Procuring Architectural Services - an Industry Discussion Paper

The ACA – WA Industry Discussion Paper on Procuring Architectural Services aims to provoke conversation and thought about the role procurement plays in the development of our cities and communities.
ACA – WA President, Kieran Wong, notes that the initiation of projects, and the manner in which they are procured, plays a critical role in whether a project will be delivered successfully and meet the requirements of brief and budget. He observes that in the current economic environment, a value-for-money, holistic understanding of a project’s costs is needed.
Governments, local and state, need to ensure that the money they spend on public works is managed carefully. They have an obligation to our communities to ensure that the projects they fund are high quality, well-designed, easy to operate and maintain, and flexible into the future. Good procurement is the foundation for these objectives.
Multiple studies by government departments and agencies, including the CSIRO, have found that improving the methods by which consultants are procured, including developing robust briefs and budgets, is fundamental to delivering successful projects.
The ACA is concerned by the rise of procurement based solely on fees, which is detrimental to both the client and the community. Ultimately a building that is expensive to operate and maintain will cost many, many times more than either the construction cost, or the design fee, both of which are minute proportions of the whole–of–life cost of a project.
The ACA is keen to engage with local government and the state to ensure that the objectives of cost–effective, appropriately briefed and high quality design outcomes are achieved, and to discuss the impact that procurement policy and processes have upon these aspirations.
Download the discussion paper here.
If you would like a hard copy of the discussion paper, please contact ACA – WA via email wa@aca.org.au.