SpacemanSpiff

We recently moved to a VOIP phone system to integrate and update our copper line phones. Cisco got the contract and we have been very happy with the results. The phones have decent sound quality and great features, including video conferencing. Nice displays and we are happy with all the customizable features we can do with the phones.

Strengths: Decent VOIP phones and seem to be very feature filled. Include video phones when in network. Decent sound quality. Intuitive buttons and features. Scalable and customizable. Can spec multiple lines for voice mail and message delivery.

Needs to improve: Big company and can be hard to get reliable service. Not cheap. Service contracts must be factored into the bid.

I manage a purchasing contract for our office's computers. We have gone with Dell computers and monitors for the last 10 years. Generally been very happy with the contract. We have good support, decent turn-around and the computers seem to be fairly robust. We have had minor issues with fans and harsh environment survivability, but overall the computers are pretty good. We are very happy with the monitors and they have great HD quality and last a long time. Not so happy with the printers and we no longer spec Dell as our printer supplier.

Strengths: Good, reliable desktop computers. Customizable and easily spec'd for our needs. Decent customer support when under warranty. Standardized case and chassis sizes make swapping and spare inventory easier. Pretty decent durability.

Needs to improve: Not sure of long term quality and if company will survive. Great computers and monitors. Not as happy with their printers. Not super reliable and expensive replacement supplies.

I manage the accounts for our various field office's recycling and waste pick up.
We have been forced to accept Recology at most of the offices because of service area restrictions and are very dissappointed, but have one contract with Greenwaste. They are simply fantastic. Great customer service, reliable and high quality. Their prices are way lower then the competitor and we can schedule extra pick ups very easily. I wish I could have Greenwaste handle all of our accounts.

Strengths: Great, small local company. A pioneer in composting and green waste recycling. Great prices. Nice drivers. Reliable service. Hardworking guys and company.

Needs to improve: Limited service area. Restricted in competing against a larger competitor.

I manage the account for waste, recycling and composting pick up for our various field offices. When Recology was awarded the bid for our local area, the prices were 25% higher and had more surcharges immediately. When the pick up began, the drivers did not pick up our bins, forgot to pick them up and damaged the bins and roadways. They are not courteous, block the roadway and don't seem to care about doing a good job. Honestly, it's just a garbage company. How bad can the screw up such a seemingly simple task? I compare this to Greenwaste, which does such a tremendously better job for a much lower price and higher quality of work. Unfortunately, Greenwaste is only available at one field office.

Strengths: Single source recycling, waste and composting service. Local service.

Needs to improve: Terrible customer service. Terrible onsite service. Drivers are rude, incompetent and inconsistent. More expensive then previous service. Lower quality. Just terrible.

We use Century Fasteners as a component supplier used in the manufacturing side of our industry. They have a wide range of products that we can spec and use on a recurring basis. We use their website to assist us with identifying the needed quality of fasteners and specification. Great customer service. ISO 9001 quality means we know what we are getting with a standardized degree of quality.

Strengths: Wide range of fasteners and quantities. Great application, support and specialized tools. Able to supply a large volume. ISO 9001 certified. MIL Spec and aerospace rated fasteners.

Needs to improve: Pricey. Lead times for volume deliveries. Single distribution point.

When I was awarding the contract for office bottled water systems, looked at various delivered systems. Arrowhead just didn't seem to match up with the other companies. Their delivered prices were higher, the water quality was lower and we just were not as happy with the service. I feel they can meet a companies needs, but when we looked at a competitive bid from them, it was a bit lower then others.

Strengths: A large corporation able to supply bottled water/coolers for business use. Nationwide delivery and regional offices allow for the potential for local support and national strength.

Needs to improve: Not cheap. It seems quality is not as good as competitors. Delivery service is not as reliable as other competitors. Equipment not as durable nor as easy to use. Limited sizes available. Customer service worse then others. Water does not taste as good as other companies.

I manage the account for our departments bottled water supply. We have looked at various systems/vendors to supply drinking water to staff, customers and visitors. Even though our tap water is suitable and high quality, it is not popular. We wanted to look at a green and efficient system. We wanted to reduce single use BPA bottles and lessen landfill. Alhambra Drinking water was the most responsible bidder and provided us with the best solution. They manage the delivery, set up and maintenance of approximately water coolers systems in our building. They deliver on time, in decent quantities. Ordering and customer service is decent and we are able to get what we want.

