Vendors · Quote Analysis

Do we keep Prowatcher? Their January quote (old office, single AP) is dissected below against verified market pricing, their contract terms are flagged, and a 5-point decision gate settles it. Either way: a 3-quote tender runs week of Jul 6, hardware is ordered by mid-July, and two ISP applications go in parallel — the mid-August deadline does not wait for vendor politics.

₱59,897.60

Prowatcher quote (VAT-inc)

+10–23%

Hardware padding vs street

₱234k

Fair full-scope benchmark (VAT-inc)

4/5

Gate score needed to keep them

1 · The old quote, dissected

Prowatcher Security Systems (CCTV integrator, Capitol Centrum, N. Escario St, Cebu) quoted the old office on 13-Jan-2026 — one AP, one gateway, one injector. Line prices are ex-VAT; fair-market figures are calibrated against US MSRP × 61.62 PHP/USD plus the observed PH authorized-channel ratio (PC Express sells the U7 Pro at 1.26× straight conversion). verified

Line item	Quoted (ex-VAT)	Fair market (ex-VAT)	Δ	Verdict
U7 Pro XGS WiFi 7 AP (MSRP $299)	₱22,700	~₱20,700	+10%	padded negotiable, not egregious
PoE+ injector (802.3at)	₱1,500	—	—	wrong PoE class XGS requires PoE++ 802.3bt, 29 W — PoE+ delivers only ~25.5 W at the device
UCG-Fiber cloud gateway (MSRP $279)	₱21,900	~₱19,300	+13%	padded moot for new office — we reuse ours
Installation	₱7,000	₱7,000	0%	call-out minimum fair for a single-AP job; must never be scaled ×8 to the new office (~₱56k) — fair grouped 8-drop labor is ₱25–45k total
Materials (connectors, cable, pipes)	₱380	₱380	0%	plausible for 1 drop only real consumables for 8 ceiling runs: ₱15–20k
Subtotal / VAT 12% / Total	₱53,480 / ₱6,417.60 / ₱59,897.60	—	—	arithmetic checks but quote is stale — peso down 9.3% YoY and their T&Cs allow silent repricing

Verdict: legitimate, but padded ~10–23% on hardware — and the PoE error is the real signal. Quoting an 802.3at injector for an 802.3bt access point in a 4-line quote suggests limited UniFi design depth. Prowatcher's core lines are fire alarm, intrusion, CCTV and access control (Dahua, Hikvision, ZKTeco…) — Ubiquiti is one resale line among many. They can pull cable; RF design, channel planning and the PoE budget (7 × 29 W = 203 W, which is exactly why the 8-port switch idea fails) must be specified by us, not assumed from them.

2 · Contract terms — red flags to renegotiate

"Installation cost depends on survey"

An open-ended post-PO variable: you commit, then the price floats. Demand a fixed lump-sum price issued AFTER the survey and BEFORE the PO. Pay ₱2–3k for the survey if needed and credit it to the project — never sign a quote where labor is TBD.

Price change without notice

Their T&Cs allow repricing at any time. With the peso down 9.3% YoY, a January anchor will drift upward. Require 30-day price validity locked at PO.

50/50 payment + PDC requirement

Half down via post-dated check shifts all delivery and FX risk onto us and creates a criminal-exposure instrument (BP 22) for a routine commercial payment. Negotiate 30/70 or 40/60, bank transfer on milestones, final tranche released only against the acceptance criteria. No PDCs.

Retention of title until full payment

Vendor legally owns the installed network until the last peso clears — awkward if a dispute arises after go-live. Delete, or cap it to unpaid line items only, extinguished on final payment.

12-month warranty vs Ubiquiti's 2-year

Their 12-month parts+services warranty is shorter than Ubiquiti's own hardware warranty. Require the manufacturer warranty passed through in full via the authorized channel (proof of MEC/iConnect sourcing — grey imports void RMA), plus 12-month workmanship on the cabling itself.

No deliverables defined

The old quote names zero acceptance artifacts. Write into the PO: per-link Fluke certification report (8 links), labeled patch panel + as-built drawing, controller adoption with the agreed SSID/VLAN plan, RSSI ≥ −65 dBm validation walk, and admin credentials handed to Software Club — not vendor-held.

3 · Keep-or-switch decision gate

Score Prowatcher against these 5 criteria — keep them only at ≥ 4/5

Price: new-scope re-quote within 10% of the ₱234,000 VAT-inc fair benchmark estimate (benchmark scales with the locked 7-AP BOM — see BOM & Costs)
Competence: ≥ 2 reference UniFi deployments of 5+ APs — WiFi networks, not CCTV jobs
Fixed price: accepts a firm lump-sum issued after survey, before PO
Payment: accepts acceptance-criteria-gated final payment (30/70 or 40/60, no PDC)
Quality proof: provides Fluke certification per link as a contractual deliverable

Fail the gate → award to the best of the two other tender quotes with the same one-page scope. Pass it → keep them, with the renegotiated T&Cs above. Either outcome must be decided by Jul 14 so hardware orders go out on time.

4 · Legal & accreditation requirements (Philippines)

PCAB license — RA 4566 verified

The Contractor's License Law requires a PCAB-licensed contractor for construction contracting above ₱50,000 — this fit-out is squarely covered. Verify any candidate in ~1 minute at pcab.construction.gov.ph/verify. Check before award, not after: the building PMO can refuse gate passes mid-project.

ECE sign-off — RA 9292 verified

Electronics/communications plans — explicitly including data/structured cabling — submitted in any building- or fit-out-permit path must be signed and sealed by a licensed Electronics Engineer. If a general fit-out contractor is engaged, ride under their permit and ECE-signed electronics sheet; otherwise budget for one.

