How To Start A LINAC Vault Construction Company In 6–12+ Months
Key Takeaways
Prove licensing and insurance before bidding on healthcare work.
Pair shielding design with qualified physics and engineering review.
Match healthcare compliance and vendor coordination to project rules.
Build an experienced team and qualified bid pipeline early.
Time to Open6-12+ monthsLaunch runwayLaunch Sequence4 stagesLicense and bondKey BottleneckCredibility gapWeak refs slow bidsFirst Revenue StepSubcontract jobInvoice on delivery
Launch timeline
This is a short web summary of the launch plan, and the XLSX export carries the detailed Gantt Chart.
What are the requirements to start a linear accelerator room construction business?
To start a Linear Accelerator Room Construction business, you need contractor authority, bonding, insurance, healthcare construction experience, qualified shielding design partners, vendor coordination, and proof you can deliver complex hospital work; see How To Launch Linear Accelerator Room Construction Business? for the launch path. Plan for 6–12+ months before serious bidding, and use a Year 1 planning case of 4 vaults at $12M each, or $48M in completed-project capacity.
Must-Haves
Get state contractor licensing
Carry bonding and insurance
Show healthcare construction experience
Document hospital procurement eligibility
Bid-Ready Proof
Partner with medical physicists
Use engineers for shielding calculations
Coordinate layout, maze, and doors
Build credible project references
How long does it take to start a LINAC room construction business?
For Linear Accelerator Room Construction, plan on 6–12+ months to be truly launch-ready. That clock is driven by contractor licensing, bonding, healthcare references, shielding physicist relationships, supplier lead times, equipment vendor coordination, and hospital procurement cycles, not just by one project build. The first real test is landing a subcontracted project after legal setup, partner validation, supplier pricing, estimating standards, and a first bid list are in place.
What slows launch
Licensing and bonding take time.
Healthcare references build buyer trust.
Physicist ties reduce technical friction.
Lead times shape pricing and bids.
What readiness looks like
Legal setup is done.
Supplier pricing is locked.
Estimating standards are in place.
Pipeline supports 4 LINAC vaults, 8 PET shields, 3 HDR suites, 6 CT bunkers, and 1 proton bay only if capacity is real.
How do you get first clients for linear accelerator room construction?
Start with business-to-business channels, not broad ads: target healthcare general contractors, hospital facilities teams, radiation oncology architects, oncology groups, medical physicists, and equipment installation teams, and send them to What Are The Operating Costs For Linear Accelerator Room Construction? so they can see the cost path. Lead with proof of shielding coordination, submittal discipline, safety controls, and schedule reliability, then use smaller CT bunker or PET shield work to build references before a $12M LINAC vault. Hospital request for proposal (RFP) cycles are slow, so build pipeline before payroll gets heavy.
Start here
Target healthcare general contractors
Call hospital facilities departments
Work with radiation oncology architects
Pursue oncology and physicist referrals
Win trust
Show shielding coordination proof
Show clean submittal discipline
Show safety and schedule control
Start with smaller CT or PET jobs
Confirm what must be ready before selling LINAC room construction projects
Launch readiness checklist
Use this go-live approval checklist before opening to confirm the medical construction firm is ready to start.
1Compliance
Contractor license and bonding verifiedCritical
This keeps the firm eligible to bid and build healthcare projects.
Insurance and procurement eligibility confirmedCritical
Hospitals often block work until insurance and procurement files are complete.
Healthcare radiation rules mappedHigh
Radiation work needs clear rule tracking before bids and site work start.
2Estimating
Estimating system matches scopeHigh
Clean estimates matter because each room type has different material mixes.
Bid templates and submittals readyHigh
Standard templates cut errors when hospitals ask for fast turnarounds.
Quality testing vendor contractedHigh
Testing has to be available before shielding signoff and turnover.
3Vendors
Shielding material suppliers confirmedCritical
Lead times can stall the job if concrete, panels, or bricks slip.
Vault door and rigging linedCritical
Heavy doors and rigging need locked dates before concrete work is complete.
Electrical and HVAC partners bookedHigh
These trades must align with shielding, access, and equipment set dates.
4Staffing
Estimator and PM assignedHigh
Every bid and job needs one owner for scope, cost, and client updates.