Strengths: Great water company, when comparing onsite delivery versus single serve or filtered water suppliers. Delivery drivers are great, hard working guys that are really friendly. Water, coolers and supplies are reliable and high quality. Excellent customer service and ordering.

Needs to improve: Not cheap, perhaps a "dinosaur" business when compared at a "green/eco" model. Bottles are heavy. Need large amounts of storage for water.

Decent service for a large company. Turnkey solutions for our document processing. Integrated data solutions. Customer service can be tedious. Service techs seem to be good guys. Slow turnaround though

Strengths: We contract with HP printing services for Printers, FAX and scanners. Decent quality, but not what they used to be. Contract is not cheap, but we are able to have an outside vendor keep our document processing equipment running and up to date. Customer support is ok and we do have a dedicated sales rep, but not a dedicated customer support person When we need really mission critical help, we have to go through our rep to get things rolling.

Needs to improve: Big company means big company bureaucracy. Slow to respond to our needs. Limited product supplies and items. Large company means there is a greater long term support for printers. Not the same company when it was run by Hewlett and Packard.

Exceptional service and knowledge. Solutions for every cable railing problem. Great people to work with. I believe American made products.

Strengths: We use Hayn as out component supplier for Cable Railing end connections. Their products are easy to use, durable and high quality. When I work with their customer service department, I always have knowledgable staff that can answer my questions. If I need to, I can always email my designs and work through a solution. The are a much larger company then just cable railings and can re rig a sail boat and do many other things. Great website.

Needs to improve: Cross country supply lines. Fittings are not cheap.

We have used West Coast Stainless for raw material supplies of cable railing equipment. They have been responsive and meet our needs.

Strengths: Decent supplier of stainless cable products. Can supply small to large volume. Local company for easy pick up.

Needs to improve: Cannot verify the stated quality versus as supplied. Cables appear to be as stated. Nice finish on products.

When you contact local quarries and try and get stock levels, they are usually pretty good at letting you what you need. When you have a huge order, above 1500 yards, they can usually plan ahead and meet your needs. Will call and last minute orders can leave you short.

Strengths: Multiple service locations.. Wide range of products. Decent customer service, depending on location. Usually decent quantity available.

Needs to improve: Can be hit or miss with regards to what they have available. We recently needed 3/8 minus crushed gold granite fines and they did not have it in stock. We had to wait two weeks until stock was built up.

I recently managed the contract for our two field offices to be converted to solar. We selected Solar City due to size of the company, expected long term service and local headquarters. They job was performed as requested and with minimal headache. The inverters and panels appear to be decent quality, but cannot vouch for their long term durability. Standard roof mount racks. Cannot do custom installations or tracking systems.

Strengths: For a large corporation, they are reasonable to deal with. We do business in the same locale as the corporate head quarters, so this may be a factor in the quality of the company. We negotiated a contract for solar panel installation at two of our field offices. Decent sized crew, arrived as promised and completed the job in a reasonable amount of time. Clean up was adequate.

Needs to improve: Not cheap. I believe the source Chinese panels, so potentially lower quality. Do not seem good with custom or outside the box systems.

Sorry, but Motorola two way radios are absolute junk! I just worked the order for a re-fit of out departments radios and were forced to accept Motorola radios. They have been a complete and total failure. We were forced to scrap all the previous batteries, holders and chargers, which were no longer compatible and had to purchase completely new units. Chargers were over $5,000 per bank charger and we needed to purchase 10 of them. Batteries were more expensive and do not last as long as previous ones. Many have already failed. Warranty replacement is non existent. Out of range communications is impossible.

Strengths: National supply chain. Large corporation

Needs to improve: Low quality batteries. Poor quality transmitters. Unreliable sound quality. Absolutely terrible to work with. No instruction manuals or user information.

They have a great reference site. Good customer service, but some reps are hard to understand due to accent. Wide range of supplies and accessories. Overall, they are our top supplier of component club supplies.

