Building Dialogue

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14 / BUILDING DIALOGUE / JUNE 2015
E arlier this year, I read an editorial com-
paring selecting architectural services to
bargain shopping for cars, homes and, be-
lieve it or not, toothpaste. The author’s premise
seemed ripe for a counterpoint, or at least an
honest look at what can happen when a client
opts for low-bid architectural or design services.
Since we all prefer to make informed choices
when it comes to such important decisions, this
month I’m going to pull back the curtain with a
candid look at the reality of bargain basement de-
sign.
For starters, serious architects do much more
than draw plans for structures with four walls that
hold up a roof and keep the weather out. They are
highly trained, talented, passionate professionals
who provide a unique service to their communi-
ties – a service no less important than that provid-
ed by attorneys, accountants, doctors and engineers.
Comparing legal or financial services to buying
toothpaste would be laughable, but for some rea-
son the contribution architects make to society is
fair game.
Fortunately, many clients know that opting for
the lowest bidder is rarely the best strategy. They’re
informed, and want the best outcome for their
projects having learned, likely through experience,
that you get what you pay for. Here’s why.
When architects decide to lower their fees, they
may indeed be “hungry” or just trying to survive, as
in the case of the recent recession, which peaked in
2009. Or, firms, on occasion, may choose to write off
the difference as a marketing expense when they’re
trying to enter a new industry sector, but if reputa-
ble firms are cutting their fees during good times,
buyer beware.
“You evaluate everything in terms of risk,” ex-
plains Jeffrey Sheppard, AIA, cofounder and design
principal at Roth Sheppard Architects. “Lowering
fees to break into a new sector is considered a mar-
keting expense, but with the understanding that
you will raise them again eventually.”
He continues, “Most clients are unaware that
when firms cut fees, they usually put a lower-lev-
el, less expensive, less experienced staff member on
the project. If you want to stay in business, it either
needs to come out at the front end (providing a cli-
ent with fewer alternatives and less exploration of
potential design options, resulting in less innova-
tive, effective solutions), or the back end (quality
control and assurance). Low bid can also translate
to old designs being recycled, and new innovative
ideas just not pursued.”
“A low fee is exactly that, a low fee. So, what’s
not included is as important or more important as
what is,” adds AIA Colorado 2015 President Angela
Van Do, AIA, senior associate at Boulder Associates.
“Design services are often thought of as a commod-
ity, like going to Costco. Clients think if something
accomplishes basically the same thing, why would
I spend the extra money? But the devil is in the
details.”
She continues, “A low fee doesn’t allow for a lot of
creative thinking, innovation, exploring other ideas
– or if there’s a better way to do something. You nev-
er want to design to the fee, but sometimes when
fees are cut really low, you just do the best you can
with the time you have.”
Van Do continues that sometimes firms will elim-
inate some of the less tangible elements of the de-
sign process, often without the client’s knowledge.
“There’s no time for problem solving and thinking
through things more carefully,” she notes. “Or for
asking, is the owner getting the best product? Is
there a more efficient way to be going about this?
Is there a more current approach or better material
we can use?”
Ultimately, clients also miss out on the opportu-
nity to have a professional team advise them – to
help them understand their project and goals bet-
ter, to seek out better delivery methods and sustain-
able approaches, etc., that can turn into cost savings
or a more satisfied occupant.
Instead, “The client gets a cookie-cutter solution,
which is all they pay for,” shares Van Do. “They are
just getting something off the shelf. A template.”
Sheppard adds that the quality construction ad-
ministration is also impacted. “If you’re cutting
your fees to nothing, the money has to come from
somewhere. Who’s checking the work before it goes
into construction? Because you don’t have your
best, most qualified people working on the con-
struction drawings – the most critical part of the
project – you have a higher risk of something going
wrong. The issues don’t show up until construction
begins, turning what would normally have been a
great project into everyone pointing fingers and no
one happy.
“By the end of the project, the client is going to
wish they had gone with the team that was the
most qualified, the team that asked for a fee most
appropriate for the work that needed to be done,”
he concludes.
Granted, there are times when a client has a lim-
ited budget and expectations, or they see the value,
but they don’t think they can afford it. They may
not need an architect.
Others assume that if they want a no-frills build-
ing – just four walls and a roof – the fees should be
next to nothing. But, design is about more than just
the value of design to the owner; it’s about its value
to everyone who lives or works in that building. “All
architecture has an impact on the public realm. En-
lightened owners know they can do positive things
with their buildings no matter their size, or where
they’re located,’ adds Sheppard.
Van Do continues, “Design is not a commodity, it’s
a service. An architect engages and becomes part of
a broader team. I think that is often overlooked. Ar-
chitects really want to work with their clients and
Cynthia
Kemper
Principal,
Marketekture
Colorado Pulse