Bidding on cabling projects

Q: Can you recommend any magazines or services that offer notices of bids for structured cabling projects? Is there a better way to find out about projects available nationwide?

Mike Jansen

Digital Homes & Buildings Inc.

Miami, FL

A: According to the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing Inc. (nigp), $1.4 trillion is spent annually by local, state/provincial, and the federal governments. nigp is a non-profit organization chartered to provide education and technical assistance to those who spend taxpayers` dollars.

So how does the "average Joe" get a piece of this pie? There aren`t any easy answers, but here are a couple of ways to approach the problem. First, from the top down, you can visit the nigp Internet site at www.nigp.org for a list of their members and hot links to their sites. Then, begin the long process of contacting each agency individually.

Then there is the bottom-up approach. McGraw-Hill publishes The F.W. Dodge Report. You can visit McGraw-Hill at www.McGraw-Hill.com/corporate/ news_info/locator.html. The company is a leading provider of construction project information used by the construction industry.

If these are either too time-consuming or too expensive and you are a manufacturer`s value-added reseller, ask the manufacturer`s reps to send you a list of projects in their area.

Most of the manufacturers and cablers from whom I receive calls regarding projects at the University of Texas are reading the Dodge Report.

Donna Ballast is a communications analyst at the University of Texas at Austin and a bicsi registered communications distribution designer (rcdd). Questions can be sent to her at Cabling Installation & Maintenance or at PO Drawer 7580, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78713; tel: (512) 471-0112, fax: (512) 471-8883, e-mail: [email protected].