The Opportunity
HBC recognized the need to revamp its Wi-Fi network to support changing buyer habits, but internal teams were already overextended. Due to a lack of staff resources and capital, the project was originally slated to take several years to complete.
HBC needed the project deployed now. To bypass these constraints, they selected BAZ Group to serve as the internal project lead and coordinate the end-to-end deployment.
The Solution
BAZ stepped in as a true extension of the HBC team, coordinating five separate deployment partners and significantly reducing the workload on internal engineers. We applied proven best practices while overseeing the installation of 20,000 new access points.
BAZ also:
- Coordinated optimal AP placement with third-party engineers.
- Designed the rollout approach, ran the RFP process, and finalized all third-party contracts.
- Collaborated with HBC engineers to draft technical procedures and working documents.
- Managed all third-party billing throughout every project phase.
- Refined operating procedures between phases to increase efficiency and pace.
The Results
By adjusting the operating pace to match HBC’s evolving needs, BAZ successfully shaved six weeks off the project delivery time.
Our rigorous invoice validation and inventory management generated over $500,000 in savings. Additionally, we recovered hundreds of access points previously lost in vendor tracking systems and reduced overall capital costs by 10% through smart sourcing.
The project was completed with total operational order, allowing HBC IT leadership to focus on broader business objectives while BAZ managed the complex details of the multi-phase rollout.
Why BAZ?
For large-scale infrastructure projects, internal teams are often too overextended to manage the granular details of multiple vendors and aggressive timelines. BAZ acts as a dedicated Strategic Project Lead, taking broad accountability for outcomes while staying tuned into shifting business needs.
Our ability to navigate corporate constraints and vendor complexities ensures that high-priority projects move from "years away" to "complete" without burdening internal staff.
As HBC Network Director Charlie Shields noted, BAZ understood business objectives and executed the project to get results.
