How to Select an Architect for Nonprofit Facilities Projects August 27, 2024

Before the search for an architect begins, it needs to be determined how they’ll be chosen from a pool of candidates. Ideally, a selection committee is formed, comprised of key organizational staff, board members, and the dedicated project manager for the facility project (whether a member of the staff or an external owner’s representative). Once established, this group will be responsible for vetting candidates and determining which architect is the best fit for the organization.

Once the organization’s selection committee has been established, the committee’s first order of business is to ensure that there’s alignment among committee members about the project goals and scope, budget, schedule, location, and timeline.

After reaching a consensus about the parameters of the project, the committee’s focus should shift to the evaluation criteria that will be used to judge candidates objectively based on the priorities for the project.  

Examples of criteria that are frequently used to assess potential architects include technical expertise, experience with similar projects, design quality of comparable projects, accuracy of cost estimates, ability to meet deadlines, and familiarity with local building codes and public financing procurement requirements, among others. It’s also worthwhile to consider how to assess less tangible criteria like the “fit” with the organization’s leadership and willingness to incorporate feedback from the organization and stakeholders into the design for the facility.    

Once selection criteria are agreed upon, the committee should identify the process for the remaining steps – outlined below – and a timeline that includes deadlines for the completion of each step.

To begin compiling a list of potential architects, it can be helpful to ask other nonprofits that have completed facility projects who they worked with and what their experience was like. Local foundations may also have recommendations based on their knowledge of who other nonprofits have engaged.  A simple Google search is another preliminary step to take to identify architects in the area who are equipped for the type of project the organization is pursuing. While more thorough vetting will take place later in the selection process, this is a good time to pre-qualify potential candidates using the criteria established in the previous step. It may not be possible to fully assess every criterion at this stage, but an initial review of the architect/firm’s areas of expertise, the style and quality of design, and any evidence of repeat clients can help guide decision making.

With an initial list of candidates in hand, the next step in the selection process is to develop a Request for Proposals (RFPs) that provides detailed information about the project and the organization’s requirements to architect candidates. This document should also clearly define what information must be submitted to the nonprofit for a candidate to be considered and the deadline for doing so, along with an explanation of how RFP responses will be scored, guided by the criteria established by the selection committee earlier in the process. For more information about what to include in the architecture RFP, click here.      

Once the RFP is finalized, it should be distributed to the candidate list compiled in the previous stage of the process, and can also be shared more widely through public notices and platforms like ConstructConnect. After the deadline for RFP submissions has passed, the selection committee comprehensively reviews all materials to determine which candidates are the best fit and should proceed to the interview stage of the selection process.   

When interviewing candidates, it’s important to gather any information needed to make a decision that wasn’t fully articulated in the candidate’s RFP submission. This is also the time to determine whether the chemistry exists to have a good working relationship for the duration of the project. Topics that may be beneficial to focus on during interviews to glean this information include: 

• The level and type of involvement the organization can expect from the project’s principal architect and key personnel. 
• The architect or architectural firm’s approach to cost estimating and cost control, backed up by evidence that the firm has designed projects that have been on budget and on time.
• The firm’s experience getting local approvals and permits. Navigating the building department can be a complicated and challenging process. Individual inspectors interpret the code in a number of different ways. The ideal candidate typically has experience with similar projects in the same sector, understands the code, and has a track record of successfully completed projects within the municipality where the organization’s project is located.  
• What, if any, set procedures the candidate has for solving design problems.  
• The firm’s approach to the design of the building.
• The firm’s experience working with nonprofit agencies or on relevant projects in the for-profit sector. 
• The firm’s approach to working with a diverse group of stakeholders. 
• The firm’s committee to equity in practice and collaborating with MBE/WBE/DBE partner firms.
• The finalist’s relationships with any technical consultants the project will require (e.g., geotechnical engineer). 

Before deciding which architect to engage, it’s wise to check references to gather feedback about the candidates from past clients. What’s asked of references is driven by the goals for the project and the information gathered from RFP submissions and interviews, but the primary goal is to discern whether the candidate’s past client would use the same architect again for a future project.

When the selection committee reaches a decision about the architect the organization would like to engage for its facility project, the next step is to negotiate a contract. The contract with the architect governs the relationship with the organization and lays out the responsibilities of both parties, the cost of the work, schedule, instruments of service, change in services, mediation, arbitration, claims for consequential damages, miscellaneous provisions, termination or suspension, payments to architect, scope of services and compensation, and more. 

American Institute of Architects (AIA) contracts are the industry standard, but it’s likely that the templates offered by the AIA will need to be modified based on the specifics of the organization’s project. Before the contract is finalized, it should be reviewed by an attorney who’s well versed in real estate and construction contracts to ensure that the organization’s interests are protected.