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Architects told not to cut fees

British architects have been urged not to cut costs in order to secure work.

Sunand Prasad, the president of industry body RIBA (the Royal Institute of British Architects), has written to architects across the country to discourage them from making ‘unrealistc’ fee bids in order to see off the competition.

Prasad warns that buying work or “working below cost” puts projects and clients at risk and increases the likelihood of redundancies. He urges architects to emphasise the value that properly-resourced work will bring, instead of succumbing to pressure from clients to reduce fees.

The letter says: “I appeal to all architects to do what they can to avoid further decreasing what are already very low earnings relative to other professions. Let the recession not be a downward ratchet that leaves a legacy of even poorer remuneration.”

Rob Charlton, CEO of North East architects Space Group, said: “The letter tells the profession what not to do but doesn’t give any positive advice as to how to respond. “I don’t disagree with the sentiment and it would be so much easier if we didn’t have to reduce forces.

“What we need to do as service providers is look at ways of reducing waste. This may come from technology making our processes more efficient. We need to ensure we continue to invest in our people so they have the right skills. We need to ensure we are putting our energy into the right areas and are investing in emerging markets.

“Sunand Prasad is right that these are difficult times, but we can’t just continue to do what we have always done. Architectural practices are businesses first and foremost providing services to our clients.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .