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SUBCONTRACTOR AGREEMENT
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Ken
    I have a contractor that is interested in my company doing preventative maintenance for his customers.  The contractor does not understand why he should sign the sub contractor agreement I purchased from you.  He says the agreement does not apply to the work that needs to be done.  I did my best to explain to him why I thought it applied but was unable to convince him.  
    Can you help me understand and explain how this agreement protects me as I only see item number thirteen as a protective measure, via the one thousand dollar limit to my liability.  The contractor asked if you could call him, I stated I did not think you would have the time for it, but I would leave his contact information with you in case you are interested in contacting him, either way will you please let me know.
Thank you,
name withheld
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RESPONSE
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    So you're considering "preventative maintenance" for another contractor.  I am not sure what that means.  You going to make sure the system is plugged in when you get there and when you leave?  In the alarm industry there is no preventative maintenance - which is a bold statement since I'm not an alarm company.  My guess is you don't do preventative maintenance either, at least not on an alarm system.  Here's what you probably do, and should be doing:

  • Do a survey of an alarm system to determine if it can use updating
  • Inspect an alarm system to determine if it's working at the time of inspection
  • Repair an alarm system that is not operating or shows signs of deterioration that requires immediate repair
  • Test an alarm system after it's inspected and repaired
  • Confirm signal receipt at the central station and also confirm that the signal was properly identified

    Why do you need a subcontract?  Well for starters the Standard Form Subcontract states that
both the contractor and you [as subcontractor] have the proper licenses to perform the work,
both you and the contractor carry general liability insurance with errors and omission insurance, and the contractor has a contract with the subscriber that covers you and your butt.
    My guess is that this contractor doesn't have a proper contract with the subscriber.  That means that the contractor, and more importantly, you, aren't protected on the liability issues.  If the contractor and you are talking about "preventative maintenance" I am pretty sure neither of you use proper contracts.
    You need more than the subcontract.  You need to be sure the end user for whom you are going to provide service is a party to a proper alarm contract, and that will be one of the Standard All in One forms.
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CONTRACT FOR CAMERA INSTALLS / COMPLETION CERTIFICATE
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Ken
    I wanted to check to see if you offer contracts related to installing camera systems.  I am looking for something that outlines the sale as well as a sign off sheet that the cameras were working when we left, pointed at the areas they wanted recorded and recording at the time we left.  I have the alarm contracts and they are very detailed and I was hoping you had something similar to those for the camera systems.
JM
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RESPONSE
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    Both the Residential All in One and the Commercial All in One cover camera installation, remote access and remote monitoring.  Same for access control.  But for confirmation that the installation is complete [or a repair is completed] and the system is operating you should use the Completion Certificate.  It's price cheap  [$40.00].  The Completion Certificate is not however a substitute for a proper contract.
For questions on our standard forms, call our Contract Administrator Eileen Wagda at (516) 747-6700 x 312 and she will be able to assist you.