job or (if you’ve already won) maximize your profitability and savings for the end client. We’ve done this for many contractors and electricians already in Central Texas.