contributed by Sheryl Breze [field reporter / interior Designer / lighting guru]
You would think, “Hey, I spent a ton of time researching the most perfect lighting for this project, and it will be exactly what is installed on the job site. I will be a star!”
Guess what” It rarely happens. Not the “star” part, but the “getting what you specified” part. Why” Because some of the players involved wreak havoc on a design. They are not interested or concerned with the time you spent finding the perfect fixture. They are, however, interested in making a larger buck denomination.
The specification process is a cruel joke sometimes, but there are ways to make it work out in your favor. When you know how the system works, you are a much greater asset to your client.
The process involves a number of “players”. What role some of them play is not always pretty (like Charlize Theron in Monster). But until the world is a perfect place, the more we know, the cooler we are. So let’s play “Who’s Who”.
PLAYERS IN THE LIGHTING GAME:
- Owner
- Architect
- Interior Designer
- Lighting Designer
- Electrical Engineer
- General Contractor
- Electrical Contractor
- Electrical Distributor
- Manufacturer
- Manufacturer’s Rep (agency or independent)
The roles of players in detail and what they mean to you:
- The OWNER Role: determines site; determines budget; determines level of quality; hires Architect; hires General Contractor; gains occupancy; (It is important to note that the Owner may relinquish power directly to an Architect or General Contractor depending on project scope and established relationships.)
- The ARCHITECT Role: primary Owner contact (initially); primary design professional; creates ‘vision’; designs project with the Interior Designer; orchestrates design team (Interior Designer, Lighting Designer, Electrical Engineer); administers bid and construction documentation; closes out project
- The LIGHTING DESIGNER Role: (when applicable) provides lighting expertise; interacts with Owner, Architect, Engineer, lighting representative, factory, and Contractor; designs lighting system; provides lighting layout, provides fixture schedule; provides lighting specifications (fixtures, lamps, controls, etc.); performs submittal reviews, site inspections, commissioning; closes out project; (It is important to note that if a Lighting Designer is not hired, the Electrical Engineer and/or Architect and Interior Designer will function in this capacity as well.)
- The ELECTRICAL ENGINEER Role: shares electrical expertise; interacts with Architect and Contractor; circuits lighting fixture layout and power to lighting control panels; incorporates lighting fixture schedule; issues electrical plans; issues circuiting and wiring device specifications; performs submittal reviews and site inspections; closes out project
- The GENERAL CONTRACTOR Role: project construction coordinator; interacts with Owner, Architect, and Electrical Contractor; acquires plans and specifications from Architect; solicits bids from sub-contractors; acquires pricing from Electrical Contractor; sets price to Owner; proposes ‘value engineering’; processes submittals; coordinates installation of lighting system; closes out project
- The ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR Role: installs lighting system; interacts with Manufacturer’s Rep, Distributor, and General Contractor; acquires plans and specifications from General Contractor; provides bill of materials; acquires pricing from Distributor; negotiates price with Distributor and Manufacturer’s Representative; provides price to General Contractor; proposes ‘value engineering’
- The ELECTRIAL DISTRIBUTOR Role: supplies lighting system and materials; interacts with Manufacturer’s Representative, factory, and Contractors; receives and processes purchase order from Contractor; acquires pricing from Manufacturer Rep; proposes ‘equals’ or ‘value engineering’; sets price to Electrical Contractor; assembles submittals; receives and distributes product from factory
- The MANUFACTURER Role: manufacturers product; interacts with Lighting Designer, Engineer, Representative, and Distributors; provides support to Reps; sets price to Representative; receives order from Representative or agency; ships product to Distributor; defers field issues through Rep
- The MANUFACTURER’S REPRESENTATIVE Role: interacts with Architect, Engineer, Contractor, Distributor, factory; provides support to specifier; acquires pricing from factory; assembles submittals; places and processes order with factory; assists with field issues
It is imperative that we understand who the major players are, develop our relationships accordingly, and get involved with as many players as possible as to have influence.
The initial stages involve planning and development of a conceptual design. This process begins with the Owner. The Owner hires the Architect. The Architect hires the Interior Designer (if applicable), the Lighting Designer (where applicable), and the Electrical Engineer. The specifiers will begin working with a Lighting Rep agent during which time the manufacturer would get involved if required. At this early stage, the General Contractor, Electrical Contractor, and Electrical Distributor are not in the picture.
The second significant phase is the bidding phase. At this time, the Owner has most drawings and specifications from the Architect. During this time, the General Contractor is selected. The GC works directly with the Architect. The GC hires the Electrical Contractor. The Electrical Contractor begins working with the Manufacturer Representative and distribution. This is the critical stage where things can go south, really fast. And not fun-in-the-sun south, but Dante’s Inferno south.
The third phase is the construction phase. This is when materials are procured and installed. All players of the process will be required to provide any manufacturer documentation and assist with any field issues. However, this is when the Distributor will try to finagle another product than you specified because he can get it cheaper from another manufacturer (or other various reasons).
BIG POINT: IF YOU SPENT QUALITY TIME ON A SPECIFICATION, YOU MUST KNOW HOW TO HOLD THAT SPECIFICATION.
Take into consideration the time the Manufacturer’s Rep or the Lighting Designer has put into a design. This is the time when other Reps will be crawling out of the woodwork to convince you that they have an equal or better product to substitute for the one you have already put on the drawings, the fixture schedule, received samples for, etc.
One way of holding the spec is how you write it. Generally, the Electrical Engineer will write the spec for the general lighting. If you are working with a Lighting Designer, they will write the part of the spec that includes the sexy stuff and the decorative lighting that makes a space really special.
If there is no doubt in your mind that a particular fixture is the one, you must write in the spec that no substitutions will be accepted. That easy. And also be sure to include something in the fine print about 20 years of bad clothes, bad hair cuts, bad dates, and other really heinous events that will bestow the individual that dares to substitute your specified fixture. (When they call you up asking about it the odd notes, at least you’ll know they actually read the spec.)
To sum up: always insist on being a part of the process even though it might be more work initially. Get pricing from the Rep agent, get a copy of the bid that the agent submits to the Distributor. Meet the Electrical Contractor, the Engineer. Be involved. Be brave. It keeps you in control. After all, you did all the work, right”
Don’t forget to let me know what you want to know. Email me at sbrezega@aol.com. I’ll now sign off with my favorite Lighting Mantras:
- Good lighting makes a good design better. (It can even make a bad design better.)
- The lighting is what brings a space to life.
- The more you know, the more powerful you are.
Ciao!
