There is a new and disturbing practice taking place in design, competitive tendering, warns Lara Calder, Managing Director of the award-winning Calderflower Architecture and Interiors and Chair of UDIA Seniors and Alternate Housing Committee.
Procuring work for design services often involves a ‘request for tender document (RFT) for architectural project work at the commencement of a project, which typically requires fees covering several design and documentation stages covering the full life-cycle of a project from concept start through to finished construction.
“Responding to request for tender documents (RFTs) for architectural project work is time consuming and can often involve several weeks of unpaid work. The tendered fees may cover an extensive time period (of many years) and may be expected to include contingencies difficult to anticipate at the time of tender. Tender submissions are often put together with considerable research, care, a fair bit of passion and… hope,” said Lara, whose business Calderflower won two categories at the UDIA NSW’s Excellence in Development awards in 2021.
“But ultimately, is tendering just a way to get cheap fees? And how does the cheapest fee represent value?”
Read Lara’s letter in full, by clicking HERE.
