6 Common Otis Elevator Procurement Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)

You're Probably Making These 6 Otis Elevator Procurement Mistakes

I've been handling Otis elevator orders for about 6 years now. And I've personally made (and documented) 14 significant mistakes, totaling roughly $23,000 in wasted budget. Yeah, not my finest moments.

Every time my team brings a new hire up to speed, I walk them through my personal hall of shame. The goal? So they don't repeat my errors. Or at least, make new ones instead of the same old ones.

Here are the 6 most common mistakes I see—and a checklist at the end to prevent them.

1. Thinking all Otis models are compatible with modern controllers

This still embarrasses me. In my first year (2017), I ordered replacement parts for what I thought was a standard Gen2 unit. Part numbers all checked out. But the controller was a legacy Miprom 5 that had been updated with an aftermarket adapter. Nothing fit.

Result: $3,200 in unusable parts, a 2-week delay, and a very unhappy building manager. Looking back, I should have asked for the controller serial number before placing the order. It's a 30-second check that saves days of rework.

The fix: Always request the controller model and serial number before ordering. It's a non-negotiable first step.

2. Overlooking the "first Otis elevator" historical data when planning retrofits

Here's a weird one. The first Otis elevator was installed in 1857. But here's the thing—I've run into buildings in Albany, NY that have equipment from the 1920s that's been upgraded piecemeal. The core structure? Original.

I once ordered a HydroFit system for a modernization project. Spent weeks planning. Got on-site, and the pit dimensions were wrong. The original 1930s construction didn't match modern specifications. We'd missed it because we didn't pull the building's full elevator history from the Otis database.

I still kick myself for that one. $4,500 in site modification costs that could have been avoided with one phone call.

3. Assuming "Otis parts" are always the right answer

Okay, I'm not a mechanical engineer, so I can't speak to whether aftermarket parts are better. What I can tell you from a procurement perspective is this: sometimes OEM is the right call, sometimes it's overkill for your application.

In 2022, I ordered OEM door operator parts for a low-traffic residential building. Went with Otis because "it's safer." The price was nearly 3x the compatible equivalent. The equivalent was from a supplier with a solid track record. I'd paid for a brand name when a certified alternative would have been fine.

The surprise wasn't that the part worked—it was that the compatible part came with a better warranty. Lesson learned: evaluate alternatives, don't default to OEM unless there's a technical reason.

4. Forgetting to check the full scope: escalator parts and moving walks

This one gets procurement people all the time. You're focused on the elevator order, and you forget that the escalator or moving walkway needs attention too. Or you treat them as completely separate orders.

I did this in September 2022. We ordered new steps and chains for a major office building's elevators. Completely forgot the escalator needed new drive chains. Had to place a second order, pay rush fees, and coordinate two separate installs. Total extra cost: about $890 for shipping alone, plus a 1-week delay.

The fix: I now use a master checklist that includes all three equipment types—elevator, escalator, moving walk—in one pass. It's saved us from this mistake at least 4 times since.

5. Ignoring the "privacy screen protector" problem

What does a privacy screen protector have to do with elevators? More than you'd think. Building owners are adding digital displays in elevator lobbies and inside cabs. And those screens need protection.

I've had orders where we got everything right—the elevator car interior, the flooring, the handrails—but the client had to separately source screen protectors for their new digital signage. It wasn't in our scope, but it should have been coordinated.

A $45 screen protector caused a delay because we didn't plan for it. That's a $45 problem that snowballed into lost time and a frustrated client.

Now I ask every client: "Are you adding any screens, trim, or custom finishes in the elevator area?" It's one question that prevents a dozen follow-up headaches.

6. Underestimating the "schluter trim" of the elevator world

I'm talking about the small details—the thresholds, the trim pieces, the edge guards. In construction, Schluter trim is the little thing that makes a tile installation look finished. In elevators, the equivalent is the landing door sill, the cab corner guards, the threshold plates.

I once ordered elevator cabs for a 10-stop project. Full interiors. Good specs. But I forgot to check who was supplying the sills. The GC assumed it was us. We assumed it was them. Classic miscommunication that caused a 3-day production delay.

These small items are where mistakes hide. They're cheap individually, but the cost of missing them—in delays, expedited shipping, and coordination—can run into thousands.

Pre-order checklist (my hall-of-shame list)

After the third rejection in Q1 2024, I created our team's pre-check list. It's caught 47 potential errors in 18 months. Here's the short version:

• Controller serial number confirmed?
• Full building elevator history pulled from Otis database?
• Escalator and moving walk needs included in scope?
• Any digital screens or custom finishes planned?
• Thresholds, trims, and sills assigned to someone?
• Compatible parts evaluated against OEM?

Use it. I wish I had.

Prices are for reference only. Verify current pricing with your supplier. This is based on my personal experience in Q3 2024 and may not reflect every project.