--- title: "Choosing an automation system integrator | Citia" description: "An automation system integrator designs, installs, tests and supports multi-vendor systems. Use this checklist of references, documents and support terms." url: https://citia-engineering.com/en/knowledge/choosing-automation-system-integrator language: en updated: 2026-11-13 type: article site: Citia Engineering Indonesia --- # How to choose an industrial automation system integrator in Indonesia Choose an automation system integrator by evidence: similar projects, documentation, support after handover and clear scope. This guide gives a checklist you can apply to any bidder. | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Topic | Project Delivery | | Author | Tim Engineering Citia | | Updated | 2026-11-13 | Key takeaways An industrial automation system integrator is a company that designs, installs, programs, tests and maintains equipment and software from several vendors so that they work together as one system. Choosing one is safest when you base it on evidence of similar projects, the ability to support the system after handover and the way the company documents its work. A plant may buy PLCs from one vendor, instruments from another and a SCADA package from a third. The integrator is the party that makes them talk, answers for the result and gets the call when the plant stops at night. In Indonesia the label covers small panel workshops and large engineering firms, so the name alone tells you little. This guide gives a checklist you can apply to any bidder. A disclosure: Citia is itself an automation integrator, so the checklist applies to us too. We appear in one section as an example, with links to real project pages you can check. - An automation system integrator designs, installs, programs, tests and maintains equipment and software from several vendors so that it works as one system. The safest way to choose one is evidence of similar projects, support after handover and documentation habits. - Ask for references on a similar process, protocol and site type, and speak to the client’s engineers, not only the sales contact. - Documentation is the best predictor of life after handover. Ask for redacted samples of a functional specification, I/O list and test records before you sign. - Check the support model in writing: who answers a night call, how fast, with which spares, and who owns the source code and backups. - Compare proposals on scope, assumptions and exclusions, not on price alone. A cheap proposal with an open scope comes back as variation orders. ## What an integrator does, and what it does not Many suppliers do two or three of these jobs, so the label matters less than the answer to one question: who signs for the integration? That party writes the functional specification, tests the interfaces between vendors and answers when two systems disagree. A distributor may also commission. An engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor may hire an integrator as a subcontractor. A vendor’s own engineers commission their own products very well, but they answer only for those products. Single-vendor and independent models both work. A single vendor gives you one party for one product family and limits finger-pointing inside it. An independent integrator can mix brands to suit the plant, which matters when the site already runs equipment from several vendors, but you must check how deep its skills go in each brand. - Main job: Supplies equipment and spares | Commissions its own products | Designs and integrates a working system | Delivers the whole facility - Brands: Those it distributes | One vendor | Several, chosen to fit | Any, often subcontracted - Answers for the integration: Usually the buyer | The vendor, for its own products | The integrator, by contract | The EPC, who may subcontract it - After handover: Spares and warranty | Support for its own products | Service agreement, if contracted | Defects period, then the owner ## Evidence of similar work The best evidence is a finished project that resembles yours. Resemblance means the same process, the same control platform or protocol, a site of similar size and the same kind of operating constraints. Ask for three things per reference: what was delivered, who on the integrator’s team did the work and whether that person still works there, and a contact on the client side who ran the system afterwards. Then call that contact. Ask what went wrong during commissioning and how it was handled. Every project has such a moment, and the answer shows more than the success story. A site visit beats a call. A control room with tidy cabinets, labelled wiring and a current backup shows what the integrator’s work looks like three years on. Be wary of reference lists made only of logos. A logo shows a relationship, not a scope, so ask what share of the system the integrator delivered. - Scope: Which parts did the integrator deliver, and which did others? - People: Who did the work, and are they still with the company? - Commissioning: What went wrong, and how was it handled? - Operation: How has the system run since handover, and how fast did support answer faults? - Documentation: Could your own staff maintain the system from the documents received? - Changes: How were scope changes priced and agreed? ## The evaluation checklist Use the same checklist for every bidder and score it before you look at price. Each row can be verified with a document, a call or a site visit. Three rows need a word of explanation. IECEx is the IEC system that certifies equipment, services and personnel competence for explosive atmospheres, which matters at fuel terminals. IEC 62443-2-4 sets security program requirements for service providers that integrate and maintain industrial automation systems. In Indonesia, a construction-services company holds business qualifications under Law No. 2 of 2017 on Construction Services, and an owner may also set its own contractor registration