The cost of an access control installation is set by the doors far more than by the readers. A strike that fits a sound frame and power that is already at the door is one job; cutting a fire-rated frame, adding an electric hinge and pulling conduit across a finished ceiling is another. Price the door schedule, not the reader list.
Two proposals for the same five doors can differ by more than the hardware is worth, and the difference is usually labour nobody itemised: a closer that will not latch, a frame that has been cut before, or a power supply three rooms away from the lock it has to feed.
This page breaks the budget into the parts that actually move, so two quotes can be compared on the same terms rather than on the reader model.
The door is the variable
An electric strike needs a frame that can be cut and a door that closes squarely. A maglock holds almost any door and fights egress. Electrified mortise hardware is the cleanest option on a hollow-metal frame and the most expensive to install. On a Denver retrofit, the frame, the closer and the wall are the three items that decide the day rate.
Ask each quote to describe the hardware at every door rather than the hardware on average, and ask what happens if the frame will not take it.
- Strike, maglock or electrified hardware, described per door.
- Door position switches and request-to-exit devices, or not.
- Closers, coordinators and frames that need repair before the lock works.
- Fire-rated doors, where the hardware and the rating have to be reconciled.
Power and cabling are the hidden half
Locks draw current in bursts, and the supply has to sit close enough that voltage drop does not turn a release into a buzz. A dedicated access power supply with battery backup, correctly sized cable and a separate circuit for lock power prevents most callbacks. If the only available power is across a finished ceiling, that is a conduit run, a lift and a patch.
Controllers need a network drop and a place to live. A closet that is locked, ventilated and reachable is worth more than the controller model, and it is a line item.
Credentials, programming and the part nobody quotes
Credential volume is a real cost: how many cards or fobs to issue, how many have to be reissued after turnover, and whether the existing card format can be kept. Reusing the cards already in staff wallets is often the difference between a smooth migration and a bad first week.
Programming is where a cheap quote hides its work. Groups, schedules, door modes, alarm events and the named administrator accounts all take time, and a request-to-exit device that was not planned shows up later as a nuisance alarm nobody can explain.
- Card or fob volume, plus the cost of reissuing after staff turnover.
- Whether the existing credential format survives the change.
- Groups, schedules and door modes written down before go-live.
- Named administrator accounts and a handover the site can keep.
What to compare, and what to ask before signing
Compare the door schedule, the power path and the credential plan before comparing prices. Ask who pulls the cable, who programs the system, whether the survey is complimentary, and what the site receives at handover: as-built schedule, device list, accounts and a walkthrough.
Then ask what happens in the first year when a door drops out of alignment. The answer tells you whether the proposal was priced for a working system or for an installation that ends at the invoice.
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Frequently asked questions
Why do two quotes for the same doors differ so much?
Usually because one of them has not walked the doors. Frame condition, power location, fire rating and the cable path are labour, and a quote made from photographs will either pad the number or discover the work later as a change order.
Is the survey free?
Yes. The estimate and the on-site survey are complimentary, and the survey is scheduled for the next business day. The door schedule that comes out of it is what gets priced.
Can we keep our existing readers to save money?
Sometimes. We test the reader protocol, the card format and the controller before promising a reuse. Where the controller cannot support the reader, replacing the head end while keeping the doors is often the better spend.
What is the cheapest thing to get right?
The door hardware. A strike aligned to a frame that closes properly is a small line item and the reason a system still works in year five. It is also the first thing a cheap installation skips.
Related:Commercial access control systems in DenverBrivo vs LenelS2Brivo vs Verkada
