CREJ

April 5-18, 2017

Page 27

www.crej.com

OLORADO

EAL

STATE

OURNAL

Value comes inmany forms and

it isn’t all about saving a dollar,

especially in the design of private

or public-sector facilities. Some

companies, agencies and orga-

nizations select design firms on

fee alone. Unfortunately, as they

look to reduce their initial project

costs, they miss the added value

that comes from selecting firms

based upon their qualifications.

What gets lost as they search for

the lowest price for a facility that

must serve its users and owner for

years to come?

According to TJ Carvis, princi-

pal of 4240 Architecture, “When

design firms are selected based on

lowest fee, it often leads to build-

ings that are seemingly designed

by zoning mass diagrams and

with the lowest-cost façade mate-

rials. This process is taking its toll

on our cities by creating nonde-

script skylines of buildings that

wouldbe just aswell suited if they

had been built in Austin, Atlanta

or Anchorage.” He added that

selecting firms by fee alone inevi-

tably leaves the consumer with

less choice as these projects are

governed simply by their “first-

cost” finances and design firms

often are unable to provide value-

added design with their limited

fee.

Cathy Rosset, executive vice

president andCEOofAIAColora-

do said, “Selecting service provid-

ers based on qualifications leads

to better outcomes, and typically

fewer misunderstandings and

requests for change orders than

simply selecting firms based on

price bids alone. It’s a better return

on investment. The old adage that

‘you get what

you pay for’

rings true.”

Rosset con-

tinued, “With

the increasing

availability of

digital imag-

ery,

design

software, and

DIY informa-

tion, there’s a

lot of misin-

formation out

there making

people think

design should

be packaged

off-the-shelf or generated by a

computer algorithm. This makes

people feel falsely empowered

without fully understanding the

implications and impact architec-

ture has on our environment and

our quality of life.

“In reality, each building has

a unique set of occupants and

visitors, a unique purpose, a

unique site, placement and visual

or cultural context within a com-

munity and the adjacent land-

scape or buildings. Each design

problem has its own set of com-

plexities that only a trained and

experienced professional has the

theoretical training and skills to

address appropriately.”

•

What is the value-add for

selecting design firms based

uponqualifications?

Whenusing

qualifications-based selection, the

project owner/developer gains

insight and technical expertise

fromthedesignprofessionalswho

can step beyond “adequate” and

move theproject to“outstanding.”

It’s about adding creativity so a

project best serves its users and

differentiates it in the market.

It’s about adding collaboration

among team members so that

all goals and needs are met. It’s

the added value of aesthetically

pleasing design that creates a

place where users and visitors

want to be.

“Savvy developers, those who

choose value over price, use QBS

in their design team selection,”

said Carvis. “It just makes sense

to them.”

•

How can clients ensure they

obtain the best value when

retaining a design professional?

Interview. Ask questions about

the research, planning and

thinking process for both design

and documentation. Get to know

her qualifications and what she’s

done before. Find out who will

be involved in the design of the

project. Is it a mass-production

type of approach to the design

of your project or are you

receiving experienced input and

collaboration with your architect

and engineer?

Check references. What was the

architect or engineer like to work

with? Did he collaborate? Did he

listen? Was he receptive to cli-

ent questions and suggestions?

Or, did he merely push a design

in your direction because there

wasn’t sufficient fee to provide

a project that would be differ-

entiated in the market? Did he

fully understand the scope of the

problem and the available budget

and define a solution that met the

client’s needs?

The next time, in selecting a

design firm, pause for a moment.

Ask what the outcome is that you

desire: an off-the-shelf building

that costs less to design? Or will it

be awell-considered and thought-

fully designed facility that reflects

its environment as well as your

organization’s goals and aspira-

tions?

The qualifications-based selec-

tion of design firms is fully sup-

ported by the Society for Mar-

keting Professional Services, the

American Institute of Architects

and the American Council of

EngineeringCompanies. TheQBS

Colorado Coalition was founded

to promote quality and value in

professional design services and

the American Council of Engi-

neering Companies is continu-

ing to lead the organization and

maintain the industry’s focus on

QBS

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CSU’s Durrell Dining & Student Center Revitalization utilized qualifications-based procurement.