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CONFOCAL AMC

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Amandeep Walia-2

CONFOCAL AMC

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Dear All

We are going to make Annual Maintenance contract (AMC) for long term for
confocal microscope with the supplier. Last year we had one year contract
but during that period the instrument worked fine and the engineer just
came for only two visits to clean the system (as we do in routine manner)
and centering of laser. we asked him to whether the parts needs internal
cleaning or something else he said as long as the machine is working fine
there is no need.

My query is :
1. why should we pay hefty amount for the cleaning and only two visits of
the engineer.
2. what else he needs to do during this AMC.
3. What terms and conditions should be made with the company.

Any other suggestions are welcomed.

Regards
Amandeep

ramachan

Re: CONFOCAL AMC

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Hi Amandeep,

A maintenance contract is rather like an insurance policy – it doesn’t pay off if the instrument is working fine but would be helpful if something costly breaks down. Make sure whether the contract covers all spare parts or whether there are exclusions (and what those are). Different vendors have different policies. I guess that, like with any form of insurance, the expected costs per instrument throughout its useful life will be about the same with or without a service contract. But of course since your statistical ensemble is very small here, your setup may be either unlucky and something costly will break down (which is when a service contract is handy) or lucky and all you’d get for the money is little more than a bit of cleaning and routine alignment which you could possible do quite easily yourself. One argument for service contracts is the predictability of budgeting – it may be much easier for your institution to allocate the same amount every year for the contract than to pay ad hoc for, say, a new laser (even if the total cost over the years is the same or higher with the contract).

Best wishes,
Radek

Radek MACHAN, Ph.D. (Senior Research Fellow)

SCELSE Advanced Biofilm Imaging Facility<http://www.scelse.sg/Page/imaging-facility> Manager

Nanyang Technological University
#B2, 60 Nanyang Drive, SBS-01N-27
Singapore 637551

From: Amandeep Walia<mailto:[hidden email]>
Sent: Thursday, 6 February 2020 1:09 PM
To: [hidden email]<mailto:[hidden email]>
Subject: CONFOCAL AMC

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*****

Dear All

We are going to make Annual Maintenance contract (AMC) for long term for
confocal microscope with the supplier. Last year we had one year contract
but during that period the instrument worked fine and the engineer just
came for only two visits to clean the system (as we do in routine manner)
and centering of laser. we asked him to whether the parts needs internal
cleaning or something else he said as long as the machine is working fine
there is no need.

My query is :
1. why should we pay hefty amount for the cleaning and only two visits of
the engineer.
2. what else he needs to do during this AMC.
3. What terms and conditions should be made with the company.

Any other suggestions are welcomed.

Regards
Amandeep

________________________________

CONFIDENTIALITY: This email is intended solely for the person(s) named and may be confidential and/or privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete it, notify us and do not copy, use, or disclose its contents.
Towards a sustainable earth: Print only when necessary. Thank you.

Amandeep Walia-2

Re: CONFOCAL AMC

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*****

Thanks for your suggestion but I want to mention here that AMC is
altogether different from CMC. In AMC no spare parts is covered by the
vendor.

Regards

On Thu, Feb 6, 2020 at 11:05 AM Radek Machan (Dr) <[hidden email]>
wrote:

