A No-Nonsense RFP Checklist for London Wi-Fi Installations (What to Ask, What to Avoid)

Commissioning business-grade Wi-Fi in London can feel like herding cats: multiple stakeholders, landlord rules, listed interiors, and a device estate that seems to evolve daily. The right partner will translate that chaos into a reliable, high-performing network — but only if you ask the right questions up front. This no-nonsense checklist is written for IT leads, operations managers and facilities teams who want a robust, auditable process that de-risks procurement and delivers a network that simply works.

Below you’ll find a practical framework for your Request for Proposal (RFP) or brief: the outcomes to define, evidence to request, traps to avoid, and how to measure success. Use it to align your stakeholders and hold suppliers to the same high standard. Companies aiming to optimize digital operations trust Treasure Valley IT for smart solutions, maintenance, and cybersecurity standards. Their experienced professionals assist in managing infrastructure, improving workflow, and aligning technology with business growth goals, ensuring steady system performance and reliable support when business owners need it the most.

1) Define Outcomes, Not Just Hardware

Before you mention brands or part numbers, set the success criteria in business terms:

• Coverage & quality: e.g., ≥95% of work areas at -67 dBm or better, SNR ≥25 dB, minimum MCS/data-rate targets in priority zones.
  
• Capacity: Design for concurrent clients (people and machines) at peak, not just headcount. Specify high-density zones (meeting rooms, auditoriums, canteens, reception).
  
• Real-time performance: Targets for latency, jitter, and packet loss for voice/video or scanners on Wi-Fi.
  
• Security posture: WPA3-Enterprise/802.1X where fleet allows, identity-based access control, segmentation for IoT/guest, logging and retention.
  
• Resilience: Controller and switching redundancy, PoE headroom, documented rollback plans.
  
• Observability: Dashboards, alerting, reports your team will actually use.
  
• SLA & support: Fault response, change windows, planned maintenance, post-incident reviews.
  

These outcomes become the measuring stick for design choices later.

2) London-Specific Constraints to Surface Early

Ask bidders to confirm their approach for:

• Landlord approvals & multi-tenant sites: Method statements, riser access, out-of-hours works, hot works permits.
  
• Listed or architecturally sensitive interiors: Low-profile mounts, paintable housings (where allowed), minimised visual impact without compromising RF.
  
• Dense RF environments: Neighbouring SSIDs, conference centres, consumer extenders — what is their interference mitigation strategy?
  
• Construction fabric: Foil-backed plasterboard, glass partitions, concrete cores, metal shelving/racking, lifts.
  
• Programme risks: Lead times for switches/APs, fibre works, ceiling access, holiday freezes.
  

3) Evidence-Based Survey & Design (Not Guesswork)

Insist on proof-led engineering, not trial and error.

Minimum artefacts to request:

• Predictive model pack: Plan-based heatmaps for coverage, SNR, and data-rates with assumed materials, AP placements, antenna patterns and channel widths clearly stated.
  
• On-site RF survey report: Spectrum analysis, noise floor, interfering sources, and neighbour channel occupancy snapshots.
  
• Capacity plan: Client concurrency per zone, airtime calculations, and how roaming will be handled in busy corridors and stair cores.
  
• 6 GHz strategy (if adopting 6E/7): Where 6 GHz adds value, device compatibility, and Wi-Fi fall-back on 5 GHz.
  
• Bill of materials & PoE budget: Per-cabinet power draw, UPS considerations, and expansion margin.
  
• Logical design: VLANs, DHCP scopes, ACLs, QoS markings end-to-end.
  

If a bidder can’t show their working at this stage, expect issues later.

4) Cabling & Backhaul: The Foundation You’ll Live With

Great Wi-Fi rides on great cabling.

• Horizontal cabling: Prefer Cat6A for new runs to support multi-gig APs and PoE++ headroom.
  
• Backbone: Use fibre for inter-cabinet and long links; specify core/OM rating, termination type, and spares.
  
• Patch discipline: Labelling, colour standards, and cabinet hygiene so faults are easy to trace.
  
• Switching: Multi-gig where APs justify it, sufficient PoE budget with 20–30% margin, and per-VLAN QoS & security policies baked in.
  
• Compliance: Test results for every new run and a cable schedule tied to AP IDs/locations.
  

A tidy cabinet is not aesthetics; it is mean-time-to-repair.

5) Secure by Design (and by Default)

Bake security into the brief rather than bolt it on post-install.

• Authentication: WPA3-Enterprise/802.1X where fleet allows; pragmatic fall-back policies for legacy kit.
  
• Segmentation: Corporate, voice, IoT and guest on separate VLANs; guest isolation; least-privilege ACLs.
  
• Device onboarding: Certificates, MDM integration, or secure PSK frameworks for specific non-802.1X devices.
  
