Following your initial meetings you’ll receive fee proposals for each designer’s involvement on the stages you discussed during your meeting.

Having seen many different proposals from many different designers over the years, we can say with a high degree of certainty that each proposal will vary in the level & clarity of information provided, what’s is and isn’t included and of course the fees – the costs, how they’re calculated and how they’re bundled together.

There is no industry standard for this, so each practice does it in their own way.  Often it takes the form of a letter or email, which outlines the costs which may be an estimate of hours vs rates, a fixed rate or a percentage of an estimated construction value.

We would agree that it is sometimes difficult to compare like for like due to these different formats, but also because of the way stages are sometimes bundled together.  In addition, different practices will have different overheads and this will be reflected in the costs.  Some practice’s fees will also be subject to VAT, while others won’t.  All of this adds up to a relatively confusing picture.

Here’s our tips on comparing proposals:

·         Are the proposals quoting for the same stages? If not, why not?

·         How are the stages broken down?

·         At what stage(s) will you be invoiced?

·         Is VAT chargeable, and if so has this been included?

·         Are application fees included or in addition? It is common for these to be paid directly by you, the client.

·         Don’t be afraid to go back and ask questions.

·         Does the practice carry Professional Indemnity insurance?

If you find you are struggling to compare or make a decision it can sometimes be worth requesting sample drawings for each stage in order for you to compare the quality of the information produced at each stage.

Remember that it’s not always best to opt for the cheapest fee.  As a creative service industry, you are essentially paying for ideas, guidance through the process and quality of information, which can take considerable time and therefore cost.

We find that many domestic clients are only planning on carrying out a project once to create something special for them to live in for a considerable period of time and so these clients are often comfortable making the investment (in terms of time, quality of information and cost) to achieve the desired outcome.