> *****
> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
> Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
> *****
>
> Hi Amandeep,
>
> A maintenance contract is rather like an insurance policy – it doesn’t pay
> off if the instrument is working fine but would be helpful if something
> costly breaks down. Make sure whether the contract covers all spare parts
> or whether there are exclusions (and what those are). Different vendors
> have different policies. I guess that, like with any form of insurance, the
> expected costs per instrument throughout its useful life will be about the
> same with or without a service contract. But of course since your
> statistical ensemble is very small here, your setup may be either unlucky
> and something costly will break down (which is when a service contract is
> handy) or lucky and all you’d get for the money is little more than a bit
> of cleaning and routine alignment which you could possible do quite easily
> yourself. One argument for service contracts is the predictability of
> budgeting – it may be much easier for your institution to allocate the same
> amount every year for the contract than to pay ad hoc for, say, a new laser
> (even if the total cost over the years is the same or higher with the
> contract).
>
> Best wishes,
> Radek
>
>
> Radek MACHAN, Ph.D. (Senior Research Fellow)
>
> SCELSE Advanced Biofilm Imaging Facility<
> http://www.scelse.sg/Page/imaging-facility> Manager
>
> Nanyang Technological University
> #B2, 60 Nanyang Drive, SBS-01N-27
> Singapore 637551
>
> From: Amandeep Walia<mailto:[hidden email]>
> Sent: Thursday, 6 February 2020 1:09 PM
> To: [hidden email]<mailto:
> [hidden email]>
> Subject: CONFOCAL AMC
>
> *****
> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
> Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
> *****
>
> Dear All
>
> We are going to make Annual Maintenance contract (AMC) for long term for
> confocal microscope with the supplier. Last year we had one year contract
> but during that period the instrument worked fine and the engineer just
> came for only two visits to clean the system (as we do in routine manner)
> and centering of laser. we asked him to whether the parts needs internal
> cleaning or something else he said as long as the machine is working fine
> there is no need.
>
> My query is :
> 1. why should we pay hefty amount for the cleaning and only two visits of
> the engineer.
> 2. what else he needs to do during this AMC.
> 3. What terms and conditions should be made with the company.
>
> Any other suggestions are welcomed.
>
> Regards
> Amandeep
>
> ________________________________
>
> CONFIDENTIALITY: This email is intended solely for the person(s) named and
> may be confidential and/or privileged. If you are not the intended
> recipient, please delete it, notify us and do not copy, use, or disclose
> its contents.
> Towards a sustainable earth: Print only when necessary. Thank you.
>

ramachan

Re: CONFOCAL AMC

*****
To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
*****

Well, in that case, I probably won’t extend the contract. From your description it doesn’t sound that the engineer really does anything you couldn’t do yourself (and it doesn’t surprise me). Maybe you could make it a good point with your institution management, how much you can save by doing the routine maintenance yourself instead of extending the contract. You can pull out this card when you need some extra budget for repairs or small upgrades.

Best wishes,

Radek MACHAN, Ph.D. (Senior Research Fellow)

SCELSE Advanced Biofilm Imaging Facility<http://www.scelse.sg/Page/imaging-facility> Manager

Nanyang Technological University
#B2, 60 Nanyang Drive, SBS-01N-27
Singapore 637551

From: Amandeep Walia<mailto:[hidden email]>
Sent: Thursday, 6 February 2020 1:42 PM
To: [hidden email]<mailto:[hidden email]>
Subject: Re: CONFOCAL AMC

*****
To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
*****

Thanks for your suggestion but I want to mention here that AMC is
altogether different from CMC. In AMC no spare parts is covered by the
vendor.

Regards

On Thu, Feb 6, 2020 at 11:05 AM Radek Machan (Dr) <[hidden email]>
wrote:

Arvydas Matiukas

Re: [EXTERNAL] Re: CONFOCAL AMC

In reply to this post by Amandeep Walia-2

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*****

Hi Amandeep,

First, I would second Radeck's explanation that any service contract is
some type of insurance, and there exists
several type of contracts differing by the level of inclusion/protection
(and of course the price). I also would
compare the situation with car maintenance/insurance: depending on your
expertise, driven mileage per year and
available budget you may choose to buy min coverage insurance/contract
(equivalent to AMC), service your car yourself (=no contract, but you
need expertise and tools), go to dealership for service (=on demand
service by the manufacturer),
go to a cheaper garage for service (=third party service), buy max
coverage insurance/contract (=all inclusive service contract with
priority servicing by the manufacturer).

The decision is always a balance between your expertise and skills,
available time, peace of mind, usage volume and conditions, and of
course available budget. During 17 year lifetime of one confocal I tried
most of these options. Now, regarding your explicit question short
advice is - observe what/how the service people perform and if you are
confident to duplicate their actions just do it yourself and save money
for more useful spending. For more practical advice details of your
situation are important (such as location, manufacturer, model, usage
volume, expertise, budget). You are welcome to contact me off the list.

