Wired In: Kontek Conversations is for leaders who want to get technology right. From universities and healthcare systems to corporate enterprises, each episode delivers practical insights to help you navigate complex projects, avoid costly missteps, and design environments that truly connect people.
Through candid conversations with Kontek executives and industry experts, you’ll discover why projects succeed or fail, how to balance innovation with usability, and how bold ideas become reality. Along the way, we share perspectives on the evolution of AV technology, the impact of employee ownership, and the culture of accountability that drives lasting results.
With almost four decades of expertise, Kontek invites you to think bigger, dream bolder, and imagine what’s possible when technology and vision come together.
Why AV Gets Cut First and Costs the Most to Add Back
Construction prices are climbing, and when budgets tighten, AV is usually the first line cut.
On this episode of Wired In: KONTEK Conversations, KONTEK's Marques Manning explains why deferring AV infrastructure can double or triple the price of adding it back later.
The episode covers rising cabling, fiber and labor prices across the Research Triangle, what to defer and what to protect during value engineering, how to vet an AV partner in a growing market, and the recurring licensing that platforms like Microsoft Teams Rooms add to the IT budget.
Start the conversation with KONTEK. (https://kontek.com/connect?utm_source=kontek&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=ep-20-why-av-gets-cut-first-and-costs-the-most-to-add-back&utm_content=show-notes)
Connect with us
Website: https://kontek.com/ (https://kontek.com/)
Email: info@kontek.com (mailto:info@kontek.com)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kontek-systems (https://www.linkedin.com/company/kontek-systems)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/konteksystems/ (https://www.instagram.com/konteksystems/)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/konteksystems (https://www.facebook.com/konteksystems)
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KontekSystemsDurham (https://www.youtube.com/c/KontekSystemsDurham)
Chapters
[00:00] Why AV gets cut first: Rising material and labor prices are pushing AV to the back burner on construction projects.
[01:54] Budgets that age before construction: A budget set in 2023 for a 2027 opening, and price increases of 15 to almost 30 percent.
[03:36] The low voltage squeeze: Data centers, tariffs and supply chains drive up cabling and fiber prices.
[05:01] The labor gap: Why experienced technicians are scarce, and why the trades make the country work.
[07:00] The building that does nothing: What happens when AV is cut and has to be added back.
[07:47] Defer the display, not the infrastructure: Rethinking value engineering around what a space needs on day one.
[08:40] A growing market: The Triangle's life sciences boom and how to vet an AV partner.
[11:40] The long-term investment: Software updates, AI and the licensing that keeps rooms running.
[13:23] Where AV stops and IT begins: Budgeting for Microsoft Teams Rooms licenses and IT management.
[16:15] Behind the scenes: Meeting routing, geofencing and deployment guides.
[17:42] Wrap-up: The easiest experience requires the most planning.
#AVBudgeting #ValueEngineering #AVInfrastructure #ConstructionCosts #LowVoltage #ResearchTriangle #LifeSciences #MicrosoftTeamsRooms #AVLicensing #KONTEK
6 Oct 2026
First in the Room, Last on the Job Site: A Construction Manager’s Guide to Sequencing Low Voltage Trades
On this episode of Wired In, KONTEK's Marques Manning unpacks why AV should always be the last trade into a construction project, and why KONTEK needs to be one of the first calls made in planning. He covers the physical and warranty risks of installing early, the four infrastructure conversations that protect a project's budget, and the three questions that set every schedule: what, where, and when.
Connect with us
Website: https://www.kontek.com/ (https://www.kontek.com/)
Email: info@kontek.com (mailto:info@kontek.com)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kontek-systems (https://www.linkedin.com/company/kontek-systems)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/konteksystems/ (https://www.instagram.com/konteksystems/)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/konteksystems (https://www.facebook.com/konteksystems)
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KontekSystemsDurham (https://www.youtube.com/c/KontekSystemsDurham)
Chapters
[00:00] Introduction.
[00:01] The go-last problem.
[00:02] Furniture, dust, and warranties.
[00:05] Change orders and "who owns it".
[00:06] Getting KONTEK first in the room.
[00:09] Delays that aren't your fault.
[00:10] The four conversations, pathways, structural capacity, power, and environmental conditions.
[00:13] The vacuum cleaner story.
[00:16] Structural math.
[00:20] What, where, when. The three questions that set every project's timeline.
[00:22] Closing thoughts
15 Sept 2026
Why Your AV Project Is Over Budget Before It Starts
Marques explains why AV budgets so often blow up long before a project breaks ground. From a sanctuary's camera and lighting problems to a four-story building caught with zero floor boxes before the concrete was poured, this conversation makes the case for bringing a low voltage partner into the design process during programming, not after the building exists.
Chapters:
(00:00) Introduction: Why AV budgets are decided before the building is finished
(01:00) The "black magic" problem, why architects aren't equipped to plan for low voltage
(02:00) A sanctuary's 60-to-80-foot camera problem and what it revealed
(04:00) The real cost of a shot that works: $5K prosumer versus $35-50K production-grade
(07:00) Catching a missing floor box before four stories of concrete were poured
(11:00) Who actually needs to hear this message: the construction project management team
(13:00) What "programming phase" means and why AV needs to be there first
(18:00) Page flips and 3D coordination: How trades avoid clashing designs
(20:00) Why more meetings early on actually save money later
(25:00) How Bluebeam, Teams, and drone footage have sped up decision-making
(28:00) Closing takeaway: Talk earlier, spend a little more upfront
Connect with us:
• Website: https://www.kontek.com/ (https://www.kontek.com/)
• Email: info@kontek.com (mailto:info@kontek.com)
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kontek-systems (https://www.linkedin.com/company/kontek-systems)
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/konteksystems/ (https://www.instagram.com/konteksystems/)
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/konteksystems (https://www.facebook.com/konteksystems)
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KontekSystemsDurham (https://www.youtube.com/c/KontekSystemsDurham)
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