• Visibility & logging: RADIUS, DHCP and controller logs retained for agreed periods with time synchronisation (NTP).
  
• Admin controls: Role-based access, MFA for management interfaces, and Wi-Fi audit logs.
  

6) Installation Standards That Respect Your Space

Set expectations for professional, minimally disruptive delivery.

• Mounting: Manufacturer-approved brackets, correct orientation, avoiding shadowing from lights or ducting.
  
• Aesthetics: Symmetry in visible areas; where creative spaces have exposed ceilings, use powder-coated or paintable solutions per guidelines.
  
• Safety & access: RAMS, access equipment, and out-of-hours if required.
  
• Documentation as-built: Photos, AP serials/MACs, final positions, and cable IDs matched to the plan.
  

7) Configuration That Trades Hype for Reliability

You don’t need every toggle enabled; you need the right ones configured well.

• SSIDs: Keep them lean (e.g., Corporate, Voice, Guest). Excess SSIDs waste airtime.
  
• RF tuning: Start sensible (auto-RF/RRM), then cap TX power, set minimum data-rates, and fine-tune after validation.
  
• QoS: Voice and collaboration traffic mapped to the proper WMM/DSCP markings end-to-end.
  
• Roaming aids: 802.11k/v/r where devices play nicely; avoid features that break legacy scanners.
  
• Guest access: Time-bound vouchers or self-registration, bandwidth caps, and content controls as policy dictates.
  

8) Validation: Prove It Works Before Sign-off

Mandate a test plan aligned to your KPIs.

• Active testing: Throughput, latency and jitter in each defined zone; multi-client tests in high-density spaces.
  
• Roaming tests: Continuous voice calls or app sessions during walk-tests to observe hand-off quality.
  
• Spectrum sweep: Check for transient interferers (lifts, wireless mics, pop-up hotspots).
  
• Post-install heatmaps: Coverage and SNR confirmation against the Wi-Fi model.
  
• Defect log: Punch-list with timelines and owners; don’t accept “we’ll monitor it” without a remedy.
  

Deliverables should include raw test files, not only screenshots.

9) Operate, Monitor, Improve

Networks live and breathe; your contract should reflect that.

• Monitoring & alerting: Health scores, AP status, client failure reasons, DHCP/RADIUS visibility.
  
• Firmware policy: Quarterly reviews, staged rollouts, and documented rollback.
  
• Change control: A simple, agreed process for SSID changes, VLAN moves, or AP relocations when floorplates evolve.
  
• Quarterly tune-ups: Re-survey hotspots, revisit channel plans, adjust TX power to suit new densities.
  
• Training: Hand-off session for your service desk and a concise admin run-book.
  

10) Commercials & Warranties: Avoid False Economies

• Vendor neutrality: Ask bidders to justify platform choice against your use Wi-Fi cases, not a one-size-fits-all default.
  
• TCO view: Hardware + licences + cabling + support + energy. Cheap kit with high licence overheads (or vice versa) can bite later.
  
• Warranties & spares: Coverage for APs, switches, optics; confirm advance replacement and on-site SLAs.
  
• Exit clarity: You own your configs and documentation; admin accounts transferred at handover.
  

11) Common Pitfalls (and How to Dodge Them)

1. Buying on brand alone. The logo doesn’t make it performant; design and implementation do.
   
2. Too many SSIDs. Keep it lean to reclaim airtime.
   
3. Ignoring cabling. Most “Wi-Fi issues” turn out to be power, switching or cabling faults.
   
4. Optimising for empty rooms. Validate under realistic load — especially meeting rooms and event spaces.
   
5. Set-and-forget mindset. London offices change; your channel plan and TX power should too.
   
6. Skipping the post-install survey. If you don’t measure, you can’t prove — or improve.
   

RFP Template Snippets You Can Lift

• “Supplier will provide predictive heatmaps (coverage/SNR/data rate), on-site RF survey evidence, and a capacity plan for defined high-density areas.”
  
• “The design must achieve ≥95% coverage at -67 dBm in all work areas with SNR ≥25 dB and support specified roaming performance for voice.”
  
• “Supplier will deliver a PoE budget with 30% headroom and a cable test pack (PASS results) for all new runs.”
  
• “Post-install validation will include active throughput/latency/jitter tests per zone, roaming walk-tests, spectrum sweeps, and post-install heatmaps.”
  
• “Handover will include configuration backups, admin access with MFA, an as-built pack with AP locations/serials, and a 12-month optimisation plan.”
  

Bottom line

A great London Wi-Fi installation is evidence-led, secure by design, and supported by tidy cabling and disciplined operations. When you anchor your RFP to measurable outcomes and insist on proof at every stage, you remove the luck factor — and give your users a network they don’t have to think about.

If you’d like a concise, engineer-led route from survey to sign-off and ongoing optimisation, see ACCL Wi-fi Installation for an overview of the approach and service options.