The cheaper quote: what it usually leaves out, and what it costs later

The short version

When a security film quote comes in well under the others, it is almost never because the film is cheaper. The film is the same 3M roll in every truck. The difference is usually one of three things that are not on the page: the film is applied to the glass and not anchored to the frame, the installers are subcontractors paid by the window, or the attachment is a bead of ordinary caulk rather than a structural silicone attachment installed to a documented standard. Each of those saves money on day one and fails on the day the glass is hit.

Three questions that expose it in a meeting

1. “How is the film attached to the frame, and show me where that is in the quote.” Film on glass alone is not the structural attachment 3M specifies for forced entry. If the answer is “the film holds the glass,” the opening is created on the first strikes. Ask for the attachment method in writing: the sealant, the bead size, and whether it is continuous around the opening.

2. “Who will be on the ladder, and who do they work for?” If the installers are subcontractors, the vendor does not control the standard and will not be the one who answers when something is wrong. Epic’s Certified Installation Specialists are Epic employees, trained and certified in-house.

3. “What was tested, and by whom?” A film data sheet is a test of film. A security system is film plus attachment plus frame. Ask for the assembly test, the exact film and attachment tested, and how it matches your glass. One of Colorado’s largest school districts field-tested competing systems before awarding Epic the largest project in 3M’s history. Ask the cheaper vendor for the equivalent.

What the difference costs two years later

Film that is not anchored peels at the edge, bubbles at the gasket and is cut short of the frame where the hardware was in the way. Our Buyer Beware library is photographs of exactly that, taken on campuses that paid for security film and got tint. The remedy is removal and reinstallation at the full price a second time, usually with a different vendor, and in the meantime the glass the board thought was protected is not.

Grant money spent on the cheaper quote cannot be recovered after a failed install. A Texas district that chose the lowest bid and then had the work inspected is in the Buyer Beware library under its own photographs.

What a defensible quote looks like

It names the film by manufacturer, product and thickness. It describes the attachment method and the sealant. It says who the installers work for. It cites the test and who ran it. It carries the manufacturer’s warranty terms as written and a firm number with a validity date. It comes from a company you can call in five years. If the cheaper quote has all of that, take it. If it has none of it, the price is the only thing it has.

Epic will walk one entry with you at no charge and tell you what is on your glass today — including when the other quote is fine. Start here.