Superintendent and safety lead hiredCritical
Field safety and daily control matter on active healthcare sites.
Subcontractor bench screenedHigh
Backup labor helps keep room builds moving when a trade misses.
5Sales
Healthcare contractor pipeline qualifiedHigh
The first jobs should come from buyers who already fund this work.
Hospital and oncology buyers activeHigh
These buyers drive demand for therapy rooms and shielded spaces.
Physicist and architect touchpoints setMedium
Early technical buy-in can shorten review cycles and reduce rework.
6Finance
Revenue ramp matches forecastCritical
The plan should match the forecast from 4 LINAC vaults in Year 1 to 15 in Year 5.
Receivables timing fits cash planCritical
Long client payment cycles can strain cash even when gross profit looks strong.
Six percent COGS and 125k vault costCritical
The model should reflect 6% revenue-based COGS and the $125k LINAC vault direct cost.
Want to see the six launch drivers that decide readiness?
1Licensing
License gate
Hospitals screen this first; missing license, bond, or insurance can knock you out before bid review.
2Shielding
6-12+ mo
Qualified physics support keeps shielding plans credible and cuts bid exclusions before construction starts.
3Compliance
Site gate
Life-safety and infection-control work keeps hospital approvals moving and reduces shutdown friction on site.
4Vendors
Vendor lag
Long-lead shielding gear and room interfaces drive the schedule, so late orders can push opening.
5Team
$12M
A team sized for a $12M LINAC vault keeps the first project from slipping.
6Pipeline
22 proj
Qualified bids and owner ties turn technical readiness into the model's $17.95M Year 1 revenue.
Licensing, Bonding, and Insurability
Legal Authority to Bid
Hospitals and oncology centers will not treat missing contractor licensing, bonding capacity, or insurance as a small paperwork gap. If the authority package is incomplete, the firm can be screened out before the first RFP review, which delays opening and blocks day-one work. No license, no bid.
This is jurisdiction-specific and depends on whether you act as the prime contractor or a subcontractor. The launch risk is simple: bidding before procurement eligibility is proven. Healthcare buyers expect a safety record, workers’ compensation, liability coverage, and clean prequalification files before they let you in.
Build the compliance packet first
Start with a state licensing review, then build the package in this order: insurance quotes, bond line setup, certificate templates, and bid prequalification files. Keep one version ready for each state and project role so procurement can move fast when a hospital opens an RFP.
Assign one owner to check the exact license class, bond need, and coverage language for each job. A missing document can push the project past the opening window, and that hurts first-day readiness because you cannot mobilize crews or start compliant work until the file is approved.
Verify license class by state
Match coverage to project role
Set bond capacity early
Prepare certificate templates
File bid prequalification docs
1
Shielding Design and Radiation Protection Expertise
Shielding Sign-Off
This launch driver matters because a shielding miss can stop the job before construction starts. The readiness signal is a written link to qualified medical physicists and engineers who own the calculations, room layout, door specs, maze design, and compliance files under NCRP Report No. 151. If the build team treats its own drawings as the final clinical approval, bid exclusions and redesign risk go up fast.
The key dependency is the owner’s equipment selection and facility layout. If those inputs move late, the shielding design moves too. That can push submittals, change orders, and opening dates, since the room cannot be treated as ready until the physics review is done and documented. One wrong assumption can ripple into the first day of operations.
Lock Physics Review Early
Set the review path before pricing the job. The founder should verify who signs off, when assumptions freeze, and how changes are handled so the team does not promise a room that later fails physics review. Keep the workflow tied to submittal templates, partner agreements, and change-order rules.
Signed physicist and engineer agreements
Frozen equipment and layout assumptions
Shielding calculation review checklist
Door, maze, and wall-spec submittals
Clear change-order approval rules
Run one mock handoff from equipment choice to final compliance file. If any step still depends on a verbal okay, the launch is not ready. The goal is simple: fewer bid exclusions, faster owner trust, and no surprise redesigns that eat schedule and cash.
