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WHAT DO THE ARCHITECT’S FEES COVER?
In consideration of the Comprehensive Professional Services rendered by the Architect, he shall be paid a professional fee and other charges in accordance with the Scale of Charges as prescribed by the Council of Architecture. The fees paid to the Architect are for:
- The efforts involved in preparing designs,
- The cost involved in making drawings and other documents,
- The cost of supervision in terms of time of the Architect,
- The fees paid to the different Consultants appointed by the Architect, and
- Adequate compensation for responsibilities undertaken by the Architect.
ON WHAT BASIS ARE THE FEES OF AN ARCHITECT CALCULATED?
- The fees payable to the Architect shall be computed as a percentage ( see Scale of Charges chart) of the Actual Cost of the project works, as on completion.
- The Actual cost of the project shall be the actual cost of the completed building work as calculated on the accepted tenders, including the cost of Structural, Sanitary, Plumbing and Electrical work, Sanitary and Electrical fittings & fixtures, lifts, escalators and all items on which the Architect has rendered professional services, but shall exclude the cost of the Client’s site office, cost of land and cost of supervisory staff at the site.
- The fees listed in the Scale of Charges is the minimum payable for the Architect’s services. However, depending on the requirement of the Client, the Architect may be willing to provide you with advice and ideas for a reduced fee or taper services to suit the Client’s budget. However, quoting less fees and then furnishing partial or incomplete service would be detrimental to the project and not in the interest of the Client.
HOW MUCH DO ONLY DESIGNS OF AN ARCHITECT COST?
- Roughly speaking, an Architect’s work is broken into 3 stages. The first stage is design and planning. The second stage is detailed working drawings, tender drawings and tendering. The third stage is construction administration and supervision.
- So if a Client wants only designs and planning only, the fees will be approximately one third of the full fees.
- If the Client wants only the design and working drawings necessary for his Contractor to construct (and does not require the Architect’s supervision), then the fees will be approximately half of the full fees.
CAN THE FEES OF AN ARCHITECT BE MADE LUMP-SUM INSTEAD OF A PERCENTAGE?
The fees can become Lump-Sum Fees, if it is the intention and desire of the Architect and Client that the fees be frozen at the time of award of the Contract.
DO THE ARCHITECT’S FEES CHANGE IF THE PROJECT COST CHANGES?
If there are substantial changes to the project, there will be additional work for the Architect. To cover that contingency, the fees should be renegotiated if the Project Cost substantially changes or increases. Alternatively, the fees may be set as a percentage of the actual cost, so it will automatically change if the project cost goes up.
WHO PAYS FOR THE CONSULTANT’S FEES – THE ARCHITECT OR THE CLIENT?
The fees of the Consultants appointed by the Architect, shall be paid by the Architect in accordance with the Conditions of Engagement and Scale of Fees prescribed by the respective professional Institutions.
IS SERVICE TAX INCLUDED IN THE ARCHITECT’S FEES?
Any tax levied by law, such as Service Tax, etc contingent to professional services rendered by the Architect, shall be payable by the Client, over and above the gross fees charged by the Architect.
WHAT ARE THE REIMBURSIBLE EXPENSES TO BE PAID TO AN ARCHITECT?
In addition to the fees payable, the Client will reimburse the Architect towards actual expenses of the following:
- Return air fare or first class A.C. train fare for any out-station visits made by the Architect or his professional staff and first class train fare for non-professional staff to the out-station site in connection with the execution of work.
- Actual lodging and boarding and local transport costs.
- Cost of Presentation Drawings, Perspectives, models, computer simulation etc., if required by the Client.
Also read about:
- ARCHITECT | NATURE AND SCOPE OF WORK
- ARCHITECT | EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
- STATISTICS OF ARCHITECTS IN INDIA
- LIST OF ARCHITECTS IN INDIA
- FAMOUS ARCHITECTS | INDIA
- FAMOUS ARCHITECTS | INTERNATIONAL
- WHY SHOULD YOU INVOLVE AN ARCHITECT
- UNIQUE ASSETS OF AN ARCHITECT
- ARCHITECT | SCOPE OF SERVICES
- ARCHITECT | SCALE OF CHARGES
- ARCHITECT | SCHEDULE OF PAYMENT
- CHOOSING AN ARCHITECT
- WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU MEET AN ARCHITECT
March 24th, 2010 at 7:45 pm
Good entry. I would like to add:
Are owners and developers getting the Architectural Services they are paying for?
In the last 10-15 years the building boom has been lucrative for architecture firms.
During that time many architecture graduates gained in-office experience as they worked their way up from designer or job captain to project manager. Also during that time many of these individuals never took the initiative to get their architect’s licensed. Now that the economy has slowed down, owners and developers can pick and choose the architecture firm for their project. In that same regard, they can also request to verify credentials of staff who will be managing their project for the architectural firm. For example, if a project designer or manager is overseeing entitlements construction documents for a multi-million dollar project, he or she has over ten years experience, but is not licensed to practice architecture, there could be a problem! The California Architects Practice Act Sec. 5536 states “Practice without license or holding self out as Architect is punishable by law”. After all, if you were paying for legal services at a law firm, you would expect the lawyer representing your case to have passed the bar!
This goes for Green Building as well. Architects are expected to take the lead on LEED. The Architect in charge of your green building project should be a LEED AP (Accredited Professional). There is a growing number of municipalities requiring Green Design. Cities such as Los Angeles offer priority plan check for Green Buildings (time is money). In the LEED AP exam seminar I attended, there was only one other architect in the room. The majority of professionals attending the seminar were builders, developers, and property managers. Currently over half of Turner Construction Company’s professional staff is LEED AP.
Some clients retaining architecture services are now including project staff with their credentials in their owner-architect contracts. This is a good way to reassure owners and developers are getting the professional services they are paying for.
July 15th, 2010 at 3:46 am
The architects who are doing job in Government sector, can they do private practice? If not, can they are eligible to get non practicing allowances like doctors?