BEFORE THE INTERVIEW
I. Prepare yourself.
A. Set date, invite architect and schedule time
B. Provide the architect with the following information:
1. Site information
2. Preliminary sketches of project, if available
3. General building budget information
4. Building program information and requirements
5. List of questions for the architect to answer
II. Prepare the architect.
(Send these questions to the architect ahead of time.)
A. The architect/firm
1. Give a brief overview of the firm.
a. Your qualifications and experience.
b. Have you done other church projects? Describe project.
c. What is the range of project sizes and costs with which your firm usually works?
d. May we have a list of previous clients with similar projects?
2. Describe the services of your firm as they relate to each phase of the architectural and construction process for our project.
3. Tell us about your firm’s associates and technical specialists.
a. Who in the firm would be primarily responsible for our project?
b. What other personnel in the firm would be assigned to our project?
c. Would an interview with any of these persons be beneficial?
d. Do you have “in-house” engineering or consulting firms?
e. Are there other specialists who would be needed on our projects?
4. Describe briefly the interrelated roles of the church, architect and contractor?
5. Based on your perception of our project, how would you propose to work with us?
6. Why do you feel you are the architect/firm who meets the needs of our project?
B. Contracts and Fees
1. What type owner-architect agreement would you propose? Can we have a copy for review?
2. Fees:
a. How do you base your fee?
b. When is it due?
c. If it is based on a percentage, would you guarantee a maximum fee based on the scope of the project?
d. What specifically is included in your basic fee? (Mechanical, electrical, plumbing, structural, acoustical, interior design, landscape design, color elevations, models, etc.)
e. What is not included that we may need? What do you think it will cost?
3. Does your firm carry Errors and Omissions Insurance? Describe benefits of this coverage.
C. Timing
1. What is your estimate of the time required for each phase of the architectural and construction process?
2. Estimate the total time required for the project.
D. Cost Containment
1. What is the firm’s record for designing within budget?
2. What factors could or will affect the balance between economy and quality?
3. Who is responsible for value engineering to bring the project within budget?
4. How would you propose client and architect work together to control costs of the project?
E. Construction Phase
1. What would your role be during the construction phase?
2. How often do you visit the construction site?
3. Do you have a preferred construction method?
4. What are some options for contractor selection?
5. How do you handle change orders, and how are they billed?
DURING THE INTERVIEW
III. Ask yourself.
A. Listen for the architect’s sensitivity to the church’s needs and desires. 1. How does he deal with unrealistic expectations by the committee?
2. Does he respect work done by previous committees?
B. Does the architect listen and understand the committee?
C. Does he give evidence of being a good communicator?
D. Are suggestions and alternate approaches offered?
E. Does he seem familiar with local codes and building issues?
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