Landlord / PMO requirements

Typical Class A/B building rules: permit-to-work, contractor certificate of insurance (COI), worker name lists + gate passes, hauling and after-hours schedules (noisy work often nights/weekends only), fit-out guidelines and sometimes a refundable bond. Request the fit-out guidelines now — permit cycles run 2–3 weeks.

Hard disqualifier. Any vendor who cannot show a valid PCAB license and an ECE sign-off path is disqualified — regardless of price.

5 · Tender shortlist — 3 quotes, week of Jul 6

Same one-page scope to every bidder so quotes are comparable: 7× U7 Pro XGS (6 new + 1 reused), USW-Pro-XG-10-PoE, 8 Cat6A drops (~193 m), 12U wall rack, itemized ex-VAT pricing.

Vendor	Type	Why shortlisted	What to ask for
iConnect Technologies Cebu City · (032) 252-1122	Authorized Ubiquiti distributor + integrator	The only shortlisted firm that is both a hardware source and an installer, with a Cebu office (Avenir Bldg, Archbishop Reyes Ave) — single warranty throat.	Bundled vs hardware-only pricing; written stock allocation for XGS + XG-10-PoE; PCAB no.; UniFi references.
HPS ICT Mandaue City	Dedicated structured-cabling firm	Siemon certified installer — TIA-568-grade Cat6A work is their core business, not a sideline.	Labor-only price for 8 drops; Fluke cert per link included; PCAB + ECE arrangement.
Foxcon Total Solutions (FTSI) Cebu	Cabling / communication-systems contractor	Established Cebu cabling contractor; credible third structured-cabling bid.	Same scope; UniFi commissioning capability or labor-only split.
Above Infranet Cebu	Network infrastructure / deployment	Cebu-based, deploys across Visayas–Mindanao; network-first rather than CCTV-first.	UniFi project references; RF-validation capability.
Prowatcher Security Systems Cebu · incumbent	CCTV / security integrator	Knows the account, did the old office; useful price anchor and possible keeper.	Re-quote against the new scope; must pass the 5-point gate above.

Hardware-only fallback regardless of installer: MEC Networks (Quezon City) is the official national Ubiquiti distributor — see section 7.

6 · Internet service — apply to two in parallel, now

Provider	Plan	Price	Lead time	Notes
RISE	Business fiber / DIA, quote-based	quote estimate	~1.8 wk business installs	Cebu-focused, physically present in IT Park buildings (The Link, TGU, Skyrise…); fastest realistic business install if the building is RISE-lit; sub-10-min support claims.
Converge	FlexiBIZ Plan 18000 — 1000/500 Mbps	₱18,000/mo + ₱5,000 install verified	5–15 business days if lit	Best verified published business plan; 24-month lock-in; request bridge mode + static IP.
PLDT Enterprise	iGate DIA (CIR 1:1)	quote — roughly ₱150–500/Mbps/mo estimate	30–60 days with building-entry permits	True dedicated with SLA; provisioning time is the deadline risk — only viable as a later overlay.
Globe Business	GFiber Biz 800 Mbps	₱2,499/mo promo, free install verified	fast (broadband-class)	Cheap diverse-provider second line — ideal failover WAN, not a primary for 150 staff.

Recommendation. Apply to two providers in parallel this week (RISE if the building is lit, plus Converge FlexiBIZ) and cancel whichever activates second — application fees are trivial next to a week of a 150-person office without internet. Hand-off is native to the reused UCG-Fiber: DIA fiber terminates directly in its 10G SFP+ WAN; GPON arrives as RJ45 from the ISP ONU into its 10GbE RJ45 WAN (no media converter). Keep the Globe line (or a 5G CPE) as the failover WAN on multi-WAN.

7 · Where to buy the hardware

Distributor direct — MEC / iConnect

MEC Networks (official national Ubiquiti distributor) or iConnect (authorized, Cebu). Cheapest authorized-channel path (~₱20,700 ex-VAT target per XGS), full manufacturer warranty, VAT invoice for input-VAT recovery. Cost: split accountability — installer can blame "your" hardware, and RMA is yours to run.

Installer-bundled

One PO, one throat to choke: hardware, install, warranty and RMA all through the winning installer. Worth a premium — but only if the bundle markup over distributor pricing is ≤ 10%. Above that, split the PO: hardware direct, labor separate. Never grey stock (Shopee/Lazada) — local RMA voids.

Stock is the real constraint, not price. U7 Pro XGS and the Pro XG PoE switches are frequently pre-order/indent in PH (2–4 weeks). Whoever supplies, get written stock allocation by ~Jul 18 and order by mid-July — a late order, not vendor choice, is what blows the mid-August deadline.

Sources & data

Pricing anchors: store.ui.com / techspecs.ui.com (U7 Pro XGS $299 MSRP, PoE++ 29 W; UCG-Fiber $279; verified 2026-07-02) · PC Express PH street-price calibration (U7 Pro ₱14,650) · USD/PHP 61.62 (BSP, 2026-07-02). Legal: RA 4566 (lawphil; PCAB verify portal) · RA 9292 (lawphil) · Corebilt 2026 PH fit-out permit checklist · RCBC Plaza fit-out guide (PMO pattern). Vendors: prowatchersecurity.com · iconnecttechnologies.com · hpscorp.net · ftsi.com.ph · aboveinfranet.com · mec.ph. ISPs: convergeict.com/sme · rise.ph per-building lists · biz.globe.com.ph · pldtenterprise.com. Full source list, methodology and raw quote scans: Knowledge Base. Fair-benchmark build-up: BOM & Costs.