Short on time? Read the key takeaways:
The article argues that using 1099 independent technicians (contractors) is often superior to a traditional W-2 employee model for technology integration. Here are the key takeaways:
Higher Quality: Independent technicians are highly motivated to perform because their livelihood depends on their reputation and successful project completion.
Cost Savings: Using local contractors eliminates massive travel and lodging expenses, passing those savings to the client.
Scalability: A vast contractor network allows a company to handle massive, nationwide projects simultaneously without the overhead of idle full-time staff.
Flexibility: Local technicians allow projects to be scheduled in phases that match the client’s timeline, rather than being forced into a single window to save on travel costs.
Rigorous Vetting: Quality is maintained through strict certification and performance standards (like ASD’s “AASDI” program), ensuring contractors are as reliable as internal staff.
[6 Minute Read]
I sometimes get questions about our team of Authorized ASD® Installers (AASDI™). They’re our nationwide network of skilled technicians who partner with us to deliver, install, and service our clients from coast to coast. They’re highly qualified, licensed, and vetted to ensure their skill and work ethic are up to our standards, much like “on-staff” employees.
Many of our AASDI techs have worked with us for years and are truly part of our team, even though they’re technically not on staff and don’t receive a W-2 each year.
Even so, there are some misconceptions about working with a technology integrator that leverages 1099 workers. Here at ASD, we consider it a competitive advantage for both our clients and our company, and here’s why.
1. Quality
Some believe that W-2 employees inherently provide better quality work than 1099 technicians. This myth stems from the belief that full-time employees are more invested in the company’s success. However, quality of work is not determined by their employment status but rather by their skill, experience, and dedication to their craft.
Independent technicians understand that their livelihoods and future opportunities depend on the quality of their work, incentivizing them to deliver superior results consistently.
At ASD, every technician — whether W-2 or 1099 — undergoes a stringent vetting process to ensure they possess the necessary certifications, licenses, and experience for the specific tasks at hand. This ensures that only highly qualified individuals are deployed, maintaining high standards of quality.
2. Cost-Effectiveness
Costs incurred by a technology integrator are inevitably passed along to end users, and some of the biggest potential cost factors can be travel, accommodations, and logistics for long-distance projects. An advantage of having a network of technicians who reside in the areas where they’ll perform their work is reduced travel expenses.
For example, an East Coast company responding to an RFP for a project in California may not be competitive if they have to fly their technicians and installers cross-country. Because we have a network of more than 17,000 technicians spread out across the United States, we’re able to keep travel costs to a minimum.
In fact, the larger and more complicated your project becomes the more unrealistic it can be for a technology integrator to staff them with only W-2 technicians. When enterprises run simultaneous projects that span geographies, travel costs and scheduling conflicts become prohibitive.