rules for the site. - Similar projects: Named, with scope, year and a client contact | Logos without scope - Team: Named engineers with relevant project history | Only a sales contact; team to be assigned - Documentation samples: Redacted functional spec, I/O list, test records | Refuses, or offers brochures only - Test procedures: FAT and SAT procedures written before testing | Testing described as checking that it works - Hazardous areas and HSE: Competence evidence such as IECEx personnel, permit-to-work discipline, own HSE record | No HSE plan; the client’s HSE will cover it - Cybersecurity practice: Refers to IEC 62443-2-4; clear remote-access rules | Shared passwords; remote access left open - Support model: Written response terms, on-call plan, named backup | We will always help, with no terms - Spares and obsolescence: Spare list, lifecycle notes, migration advice | No view on discontinued parts - Project files and source code: Handed to the owner, with licences in the owner’s name | Held by the integrator - Company qualifications: Current qualifications for the work, for example under Law No. 2 of 2017 | Cannot show current qualifications ## People, capacity and subcontractors A proposal is written by sales and delivered by engineers, so read the proposed team as closely as the price. Ask who the project manager and the lead engineer will be, how many projects each already carries, and what happens to your schedule if one of them leaves. Ask what the integrator will subcontract, and to whom. Panel building, cable installation and civil work are often subcontracted, and that is normal. What matters is that the integrator names the subcontractors, stays accountable for them and holds them to its HSE rules on your site. Programming and commissioning of the control system are different. If those are subcontracted, you are really hiring the subcontractor, so evaluate it too. Distance matters for response. An integrator with engineers near the site can reach a fault in hours, while one that must fly a team in cannot. Ask where the people who would support you are based, and whether documents and training will be in Indonesian, English or both. Operators read manuals at night and under stress, and a manual in a language they read fast is a safety feature. ## Documents to ask for Documents show how an integrator thinks. Ask for samples from a finished project with the client data removed, and write the deliverables into the contract. For a sense of a complete list, the Citia site installation page names a method statement and manpower plan, daily and weekly reports, test reports and termination records, a punch list and the as-built and commissioning dossier. The TAS specification and RFQ guide shows how to turn such a list into tender requirements. Own your project files: Before commissioning ends, confirm in writing that the owner receives the project files, source code, passwords and licences, in the owner’s name. A system nobody else can open is a lock-in, whatever the contract says about support. - functional specification and design basis - system and network architecture drawing - I/O list and tag list - FAT and SAT procedures with signed results - as-built drawings and cable schedule - project files, source code and configuration backups - operation and maintenance manuals, and training records ## Support after handover A control system runs for years after the project team has left, so the support behind it matters as much as the build. Ask how a fault call is handled: who answers outside office hours, how fast, with what access to the system and which spares. Citia’s long-term service agreement (LTSA) pages show two models. At LPG Panjang , one standby technician works office hours, and support after hours is on call. At Padalarang , the team makes a monthly visit for routine maintenance and coordination and takes a database backup each time. Both pages also record a common problem. Faults in equipment outside the contract scope can still affect the system, and responsibility blurs. Write the scope boundary and the fault-handling steps into the service agreement, so the first night call does not start with an argument. A good integrator also tells you when equipment is going out of production. The Redeco ATG assessment separated devices that could be kept, repaired or replaced, and drew up a plan to migrate discontinued units to supported technology. For the wider question, see the guides on migrating obsolete PLC and SCADA systems and assessing PLC and SCADA reliability . - Response terms: Written hours, on-call rota and a named backup person. - Backups and visits: Scheduled visits with a configuration and database backup each time. - Spares and lifecycle: A spare list and a plan for discontinued parts. - Scope boundary: What is inside the agreement, and who handles what is not. ## A selection process that fits a tender Score the checklist first and price second. This avoids the cheapest bid with the widest gaps. When you compare proposals, read the exclusions before the price. Two quotes for the same system often differ mainly in what they leave out: commissioning days, third-party interfaces, documentation and training. An open scope tends to return as variation orders. For a plant that already runs, consider a paid assessment before the tender, so the scope rests on what is really installed. - Write a short requirement: Process, systems to connect, site constraints and what success looks like. - Request credentials and references: Send the checklist and ask for named references with scope and year. - Shortlist by score: Drop bidders who cannot show documents or references. - Visit and interview: See a running site and meet the engineers who would do your work. - Compare proposals: Read scope, assumptions and exclusions before the price. - Contract the outcomes: Deliverables, acceptance tests, ownership of files and support terms. ## Citia as one example PT Citia Engineering Indonesia (Citia), based in Bandung, Indonesia, is an automation integrator, so test it with the same checklist. The project pages below are material for your own reference checks, not proof on their own. Fuel Terminal Jambi is a terminal automation system linking shipment, gate-in, the filling shed and gate-out with SAP, SIOD, RFID, meters, the meter user interface and pump control, with LTSA support after delivery. The Padalarang and LPG Panjang pages describe lifecycle support. The Redeco ATG assessment covers fault investigation on legacy gauges. The Eltech HMI IP integration shows Modbus mapping and IP configuration brought into an existing SCADA. See also the INTEGRA TAS and Integrated TAS Portfolio pages. Ask for the documents and references in the checklist, and judge the answers the way you would for any bidder. ## Terms used in this article - System integrator: A company that combines equipment and software from several vendors into one working system. - Functional specification: A document that says what the system must do, in terms the owner can check. - I/O list: A list of every input and output signal, with its tag, type and address. - FAT: Factory acceptance test: testing the system at the integrator’s workshop before delivery. - SAT: Site acceptance test: testing the system on site, connected to the real equipment. - As-built drawings: Drawings updated to show what was actually installed. - LTSA: Long-term service agreement: a contract for maintenance and support over several years. - IECEx: The IEC system that certifies equipment, services and personnel competence for explosive atmospheres. - IEC 62443-2-4: Security program requirements for providers that integrate and maintain industrial automation systems. ## Frequently asked questions Q: What does an automation system integrator do? A: An automation system integrator designs, installs, programs, tests and maintains equipment and software from several vendors so that it works as one system. It writes the functional specification, tests the interfaces and answers for the result. Q: What is the difference between a system integrator and a distributor? A: A distributor supplies equipment and spares, while an integrator designs and makes a working system from them. The integrator answers for the integration by contract, whereas a distributor usually answers for the goods only. Q: Which documents should I ask an integrator for? A: Ask for a functional specification, an architecture drawing, an I/O list, FAT and SAT procedures with results, as-built drawings, project files with source code and backups, and maintenance manuals. Request redacted samples from a finished project before you sign. Q: How do I check an integrator’s project references? A: Call the client’s engineer, not only the named manager, and ask what the integrator delivered, who did the work and what went wrong at commissioning. A visit to a running site is better still. Q: Should I choose a single-vendor or an independent integrator? A: Choose by the site. A single vendor suits a plant built on one product family, while an independent integrator suits a site with equipment from several vendors. In both cases, check the depth of skills in each brand you run. Q: Do I need an integrator with hazardous-area experience? A: Yes, if the site has classified areas, as fuel terminals and tank farms do. Ask for evidence of competence, such as IECEx personnel certification, and for how the company follows the site’s permit-to-work rules. Q: What should a service agreement cover? A: It should cover response terms, on-call arrangements, scheduled visits and backups, spares, and a clear scope boundary. State who handles faults in equipment that sits outside the agreement. ## Sources and further reading 1. Control System Integrators Association (CSIA), CSIA (https://www.controlsys.org/) 2. IEC 62443-2-4:2023 Security for industrial automation and control systems - Security program requirements for IACS service providers, IEC, 2023 (https://webstore.iec.ch/en/publication/67631) 3. About IECEx, IECEx (https://www.iecex.com/about-us/) 4. UU No. 2 Tahun 2017 tentang Jasa Konstruksi, Peraturan.go.id, 2017 (https://peraturan.go.id/id/uu-no-2-tahun-2017) 5. Site Installation & Manpower, Citia (https://citia-engineering.com/en/products/site-installation-manpower) 6. Fuel Terminal Jambi distribution workflow, Citia (https://citia-engineering.com/en/projects/jambi-terminal-automation) 7. Padalarang TAS lifecycle support, Citia (https://citia-engineering.com/en/projects/padalarang-tas-lifecycle) 8. LTSA for LPG Panjang, Citia, 2022 (https://citia-engineering.com/en/projects/ltsa-for-lpg-panjang) 9. Cover photo by EngelGMA, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and colour graded), Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Digitale_l%C3%B6sungen_smart_factory.jpg) Preparing a tender for an automation project?: Tell siTia on WhatsApp what you plan to automate, and a Citia engineer will reply. ## Contact - Company: PT Citia Engineering Indonesia - siTia - Virtual Assistance: [WhatsApp +62 813-2206-507](https://wa.me/628132206507). siTia answers questions about our products, projects and enquiries on WhatsApp. Replies are automated, and a person from the Citia team follows up. - Email: services@citiaengineering.com - Phone / WhatsApp (siTia): +62 813-2206-507 - Location: Bandung, Indonesia [Contact Citia](https://citia-engineering.com/en/contact.md) ## Structured data (JSON-LD) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://citia-engineering.com/#organization", "name": "Citia Engineering Indonesia", "legalName": "PT Citia Engineering Indonesia", "alternateName": "Citia", "url": "https://citia-engineering.com", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://citia-engineering.com/media/citia-logo.png", "width": 950, "height": 328 }, "description": "Citia is an engineering and system integration company in Bandung, Indonesia. 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