To allow alternate bids
If you absolutely can’t sole source, it’s still essential to set a performance bar.
While it’s unusual for a manufacturer to offer a spec that opens the door to competitors, we feel the Generic Performance-Based Sound Masking Specification provides key benefits to clients who require multiple proposals.
Project teams in this position often try to use a proprietary spec or one cobbled together from various proprietary specs.
In the former case, the terms can only be met by one vendor. In the latter, they can’t be met by any vendor. The spec ends up being ignored, leaving the facility’s acoustics up to chance.
The generic spec will help achieve effective masking performance across your space, regardless of which product you ultimately select. This document:
- Does not contain proprietary elements
- Focuses on qualities critical to masking performance
- Uses evidence-based criteria set to commonly-achievable levels
- Allows modern networked-decentralized systems to be bid
If you ensure that proposals adhere to this spec and hold your vendor accountable to its post-installation steps, no one can take shortcuts at your expense.