How to Vet a Data Center Contractor in 15 Minutes
Most contractor vetting takes weeks because the questions asked are the wrong ones. Certifications, insurance, and reference lists tell you whether a contractor exists. They don't tell you whether the person on your floor knows what a static bypass actually does.
Here are five questions that get you there in fifteen minutes.
Ask the technical questions, not the process questions
"Walk me through the isolation you'd run before pulling a live PDU." A real facility engineer answers in specifics — the upstream breaker, the LOTO points, the test-before-touch sequence, what they'd do if they saw voltage where they didn't expect it. An IT technician answers in generalities.
"Explain the difference between a UPS static bypass and a maintenance bypass." One is automatic and lives inside the UPS; the other is a manual switch outside it. Anyone who runs the two together in an answer isn't the person you want on your floor.
Ask about their last mistake
"Tell me about the most recent site incident you were involved in — what happened, what you did, what you'd do differently." A real engineer answers immediately with specifics. A contractor who has never made a mistake either isn't senior or isn't honest.
The tone of the answer tells you whether you'd want them near your load.
Ask what they'd refuse to do
"Describe a job you turned down or walked off." Engineers who have never refused anything take everything — including work that shouldn't be done the way it's being asked. You want someone whose first instinct is to protect the load, not the invoice.
If the answer is "we always find a way," walk them off before they walk on your floor.
Where Integrator Services fits
Every Integrator Services engineer on your floor answers these five questions the way you'd want them answered. We vet for live-load isolation, LOTO discipline, and cage etiquette before anyone represents us on a client site. If you're evaluating a contractor and want a second opinion on how the answers should sound, send us your shortlist.
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