AV Subcontractor for General Contractors —
One Accountable AV Partner, Bid to Closeout.
Creation Networks is the AV subcontractor general contractors bring in for the audiovisual scope of new construction, tenant improvements, and renovations. Our CTS-D certified engineers design the systems, produce coordination-ready drawings, and run licensed low-voltage installation, programming, commissioning, and closeout, so the AV scope arrives on your schedule and passes inspection the first time.
Installed
Experience
Nationwide
Design Engineers
What does an AV subcontractor do for a general contractor?
An AV subcontractor designs, supplies, installs, programs, and commissions the audiovisual systems inside a building the general contractor is delivering: displays, audio, video conferencing, control, and signage. Creation Networks serves as that single AV trade partner for general contractors, with CTS-D certified engineers, licensed low-voltage installation, and Division 27 coordination from bid through closeout.
We work on new construction, tenant improvements, and renovations, for owners, architects, and prime contractors. Start with our audio visual services or request a quote for your bid, and browse commercial displays for the equipment we specify.
AV Subcontractor for General Contractors: One Trade, One Point of Contact
AV touches the electrical, IT, architectural, and structural trades on almost every job, and that is why it is the scope most likely to generate change orders when it is bought late or split between vendors.
A general contractor who buys out AV as one scope gets one party responsible for design intent, equipment, rough-in requirements, programming, commissioning, and training. That party attends coordination meetings, answers RFIs, and hands over a working system with documentation the owner can maintain. The alternative, splitting equipment, cabling, and programming across several vendors, leaves the GC to referee gaps between them.
Our consulting, design, programming, and installation teams work as one, so the engineer who coordinated your rough-in is the person who commissions the room.
From Concept to Completion
A proven 5-phase methodology — designed right, built right, supported for the long term.
What Scope Does an AV Subcontractor Cover on a Construction Project?
Design • Infrastructure • Equipment • Programming • Installation • Closeout
Design & Engineering Documentation
A complete bill of materials, scope of work and performance specifications, drawings in PDF and native CAD, and power and heat load calculations. AV design and engineering.
AV design →Infrastructure Requirements
AV infrastructure and conduit requirements the electrical, framing, and ceiling trades can build from, so rough-in matches the final design. AV consulting.
AV consulting →Equipment Supply
TAA-compliant displays, audio, switching, and control equipment supplied with the system. TAA compliant AV.
TAA compliance →Control & DSP Programming
Crestron, Q-SYS, Biamp, and Extron programming, delivered with commented source files the owner keeps. AV programming.
AV programming →Licensed Installation
Low-voltage installation phased around the construction schedule and, on renovations, around an occupied building. AV installation.
AV installation →
When Should a General Contractor Bring In the AV Subcontractor?
The earlier the better. Involving the AV integrator during Schematic Design or early Design Development lets us coordinate AV infrastructure with the architect, electrical engineer, and IT team before walls, ceilings, and power are fixed. That avoids the field changes that surface when AV is first considered at buyout.
On design-build and design-assist projects we can price against performance requirements and develop the drawings with your team; on bid-to-spec projects we price the specified scope and review the documents against the room layouts. Either way, the sooner we see the drawings, the sooner conduit, backing, and power requirements are on the trades' drawings. See our design process.
How Does AV Coordinate With Division 27 and the Other Trades?
AV is commonly specified under Division 27 Communications, with audio-video systems in Section 27 41 00 and integrated audio-video systems and equipment in Section 27 41 16. Items such as projection screens may sit in Division 11, so always follow your project's specification.
| Trade | What AV needs from them | What AV provides |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical | Dedicated circuits, floor and wall boxes, and conduit paths to AV locations. | Device locations, conduit and power requirements, and heat load calculations. |
| IT & low-voltage | Network drops, switch ports, and VLAN support for AV devices. | Network and bandwidth requirements for networked AV and control. |
| Architect & interiors | Millwork cutouts, ceiling coordination, and finishes at displays and rack locations. | Elevations and mounting details for displays, microphones, and lecterns. |
| Framing & drywall | Blocking and backing in walls for displays and mounts. | Mounting locations and loads for displays and speakers. |
| HVAC | Cooling for equipment rooms and racks. | Heat load from the equipment list. See acoustic design services for noise criteria. |
| Owner & end users | Operating requirements and sign-off on room function. | Commissioning against a written acceptance procedure, and training. |
What Should a General Contractor Check Before Awarding the AV Scope?
Licensing, insurance, compliance, and past performance in occupied or operational facilities.
We publish these facts so your estimator and risk team do not have to chase them.
- LicensingCalifornia C-7 Low Voltage Systems license #1044233; Nevada C-2D pending. Licensing requirements vary by state and scope, and we confirm our standing for your jurisdiction before quoting rather than after award. See our AV capability statement.
- Insurance & paperworkW-9 and insurance certificates with your required endorsements provided on request.
- Product complianceTAA compliant, NDAA Section 889 screened, and Section 508 accessible design. NDAA Section 889.
- Small businessSBA-certified small business concern. We perform as a subcontractor to help primes meet small business subcontracting goals. We do not hold 8(a), SDVOSB, or VOSB status. Small business credentials.
- Past performanceFederal work for FEMA, the FAA, the Navy, Army, Air Force, ATF, the Army Corps of Engineers, and Veterans Affairs, delivered inside occupied, operational facilities.
How Do We Work With a General Contractor From Bid to Closeout?
A predictable sequence your project manager can schedule around.
