 to one of these compa- nies anyway. These companies are often electrical contractors. When us- ing electrical contractors for telecommunications cabling, it is important to be sure that they have experience installing this type of cabling. If a separate company is installing the cable, be sure that they will certify the work and that the company installing the tele- phone system (or computer system) on that cable will accept it. The telephone installation company putting in a new telephone system may wish to charge extra for testing the cable that they did not install, sometimes called toning and testing. Certification of cabling typically adds five to ten percent to the price, but it's a good insurance policy. There are different levels of certification, SO it's important to be very clear on what is being requested and what happens when something goes wrong in the future. No matter how small the project, it's a good idea to put ca- bling specifications in writing and obtain competitive bids. You may wish to take a bid from the telecommunications installation and maintenance company and one from an electrical contractor to see how they compare. An improperly installed cabling job can create problems with systems that may never be resolved. MANUFACTURERS OF CABLING AND RELATED HARDWARE While people often think of cabling and the hardware associ- ated with it to be somewhat of a commodity, there is actually considerable difference in quality among the various manufac- turers. Different companies make copper cable and the associated hardware like jacks and distribution panels while others manu- facture fiber optic cable and the associated electronics. DISTRIBUTORS OF CABLING AND RELATED HARDWARE These companies typically represent multiple manufactur- ers and sell their cabling and hardware to companies who install the cable. 290 50 The Telecom Handbook CHAPTER 13 VARs (VALUE ADDED RESELLERS) Companies traditionally specializing in installing office com- puters and computer networks are now selling business telepho