Everything you need to know about finding an architect

A large part of any building project is ensuring that the work is carried out to the highest quality but also within budget. By putting your building plans out to tender, you can ensure that you get the right builder at the right price for you. An architect can be very useful in this project. Read on to find out more.

What is a Tender?

A tender can be defined as a bid or cost at which a building project or aspect of the building project can be undertaken.

Architects and Tenders

An architect is actually a very valuable professional throughout the tendering process. The architect is the person that draws up the building plans and stipulates what the specifications are. The more accurate the drawings and specifications, the more accurate the tender will be. The drawings produced by the architect will allow different builders to quote on exactly the same thing so that the client does not have to worry about hidden costs cropping up throughout the building process.

The architect is also able to help the homeowner to sort through the list of tenders as they are often familiar with many different builders, helping the owner to create a shortlist of reliable builders. Once the tender has been accepted, the architect can help to prepare a contract for the work to be undertaken.

Assessing Tenders

When the builders are submitting tenders it is advantageous to get quotes from at least three builders (called competitive tendering). This is because the tenders can vary significantly, and getting more than one quote allows the owner to select the tender that they are most comfortable with. Of course, it is also vitally important to make sure that you are comfortable with the builder. If this means accepting a slightly higher tender, this can pay off during building. As well as looking at the cost in the tender, also look at the start date for the building works, and how long the builder estimates that work will take.

Find Architects the Easy Way