Imagining better
MNP LLP reported that they had several goals with their first of many PCC Integrate projects. The main one of these goals was a consistent and repeatable quality across the country, with a dependable long-term warranty to support that. Director of Real Estate, Greg Bobyn explained “IT is so critical to our operation that we wanted a single high-quality supplier that we could depend on over the long term.” Following quality, MNP was seeking a consistent and dependable cost structure that didn’t vary across the country. The third goal MNP was looking to achieve was a long-term relationship with a supplier, so that they could consistently improve their IT infrastructure over time.
Prior to working with PCC Integrate, MNP were doing rough cabling installation through a design-buyer engineer, which would then be installed by electrical trades. This method required significant termination and completion by the MNP IT group. The MNP IT group found it difficult to resource and support these large projects, and were having inconsistent results across different engineer and contractor groups.
Better connections
Since the first 10,000 square foot project in 2010, MNP and PCC Integrate have collaborated on dozens of IT integration solutions, spanning over half a million square feet of office space nationwide. Initial projects started with cabling only, and MNP later added the data racks to the scope. By the third project, sound masking and acoustic management was also taken on by PCC Integrate. In recent years, the audiovisual component became a natural addition, followed by desktop IT set up (or ‘KOP’). Greg went on to explain, “Once we added the AV component, which was always done on a weekend, it just made sense to dove tail the remaining [desktop IT connection setups] in, so that all the MNP tech team [had] to do [was] think about the ‘Go Live’ with the equipment.” This final addition completed the picture, with full end-to-end termination by PCC Integrate.
With the addition of these services to the project scope, PCC continued to take a design-build approach to ensure the design stage was properly executed; as MNP recognized that their design consultants may not have understood pre-terminated, modular systems that was central to the MNP approach.
Better outcomes
Without PCC Integrate, Greg Bobyn believes that MNP would likely be coordinating 3-4 vendors for their IT needs, rather than 1, and reports that working with PCC Integrate has significantly freed up their IT resources on the project level, providing what he calls “a deep warranty and support infrastructure.” Additionally, MNP reports that deficiencies are now under 1%, and went on to explain that “Because of the high quality and low deficiency, we are extremely satisfied. If there is ever a failure point, or a move or change, we know we can depend on PCC to resolve it. Either remotely, and help us resolve it ourselves, or resolve it with [PCC] resources.”
Additionally, having such a long-term relationship has also created a long-term cost of delivery record, which gives both MNP and PCC Integrate the ability to check in from time to time and see how the project is going in relation to historical deliveries.
Better future
The high quality and the low deficiency point are what MNP see as the main benefits of the PCC Integrate solution as the future approaches. “We’ve got reliable infrastructure that we think is of a higher quality than we would have otherwise received” Greg explained. MNP also believe that because the quality of the system is there and because it is modular, they could sustain the system on their own should they ever need to, as all products used by PCC Integrate are industry standard.
For the past 7 years, the PCC Integrate systems have continued to be standard infrastructure for all new MNP office renovation and reconfiguration projects.
Today, PCC Integrate is the second largest national supplier to the MNP Real Estate group, because of this scope of work. “In terms of longevity and relationships and trust, this to me is a demonstration of that expanding scope and trust” explained Greg Bobyn.
