How to choose the right partner for your networks

Entrusting someone with the construction of an electrical or telecommunications network is not a purchase like any other. It is a work that will sit under the asphalt or on the poles for twenty-five or thirty years, and whose defects almost always surface long after the job is finished, when fixing them has become expensive. It is worth choosing carefully.

The first criterion is specific competence. A general construction firm can dig a trench, but laying a medium-voltage cable, splicing optical fibre or commissioning a transformer substation require dedicated knowledge and instruments. Always ask which comparable works have been carried out, where, and whether you can go and see them.

The second criterion is meeting deadlines, which in our sector rarely depends on the contractor alone. Permits matter, as do relations with road authorities and coordination with the energy distributor. An experienced partner knows how long these procedures take and builds them into the schedule, instead of promising dates that cannot be met.

The third criterion, and for us the most important, is transparency. A clear quotation, with separate line items and exclusions written down in black and white, prevents almost every dispute that arises once work has started. In the same way, an honest update when something goes wrong is worth more than ten generic reassurances.

Finally, look at what happens afterwards. Whoever builds a network should be able to maintain it, document it and respond quickly to a fault. A firm that hands over the work and disappears leaves you with a problem you will have to solve alone.

At DPM Perkola this has always been our way of working: a single point of contact from start to finish, complete documentation on handover, and availability for urgent call-outs.