Strengths: Great range of products at realistic wholesale price. They carry their own brands of heads and first line, pro quality shafts and grips. Orders arrive in quality packaging and are never damaged. Components are good quality. Great website.

Needs to improve: Be wary that components are not USGA or R&A compliant. If you are playing sanctions tournaments, you may be in violation of rules. Head Castings can be of lower quality relative to proline clubs.

Usually good customer service. Not a high volume provider. Limited range of supplies, but what they do stock is readily available. Decent website for purchase

Strengths: Low priced golf component supply who sells strictly retail. They have a nice line of equipment, but limited range of products. Their customer service is good, but it appears to be a mom and pop business. Nice print catalog.

Needs to improve: Limited range of products. Appears to supply "knock off" type components, but they have never been shut down for copy right infringement. Customer service can be spotty. Custom labeled shafts and heads cannot be identified as to total quality. Their own label "leyland" products have no proven quality controls.

Great customer service. Reliable products. Quality products.

Strengths: In the world of custom club manufacturing, there are many component suppliers who can provide pro line quality components for a custom club maker. Golf Smith is probably the industry leader in this field. They have their own line of proprietary golf heads and carry virtually every manufacturer of golf shafts and grips. As a result, a customer is able to have exactly what they want when they need it. As a custom club maker, I rely on Golf Smith components to keep me in business. I maintain a great working relationship with them to purchase and stock golf club components. The only drawback is they are not inexpensive and my profit margins are less then with other companies. Because Golf Smith is a national company, I can trust that they will have the components I need when I need them.

Needs to improve: Pricey. Limited supply of component heads. Shipping delays related to distribution centers.

We maintain a contract with Granite Rock for will call pick up of crushed rock products and asphaltic concrete material. They are generally very easy to work with and have what we need. The plant managers and supervisors are really knowledgeable. The staff is sometimes hit or miss and can mis-load your trucks. Plants can be confusing to first time driver's

Strengths: Large nationwide base rock and asphalt supplier. Numerous local plants. Able to supply large amounts of base material. Great dedicated customer service reps. Will call pick up. wide range of materials.

Needs to improve: Pricey. Distance from job adds to cost. Asphalt prices dependent on oil price. Not standardized cost per unit by different plants

We use JEGs for high performance and up grade parts to keep our fleet on the road. We have found particular success with upgrade u-joints, drive train components and suspension components. They greatly outlast our stock units and JEG's can supply us fairly quickly. We do have the normal issues related to delivery time and find they do not have as wide a range as other companies. Overall, we have been happy with JEG's

Strengths: Good, wide range of aftermarket performance parts and heavy duty upgrade parts. Nice website and catalog. Large selection of major brands carried. Easy to identify model specific parts. Pretty good customer service and when speaking with actual people, you usually get good service. Rapid delivery and turn around. Good warranty period.

Needs to improve: Built in shipping delays. Not that cheap. Returns require authorization. Not as wide a variety of brands as other companies.

I am responsible for the purchase and installation of Sierra Wireless modems in our departments trucks. We do function in remote areas and often with limited wireless coverage, but in general, have not been really happy with their modems. We frequently loose connectivity and the modems do not automatically re-establish a connection, resulting in a full reboot of the modem. Firmware does not always fix problems and we have difficulty with customer service.

Strengths: Wide band modems. Reasonable data transfer speed. Fairly robust cases. Relatively inexpensive. Adaptable to various mounting points.

Needs to improve: Sketchy customer support. Modem's loose connectivity. Software updates don't always work. Loss of temporary signal results in complete reboot of modem.

We have contracted with SKB Cases for custom gun cases we use to store our sniper rifles. We need a rugged case which can safely and carefully handle a rifle which needs to perform with pin point accuracy at a moments notice. These cases are often stored in bad to crappy environments, in the back of trunks or in a wooden shed and then called to duty in a very short period of time. SKB cases have done a great job at protecting our weapon systems.

Strengths: Highly rugged, durable cases. Custom and stock sizes. Low humidity environments. Excellent customer service. Great warranty. Confident the items we place inside will come out ok.

Needs to improve: Not cheap. Significant lead time for custom cases.