Electical Contractor

Electrical contracting businesses garner maintenance contracts in a variety of ways. Some companies snag them as referrals through existing work. Others are the result of a service call to a customer who has had a system failure due to poor maintenance.

Each contractor generally has his own maintenance philosophy, but some parts are common for every contractor. For example, the overall goal should be to offer the most comprehensive service possible. To accomplish that goal, contractors need the proper tools.

The Electrical Contractor study, Contractor’s Roles in Scheduled/Preventative Electrical Maintenance, yielded some surprising results.

A new breed of technician continues to emerge from the electrical contracting ranks with an eye on maintenance and power quality (PQ). Of course, there have always been power quality specialists, but the discipline continues to evolve.

For some reason, maintenance generally has not been embraced by contractors in their product offerings. Even though maintenance is a perfect value-added-service opportunity, many contractors do not actively pursue this type of work.

At a recent National Electrical Code taskforce meeting dealing with mission-critical facilities relative to scenarios proposed by the Department of Homeland Security, the main concern seemed to be “you can’t test critical facilities.

“The basic purpose of building commissioning is to provide documented confirmation that building systems function in compliance with criteria set forth in the Project Documents to satisfy the owner's operational needs.

Vans and pickups. Box vans and line trucks. Trucks with aerial devices and trucks to transport equipment, supplies, tools and personnel. Without these and other specialty vehicles, electrical construction and maintenance work would stop.

Let’s face it: most companies don’t look at safety as an ongoing operation. They purchase a manual and place it on the shelf to collect dust. Or a company may take a step forward and enter data in a software program like the NECA Safety Expert System. Unfortunately, that is not enough.