2
Healthcare Construction Compliance
Healthcare Compliance Readiness
Healthcare compliance is what keeps a LINAC vault from getting stuck after the room is built. In a live hospital or cancer center, life safety, infection control risk assessment (ICRA), and facility access rules decide when crews can enter, what can be shut down, and when inspections can happen.
The real dependency is hospital policy plus local code enforcement. If the team treats this like standard commercial interiors, shutdowns slip, patient areas get disrupted, and closeout can stall even when the vault looks finished.
Sequence Compliance Before Field Work
Lock the ICRA plan, shutdown calendar, MEP coordination, submittal log, and safety rules before the first trade starts. One clean rule: if access is not approved, the crew does not enter.
Track inspection dates and sign-offs.
Log owner-rep decisions in writing.
File photos, punch items, and closeout docs.
Confirm shutdowns with hospital ops.
3
Vendor, Supplier, and Equipment Coordination
Specialty Vendor Coordination
Vendor and equipment coordination is schedule-critical because a linear accelerator room is only ready when the shielding, door, concrete, rigging, electrical, HVAC, and install teams all fit the final plan. If a spec changes after quotes, you can lose weeks to rework or wrong orders, and that pushes opening past the day the room should start treating patients.
The main dependency is final equipment selection and shielding design. That locks door size, maze layout, floor loads, cable paths, HVAC clearances, and delivery access. The biggest risk is a late neutron door or a room interface that does not match the selected LINAC, which can stall install, inspection, and commissioning.
Lock Long-Lead Items Early
Start with quote access and named contacts for each vendor, then keep a lead-time log, interface matrix, delivery plan, and submittal calendar. One missed long-lead item can hold the whole room, not just one trade.
Confirm final room dimensions
Match door and maze specs
Check rigging and delivery paths
Track every submittal approval
Before site work starts, verify the room against the selected equipment, then test the power, clearance, and access assumptions with each trade. If a vendor still needs dimensions or interface data, stop and resolve it first. That prevents idle crews, expediting, and resequencing after materials land wrong.
4
Project Delivery Team and Operating Capacity
Project Delivery Capacity
Launch fails fast if the first healthcare job is run like a normal build. In this niche, one bad opening project can hurt trust, and a $12M LINAC vault needs an experienced estimator, project manager, superintendent, safety lead, and documentation control from day one.
This driver covers estimating standards, bid review, daily reporting, submittal control, safety plans, change-order flow, and commissioning coordination. If the team is thin or the role split is unclear, you can win the work but still miss the opening date, lose margin, or fail the client’s compliance checks.
Lock the delivery team before bidding
Before opening, verify who owns each step of the first project: estimate, site control, safety, paperwork, and closeout. Keep a written workflow for submittals, daily reports, change orders, and commissioning, so the team can move without waiting for the founder on every issue.
Use a vetted subcontractor list tied to project mix and whether you are prime or subcontractor. If you are not ready to staff a $12M vault with real site leadership, shrink the first bid set. That is the cleanest way to protect opening dates, cash, and first-project credibility.
Assign one owner for each control step
Test reporting before the first mobilization
Match subcontractors to vault scope
Set change-order rules before work starts
5
First-Revenue Pipeline
Qualified Bid Flow
For Linear Accelerator Room Construction, launch is commercial first. You can have the shielding design and field crew ready, but without active bid flow from healthcare general contractors, radiation oncology architects, hospital facilities teams, oncology practices, medical physicists, and equipment installers, there’s no path to first revenue. Consumer-style marketing won’t move a hospital buying process; relationships, procurement timing, and prequalification do.
The first jobs usually come through subcontracted oncology or hospital work before prime contractor status. That means your launch plan needs a capability statement, project reference strategy, subcontractor registration, RFP tracking, bid calendar, and an owner-meeting script ready before opening day. If those are late, cash stays tied up in estimating and travel instead of booked work.
Build the bid engine first
Start with the contacts that already sit inside the buying chain. Keep a live list of each bidder, owner rep, physicist, and installer, then tie every lead to its next procurement date. No bid calendar means no pipeline control.
Before launch, verify three things: you are registered where buyers source subcontractors, your reference list matches radiation or hospital work, and your owner call script can explain scope, schedule, and compliance in under 2 minutes. That keeps opening-day selling tied to real hospital buying steps, not broad advertising.
