Security System Design

The key to a security survey is to document existing conditions, identify security-related deficiencies and develop associated upgrade recommendations. These recommendations are normally accompanied by budgetary cost estimates, a crucial piece of information in the planning process.

The survey identifies what needs to be done; a design effort determines how it will be done.

Fundamentally, the design documents take your survey findings which include identified deficiencies and subsequently developed functional requirements and translate them into language that is universally accepted by the construction/installation industry. A design package usually consists of three items:

Plans: Design drawings are a pictorial representation of the finished system. Very simply, they locate components within the facility, define connectivity of the system components, and establish the manner in which the components will be installed.

Specifications: Specs define textually various requirements of the project that are not necessarily spatially dependent and therefore not easily represented on a drawing. Specs will address such items as warranties, software functionality, testing procedures, material requirements, and security component characteristics.

Cost Estimate: It always comes down to cost. Therefore, it is always necessary to develop a cost estimate for the project. Once the design drawings and specs are finished, it is simple to create a bill of materials, assign material and labor costs, and produce an estimate of the total project cost. This material is essential to determine the appropriateness of an integrator’s bid for a project and to gauge the adequacy of available funds.

In some circumstances, other items are included such as an operational concept that discusses operational issues such as staffing, maintenance, and response. A design analysis is also sometimes included in cases where a significant calculation effort is required during the course of the design. This might be the case when building response to a blast or the transient flow of airborne contaminants is of concern.

There are at least two primary reasons for a design package:

1. Biddability: If the project is to be competed for between two or more companies, basic and consistent project information will need to be provided to the bidders in order to receive bids that are directly comparable. Without this, you have little hope of being able to easily compare the various bids with exceptions, alternatives, and substitutions.

2. System Performance: Without at least basic design information, there is no assurance that the resulting system will meet your functional requirements, i.e. do the job you need it to do. The system needs to meet your needs, not the integrator’s interpretation of your needs.

At its most basic level, a design package is a floor plan showing the location of key components; at the most advanced, a design package will provide detailed information on how components are actually interconnected including wire size, routing, and in some cases, color. The design package also tells the integrator what products to use from start to finish. For example, if you have an existing system, there is a real maintenance advantage to consistently using the same type of electric strikes (or door contacts, or request to exit motion sensors, or card readers, etc) throughout the system.

The design package is the only tool an end-user has to precisely define what is desired in the final system. Broad descriptions and a reliance on the ability and experience of the integrator will, in my experience, end in disappointment. Finally, a good set of design drawings is of great assistance to the system integrator in his contractually required production of as-built drawings. These as-built drawings, in turn, will be of great assistance to you in future system maintenance, repair, and expansion activities.

The design effort does add some time and therefore money to the project. However, our experience shows that this effort is an excellent investment in terms of the long-term performance of the resulting system.

The system specifications are especially important when it comes to system performance. The specifications should require some sort of final system test before acceptance by the owner. These specifications should include or refer to a set of written test procedures outlining in some detail how each portion of the system will be tested to ensure complete, end-to-end system functionality. This not only ensures the owner that he is buying a properly functioning system, but it also provides a benchmark against which the owner can compare future system test results. (By the way, it is a good idea to use the same system test procedures for periodic functional tests and to test individual portions of the system after any type of maintenance or repair work.)

The specifications are also where the requirements for system operational training is required. I recently had the opportunity to talk to three access control industry leaders about the training that is provided to end users at the completion of an installation. The answer: it depends on the integrator. In other words, if it is not in the contract (i.e., the specifications) it may not happen. In these days where security system management almost requires a database administration background, focused training is essential to long term, efficient system operation.

Let’s face it, a security system is like any other building system investment: it takes effort to properly plan and implement. We have seen a lot of effort in the last two to three years to shortcut this process in order get systems installed fast and cost effectively. In the last year or so, we have seen a lot of those systems removed and replaced in a more systematic and methodical process. If you want the system to work well, there is no substitute for a design package.

Randy Nason, PE, VP