What is an AMC Contract & Why Your AV System Needs One
Annual Maintenance Contracts (AMC) keep your meeting rooms working when you need them most. Here's what's included, what it costs, and why every business with 3+ AV rooms should have one.
An Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC) is a service agreement where the AV vendor commits to keeping your meeting room infrastructure operational over a 12-month period. It's the AV equivalent of a managed service contract for IT.
What's typically included
- •Quarterly preventive maintenance visits — physical inspection, firmware updates, cable check
- •24/7 help desk — phone and email support for users and IT teams
- •Defined SLA for on-site response — usually 4 hours in Dubai, 8 hours in other Emirates
- •Firmware and software upgrades — handled remotely or on-site
- •Discounted spare parts and replacement units
- •Quarterly reports — system health, incident summary, recommendations
Standard AMC vs Premium AMC
- •Standard AMC — 9x5 support, 24-hour response, no replacement units
- •Premium AMC — 24x7 support, 4-hour response, replacement units while parts are repaired, priority dispatch
Why your business needs one
Three reasons businesses commit to AMC after their first year of self-management:
- •Outages cost more than AMC — A single boardroom that's down during a key client meeting can cost more than an entire year of AMC fees.
- •IT teams aren't AV specialists — Your internal IT team can manage networks and laptops, but AV codecs, audio DSPs, and room control systems require specialized knowledge.
- •Aging firmware causes 70% of issues — Without scheduled updates, room systems become unreliable within 18 months.
Pricing model
AMC pricing is typically 10–15% of the original hardware cost per year. Some examples:
- •1 meeting room with AED 15K hardware — AED 1,500–2,200/year AMC
- •5 meeting rooms with AED 75K total — AED 7,500–11,000/year AMC
- •20 meeting rooms (medium enterprise) — Custom enterprise AMC with dedicated account manager
What's typically NOT covered
- •Physical damage from user mishandling (cable cuts, dropped controllers)
- •Replacement of consumables (HDMI cables, batteries)
- •Network/Wi-Fi issues unrelated to AV
- •Changes in licensing (Teams/Zoom subscriptions)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is AMC mandatory?
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Not legally, but practically yes for any business running 3+ meeting rooms. Without AMC, every issue becomes a per-incident billable event and response times are slower.
Can you support equipment we bought elsewhere?
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Yes. Tawasul AV provides AMC for systems installed by other vendors, including Poly, Logitech, Cisco, Crestron, AMX, Extron, Barco, and most major brands.
What's the difference between warranty and AMC?
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Warranty covers manufacturing defects only and is handled by the manufacturer (with shipping delays). AMC is a service contract with the local integrator — same-day or next-day response, on-site visits, preventive maintenance. They complement each other.
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