LiDAR Checklist: Protect Deliverables When Suppliers Change

If your project depends on lidar, you probably care about one thing more than the sensor brand: you want clean files, on time, in the formats your team can actually use. That’s why recent headlines about a major LiDAR supplier going through bankruptcy and looking to sell its LiDAR business should grab your attention. Even if you never buy hardware yourself, supplier drama can still ripple into schedules, pricing, and support. So today, let’s talk about the real risk—and how you protect your deliverables without turning your project into a tech science fair.

The problem isn’t the flight. It’s the handoff.

Most clients don’t wake up thinking, “I need lidar.” Instead, they think, “I need a surface model for grading,” or “I need contours that match my civil files,” or “I need base mapping for design.” In other words, you don’t pay for a scan. You pay for decisions your team can make from the data. That’s also why people who start by shopping for drone mapping services often ask about file formats and turnaround first—because that’s what makes the data usable.

However, when tech suppliers change—through bankruptcy, mergers, or sudden product shifts—teams often feel the impact in the worst place: the handoff between survey, engineering, and permitting. And once that handoff breaks, you lose time fast.

Here’s how that pain usually shows up:

• Your design team opens the files and can’t use them without extra cleanup.
  
• Your schedule slips because processing takes longer than expected.
  
• Your budget creeps up because revisions stack up.
  
• Your stakeholders argue because nobody defined “final” clearly.

So, while the news sounds far away, the consequences land right on your project timeline.

Why supplier changes create real project risk

When a supplier goes through major change, three things often happen at once.

First, lead times get messy. Parts, service, and support shift priorities, so your vendor may struggle to keep the same turnaround. Next, pricing changes. Even small increases can hurt when you run large sites or tight bid windows. Then, workflows change. A firm might swap tools or processing steps to stay productive, and that shift can alter outputs if nobody locked the deliverable specs.

Still, you can avoid the chaos. You just need to buy the work the right way.

The “checklist” mindset, without the cold checklist vibe

Think of this like ordering a custom cake. You don’t say “use Brand X oven.” You say “two layers, chocolate, with a smooth finish, delivered by Friday.” Your survey partner can choose the tools, but the outcome stays the same.

That’s the mindset that protects lidar deliverables when suppliers change.

So instead of obsessing over what hardware they fly, focus on what you receive, how you accept it, and how the team handles bumps along the way.

1) Define deliverables like you mean it

If your scope says “provide lidar data,” you leave a lot to interpretation. Instead, define deliverables in client language that connect to real use.

For example, ask for the exact file types your engineer expects. Also, confirm the coordinate system and vertical datum up front. Then, align on what the surface includes. Does it include breaklines? Does it include a cleaned ground surface? Does it include a simple PDF map for quick review?

Meanwhile, keep your language simple. You don’t need to sound technical. You just need clarity.

Try phrasing like:

• “My engineer needs files that drop into CAD/GIS without rework.”
• “We need contours at ___ interval and a usable surface for grading.”
• “We need a point cloud plus final design-ready exports.”

When you define outputs clearly, your vendor can change tools without changing the end result.

2) Set acceptance rules before work starts

A lot of projects go sideways because nobody defines “done.”

So, decide what “final” means before the first flight. For instance, you can tie final acceptance to three things: correct formats, correct coverage, and a short QA summary that proves the work meets the goal.

Also, define how revisions work. Field conditions change, especially on active sites. Because of that, you should agree on what triggers a revision and what triggers a change order. If you do this early, you avoid awkward surprises later.

In addition, set simple timing expectations:

• “How fast do you deliver a first draft?”
• “How fast do you make revisions?”
• “How do you handle weather delays or site access?”

Clear rules protect both sides. Plus, they keep the conversation calm when something changes.

3) Avoid vendor lock-in by asking for the right handoff

4) Demand QA you can understand, not a mystery stamp

Clients often feel stuck here. They don’t want a dense report, but they do want proof.

So, ask for a short QA/QC summary in plain words. It should explain how the team checked accuracy and what limitations exist. For example, water surfaces, heavy canopy, or active equipment can affect results. When the firm explains those limits up front, you avoid misunderstandings later.

Even better, you can share that QA summary with your civil team and permit contacts. As a result, you reduce back-and-forth and speed up approvals.

5) Tie the plan to real Dayton, OH scenarios

This topic can feel abstract, so let’s ground it.

Imagine a site development project near Dayton where your team needs a grading plan quickly. If the lidar outputs arrive in a format your engineer can’t use, your designer burns days cleaning files. Then, the schedule slips. Next, your contractor loses a start date. Suddenly, everyone blames everyone.

Or picture a corridor-style public project. Procurement already moves slowly, so any delay in capture, processing, or revisions can push key deadlines. Because public schedules stack, one slip can trigger another.

Finally, think about redevelopment planning. You might need base mapping for early design and budgeting. If deliverables shift midstream, your team may redo early work, which wastes time and money.

In each case, the fix stays the same: define deliverables, lock acceptance rules, and require a backup plan.

The simple questions that protect your project

You don’t need to act like a tech expert. Instead, ask smart client questions:

• “If your lidar supplier or software changes, will my deliverables stay the same?”
• “What exact files will my engineer receive?”
• “Do I get raw plus final exports so I can avoid lock-in?”
• “What does your QA summary include?”
• “What timeline do you commit to for first delivery and revisions?”

If a firm answers clearly, you can trust the process. If they dodge, you just learned something important before you sign.

Final takeaway

Supplier changes will happen again. However, they don’t have to wreck your project. When you buy lidar the right way—by focusing on deliverables, acceptance rules, data handoff, and QA proof—you protect your schedule and your budget. Even better, you make life easier for your engineer, your contractor, and your stakeholders.

And in the end, that’s the whole point: not perfect tech, but dependable deliverables.