Remember that just because you specify Strand, doesn't mean that a dealer/contractor won't attempt a substitution with another "approved equal" product - ETC, as example. Unless you have existing equipment that must remain compatible and/or have, and can prove a need for Strand/ET, if it's a public bid process, you sometimes have to accept substitutions.
One trick is to list "approved local dealers" who only represent Strand. If someone wants to bid with ETC, they have to find out about it thru public records in a newspapers, etc.. - note that this is all assuming a non-private theater. Trouble is, in most cases, Strand dealers may also be ETC dealers, and while they generally will price out the listed product, they may also recommend, and it's perfectly legal to do so, that an ETC product be accepted as substitute.- especially if they can make a better deal. Most dealers don't bother, especially if they have to do a complete system re-design (read as lots of paperwork) for the substituted gear.
That said, in general the manufacturers don't really want to be sending you old/obsolete gear. They will make the case that's the latest stuff is going to be provided if only that they may well no longer make some of the stuff specified. The longer the time frame between initial proposals and the shipment date, the more likely there will be substitutions.
This was how I ended up with a Net2 system with complete Ethernet, including CEM+ rack CEM's. We knew that ETC no longer made key products - Net 1 nodes as example. By re-designing ( I did the draftings in Vectorworks and sent them to the Theater Consultant and ETC) around an Ethernet wiring distribution, the cost was actually LOWER then the plain old DMX system.
So, I wouldn't worry too much as in the long run, reputable companies and dealers want to make the client happy. An example of this is common public sector contracts for computer equipment. Companies such as Dell will ship the latest stuff they make, especially when an order is spec'd as stuff they no longer make. It doesn't pay them to do it any other way.
If I were you though and if it's not too late, I'd do a re-read of the spec's and add in (if it's possible) wording that all products much be of the current manufacturers product line, not be old stuff sitting on shelves, compatible with all existing manufacturers equipment, yada, yada.
SB
One trick is to list "approved local dealers" who only represent Strand. If someone wants to bid with ETC, they have to find out about it thru public records in a newspapers, etc.. - note that this is all assuming a non-private theater. Trouble is, in most cases, Strand dealers may also be ETC dealers, and while they generally will price out the listed product, they may also recommend, and it's perfectly legal to do so, that an ETC product be accepted as substitute.- especially if they can make a better deal. Most dealers don't bother, especially if they have to do a complete system re-design (read as lots of paperwork) for the substituted gear.
That said, in general the manufacturers don't really want to be sending you old/obsolete gear. They will make the case that's the latest stuff is going to be provided if only that they may well no longer make some of the stuff specified. The longer the time frame between initial proposals and the shipment date, the more likely there will be substitutions.
This was how I ended up with a Net2 system with complete Ethernet, including CEM+ rack CEM's. We knew that ETC no longer made key products - Net 1 nodes as example. By re-designing ( I did the draftings in Vectorworks and sent them to the Theater Consultant and ETC) around an Ethernet wiring distribution, the cost was actually LOWER then the plain old DMX system.
So, I wouldn't worry too much as in the long run, reputable companies and dealers want to make the client happy. An example of this is common public sector contracts for computer equipment. Companies such as Dell will ship the latest stuff they make, especially when an order is spec'd as stuff they no longer make. It doesn't pay them to do it any other way.
If I were you though and if it's not too late, I'd do a re-read of the spec's and add in (if it's possible) wording that all products much be of the current manufacturers product line, not be old stuff sitting on shelves, compatible with all existing manufacturers equipment, yada, yada.
SB