Sound, Light and Stage Quotes: How to Compare Three Vendors Fairly

Three vendors quoted for your sound, light and stage. One sent a single figure. One sent a list of equipment with no prices. One sent a per day rate that may or may not include the crew. You cannot compare them, and the cheapest one is probably cheapest because it left something out.

The fix is to stop comparing quotes and start comparing a table you build yourself. Write your own list of everything the event needs, send that same list to all three vendors, and ask each to price every line. When the quotes arrive in one shape, the differences become real instead of cosmetic.

Build the requirement list first

Do this before you talk to anyone, so your list describes your event rather than one vendor's catalogue.

• Room or ground size, and expected headcount, which is the same number your caterer works from
• Indoor or outdoor, and whether there is a roof
• What happens on stage: speeches, a band, recorded music, dance, a screen
• Number of microphones, and how many are needed at once
• Whether you need wireless handheld, collar mics or podium mics
• Stage size and height, steps, and skirting
• Backdrop, and who prints it, along with any signage that has to work in both languages
• Lighting: general wash, focus on the stage, anything moving or coloured
• Projector and screen, and who supplies the laptop and cable
• Recording or streaming, if any
• Power source, and whether the vendor connects to house supply or a generator

Send this list as it is. Ask for a price against each line, plus a clear total.

The normalising table

Put the three quotes into one table with these rows. Anything a vendor did not mention gets a zero and a note, so you can ask about it later.

| Line | Vendor A | Vendor B | Vendor C |

| --- | --- | --- | --- |

| Sound: speakers, mixer, cabling | | | |

| Microphones, by type and count | | | |

| Lighting: fixtures and control | | | |

| Stage: size, height, skirting | | | |

| Backdrop print and rigging | | | |

| Projector and screen | | | |

| Operators on site, and for how many hours | | | |

| Transport in and out | | | |

| Loading and unloading labour | | | |

| Setup time and rehearsal access | | | |

| Standby or spare equipment | | | |

| Taxes | | | |

Once it is filled in, the vendor who looked cheapest often turns out to have quoted equipment without crew, or a stage without skirting, or a total without tax.

The line items that appear on the day

These are the ones that get left out most often, and they are worth asking about in writing.

• Operator hours. A sound engineer for four hours is not the same as one who stays until your event finishes at midnight. Ask what happens if you run late, and what that costs per hour.
• Setup and dismantle time. If the vendor needs the hall from morning and your venue rent starts at noon, that is your problem to pay for.
• Transport both ways. Some quotes include delivery and quietly leave out collection.
• Labour for loading. In venues without a ramp or a lift, this can be a real charge.
• Power. Ask what load the rig draws and whether the house supply can carry it. If a generator is needed, find out who arranges and fuels it.
• Spares. One dead microphone can stop a programme. Ask what backup travels with the crew.
• Taxes. Confirm whether the total quoted includes applicable taxes. Rates and treatment vary, so ask the vendor to state it on the quote.
• Damage and liability. Who pays if a fixture is broken by a guest, and is there a deposit.

Questions that reveal the difference

Price alone will not tell you which crew will still be calm at seven in the evening.

• Who is the person actually on site, and can you speak to them before the day?
• Have they worked in this venue before?
• What time will they arrive, and what time will they be ready for a sound check?
• What is the plan if it rains and the equipment is outdoors?
• Can you visit an event they are running this week?

That last question is the most useful one in the list. Fifteen minutes standing at the back of somebody else's function tells you more than any quote.

Deciding

Take the normalised totals, then adjust for what is missing rather than arguing the top line down. A vendor who quoted honestly and is slightly higher is usually cheaper by the end of the night than one who quoted thin and adds charges as the evening goes on.

Get the final scope in writing, with the arrival time, the crew count and the finish time named. On the day, one sheet of paper that everyone agreed to beats three conversations that everyone remembers differently.