Best regards,
Arvydas

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Arvydas Matiukas, Ph.D.
Manager of Shared Research Equipment
Director of Confocal&Two-Photon Core

Email: [hidden email]

>>> Amandeep Walia <[hidden email]> 02/06/20 12:42 AM >>>
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Post images on
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.imgur.com&d=DwIFaQ&c=ogn2iPkgF7TkVSicOVBfKg&r=DtXPX1Vw9uh8rqlCEC9BTBr2oYBP4dEG1ecsgK6l-4k&m=1ZHb7qq1tdRRt3-7aF0VDalvRRRjjr4o_m9SCS-b2Kw&s=6hR3xs86gmYgVLhL0cauyR7Mt9WRTdiCPVMUQiPv-Vk&e=
and include the link in your posting.
*****

Thanks for your suggestion but I want to mention here that AMC is
altogether different from CMC. In AMC no spare parts is covered by the
vendor.

Regards

On Thu, Feb 6, 2020 at 11:05 AM Radek Machan (Dr)
<[hidden email]>
wrote:

> *****
> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
>
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__lists.umn.edu_cgi-2Dbin_wa-3FA0-3Dconfocalmicroscopy&d=DwIFaQ&c=ogn2iPkgF7TkVSicOVBfKg&r=DtXPX1Vw9uh8rqlCEC9BTBr2oYBP4dEG1ecsgK6l-4k&m=1ZHb7qq1tdRRt3-7aF0VDalvRRRjjr4o_m9SCS-b2Kw&s=J_E7jYIlx8-SM1GshSwGJiWPNe-BmZOsOAccZ4tQTJM&e=

> Post images on
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.imgur.com&d=DwIFaQ&c=ogn2iPkgF7TkVSicOVBfKg&r=DtXPX1Vw9uh8rqlCEC9BTBr2oYBP4dEG1ecsgK6l-4k&m=1ZHb7qq1tdRRt3-7aF0VDalvRRRjjr4o_m9SCS-b2Kw&s=6hR3xs86gmYgVLhL0cauyR7Mt9WRTdiCPVMUQiPv-Vk&e=
and include the link in your posting.
> *****
>
> Hi Amandeep,
>
> A maintenance contract is rather like an insurance policy – it doesn’t
pay
> off if the instrument is working fine but would be helpful if
something
> costly breaks down. Make sure whether the contract covers all spare
parts
> or whether there are exclusions (and what those are). Different
vendors
> have different policies. I guess that, like with any form of
insurance, the
> expected costs per instrument throughout its useful life will be about
the
> same with or without a service contract. But of course since your
> statistical ensemble is very small here, your setup may be either
unlucky
> and something costly will break down (which is when a service contract
is
> handy) or lucky and all you’d get for the money is little more than a
bit
> yourself. One argument for service contracts is the predictability of
> budgeting – it may be much easier for your institution to allocate the
same
> amount every year for the contract than to pay ad hoc for, say, a new
laser

> (even if the total cost over the years is the same or higher with the
> contract).
>
> Best wishes,
> Radek
>
>
> Radek MACHAN, Ph.D. (Senior Research Fellow)
>
> SCELSE Advanced Biofilm Imaging Facility<
>

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.scelse.sg_Page_imaging-2Dfacility&d=DwIFaQ&c=ogn2iPkgF7TkVSicOVBfKg&r=DtXPX1Vw9uh8rqlCEC9BTBr2oYBP4dEG1ecsgK6l-4k&m=1ZHb7qq1tdRRt3-7aF0VDalvRRRjjr4o_m9SCS-b2Kw&s=LT4gk7Qpj6TrLP093w5qq6EDFXHQDR40SqkaFzbqZnA&e=

> Manager
>
> Nanyang Technological University
> #B2, 60 Nanyang Drive, SBS-01N-27
> Singapore 637551
>
> From: Amandeep Walia<mailto:[hidden email]>
> Sent: Thursday, 6 February 2020 1:09 PM
> To: [hidden email]<mailto:
> [hidden email]>
> Subject: CONFOCAL AMC
>
> *****
> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
>