- Scope reviewSend the AV specification section, drawings, and bid date. A CTS-D engineer reviews them against the room layouts.
- Written proposalBill of materials, scope of work, and performance specifications, with pricing for the specified scope.
- Submittals & coordinationEquipment submittals with compliance documentation, and infrastructure requirements coordinated with the electrical, IT, and framing trades.
- Rough-in & installationLicensed low-voltage installation sequenced to your schedule, with phasing around occupied space on renovations.
- Programming & commissioningControl and DSP programming, then commissioning against a written acceptance procedure.
- Training & closeoutAs-built documentation, control source files, and training for the owner's staff, with Creation Care or AVAILS for long-term support.
Which Construction Projects Need an AV Subcontractor?
Office • Education • Healthcare • Government • Worship • Hospitality
Corporate Offices & Tenant Improvements
Conference rooms, boardrooms, and training rooms. Enterprise AV.
Enterprise AV →Schools, Colleges & Universities
Classrooms, lecture halls, and auditoriums built or renovated on an academic calendar. Education AV.
Education AV →Healthcare Facilities
Conference, training, and collaboration spaces in hospitals and clinics. Healthcare AV.
Healthcare AV →Government & Public Facilities
Council chambers, courtrooms, and command centers. Government AV.
Government AV →Hospitality & Retail
Signage, music, and video for guest-facing spaces. Retail and hospitality AV.
Hospitality AV →Large Facilities, Delivered
Facilities where the AV scope had to be coordinated, installed, and commissioned with no room for downtime.
FAA Air Traffic Control System Command Center
AV systems for the command facility that coordinates air traffic across the entire national airspace system, a 24/7 operation with no room for downtime.
Read the case study →Federal Emergency Management Agency
Video conferencing and collaboration technology supporting FEMA's coordination with other agencies, stakeholders, and disaster-affected communities during response operations.
Read the case study →
UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine
A full design, engineering, programming, and installation refresh of a large lecture classroom, with Extron switching and control, Biamp echo-cancelling DSP, and Shure wireless microphones.
Read the case study →General Contractor AV Resources
Explore the services, credentials, and industries behind your AV scope.
Frequently Asked Questions — AV Subcontractor for General Contractors
Answers to the questions project managers, estimators, and superintendents ask most often when they buy out the AV scope. Written by our CTS-D certified AV design engineers.
What is an AV contractor?
An AV contractor is a company that designs, installs, and programs audiovisual systems such as displays, audio, video conferencing, and control. Creation Networks is an AV integrator that provides all of those services under one contract. See our audio visual services.
What is an AV system integrator?
An integrator combines displays, audio, cameras, switching, and control from different manufacturers into one working system, then programs and supports it. Our AV design and engineering team starts with the room's requirements rather than a product list.
Is an AV subcontractor the same as a general contractor?
No. A general contractor holds the prime contract and manages the trades; the AV subcontractor performs the audiovisual scope under that contract and coordinates with the other trades.
Who is responsible for hiring the AV subcontractor?
It depends on the contract. Often the general contractor buys out AV under the project specification; on some projects the owner contracts with the AV firm directly and the general contractor coordinates. We can work either way.
Is AV in Division 27 or Division 11?
Audio-video systems are commonly specified in Division 27 Communications, Sections 27 41 00 and 27 41 16, with items such as projection screens sometimes in Division 11. Follow your project specification.
Who provides power, conduit, and blocking for AV?
The electrical, framing, and ceiling trades install them. We provide the locations, conduit and power requirements, and heat load calculations they build from.
Do you provide drawings for coordination?
Yes. Design deliverables include drawings in PDF and native CAD formats, a bill of materials, scope of work, and infrastructure and conduit requirements.
Do you program the control system?
Yes. We program Crestron, Q-SYS, Biamp, and Extron systems and deliver commented source files the owner keeps. AV control and DSP programming.
Can you install in an occupied building?
Yes. Our installation is phased around operational schedules, with commissioning against a written acceptance procedure. AV installation services.
How much do AV companies charge per hour?
We price by scope rather than by the hour, with a bill of materials and scope of work for each project, and fixed-fee design packages once scope is understood. We do not publish rate sheets. Request a quote.
What do you need to bid an AV scope?
The AV specification section, the drawings, the location, and your bid date. A complimentary initial consultation and budget range is available with every inquiry.
Do you work in all 50 states?
Yes, from our Nevada and California operations, with a certified partner network. Licensing varies by state, and we confirm our standing for your jurisdiction before quoting.
Do you provide insurance certificates?
Yes. We provide a W-9 and insurance certificates with your required endorsements on request.
Are your products TAA and NDAA Section 889 compliant?
Yes. We supply TAA-compliant hardware and screen for NDAA Section 889. TAA compliant AV and NDAA Section 889.
Can you help meet small business subcontracting goals?
Yes. We are an SBA-certified small business concern and perform as a subcontractor under primes. We do not hold 8(a), SDVOSB, or VOSB status. Small business AV contractor.
What happens after a school or college AV installation?
You receive as-built documentation, labeled rack elevations, control source files, and training for the faculty and staff who run the rooms. AVAILS managed AV services or a Creation Care maintenance plan then keeps the systems working, with Clarity remote monitoring flagging a failing display or dropped microphone before a class does.
GENERAL CONTRACTORS • BID SUPPORT
Send Us the AV Scope
Tell us the project, the location, and your bid date, and send the AV specification section if you have it. A CTS-D engineer replies within one business day — no charge, no obligation.