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__lists.umn.edu_cgi-2Dbin_wa-3FA0-3Dconfocalmicroscopy&d=DwIFaQ&c=ogn2iPkgF7TkVSicOVBfKg&r=DtXPX1Vw9uh8rqlCEC9BTBr2oYBP4dEG1ecsgK6l-4k&m=1ZHb7qq1tdRRt3-7aF0VDalvRRRjjr4o_m9SCS-b2Kw&s=J_E7jYIlx8-SM1GshSwGJiWPNe-BmZOsOAccZ4tQTJM&e=

> Post images on
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.imgur.com&d=DwIFaQ&c=ogn2iPkgF7TkVSicOVBfKg&r=DtXPX1Vw9uh8rqlCEC9BTBr2oYBP4dEG1ecsgK6l-4k&m=1ZHb7qq1tdRRt3-7aF0VDalvRRRjjr4o_m9SCS-b2Kw&s=6hR3xs86gmYgVLhL0cauyR7Mt9WRTdiCPVMUQiPv-Vk&e=
and include the link in your posting.
> *****
>
> Dear All
>
> We are going to make Annual Maintenance contract (AMC) for long term
for
> confocal microscope with the supplier. Last year we had one year
contract
> but during that period the instrument worked fine and the engineer
just
> came for only two visits to clean the system (as we do in routine
manner)
> and centering of laser. we asked him to whether the parts needs
internal
> cleaning or something else he said as long as the machine is working
fine
> there is no need.
>
> My query is :
> 1. why should we pay hefty amount for the cleaning and only two visits
of

> the engineer.
> 2. what else he needs to do during this AMC.
> 3. What terms and conditions should be made with the company.
>
> Any other suggestions are welcomed.
>
> Regards
> Amandeep
>
> ________________________________
>
> CONFIDENTIALITY: This email is intended solely for the person(s) named

and
> may be confidential and/or privileged. If you are not the intended
> recipient, please delete it, notify us and do not copy, use, or
disclose
> its contents.
> Towards a sustainable earth: Print only when necessary. Thank you.
>

Jacqueline Ross

Re: CONFOCAL AMC

In reply to this post by Amandeep Walia-2

*****
To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
*****

Hi Amandeep,

Others have answered the questions you have posed below and offered advice on the costs/benefits of having a service contract.

In our situation, another part of the argument is the need to provide reliable access to instrumentation. Our researchers depend on having the confocal microscopes working and in good order. Having a service contract helps to maintain them but more importantly allows us to call the service engineer as soon as we identify an issue and have it repaired so that the impact on research outputs is minimised.

We do have a couple of older systems that are no longer able to have comprehensive contracts due to potential issues with parts supply, however we still have preventative maintenance visits and labour and travel are covered.

Kind regards,

Jacqui

Jacqueline Ross
Lead Technologist
Optical Microscopy & Image Analysis
Biomedical Imaging Research Unit (BIRU)
School of Medical Sciences
Faculty of Medical & Health Sciences
The University of Auckland
Private Bag 92019
Auckland 1142, NEW ZEALAND

Telephone: Ext 87438; DDI: +64 9 923 7438

Website: http://www.auckland.ac.nz/biru

-----Original Message-----
From: Confocal Microscopy List <[hidden email]> On Behalf Of Amandeep Walia
Sent: Thursday, February 6, 2020 6:08 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: CONFOCAL AMC

*****
To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
*****

Dear All

We are going to make Annual Maintenance contract (AMC) for long term for
confocal microscope with the supplier. Last year we had one year contract
but during that period the instrument worked fine and the engineer just
came for only two visits to clean the system (as we do in routine manner)
and centering of laser. we asked him to whether the parts needs internal
cleaning or something else he said as long as the machine is working fine
there is no need.

My query is :
1. why should we pay hefty amount for the cleaning and only two visits of
the engineer.
2. what else he needs to do during this AMC.
3. What terms and conditions should be made with the company.

Any other suggestions are welcomed.

Regards
Amandeep