Guidance and advice on the day-to-day running of an architectural practice including an overview of business types, risk management, insurance and legislation requirements, managing staff, tailored marketing tips for the profession and office procedures and manuals.
Guidance and advice on managing a project, from briefing and agreements to contracts, procurement methods, engagement of consultants and core services. Includes downloadable reference copies of the ABIC contracts and the Institute's Architect–Specialist Consultant Agreement, and digital versions of the Institute's Client Architect Agreement and the Client Architect Agreement for Limited Services.
Resources to assist your day-to-day practice and management of projects, including extensive Guide letters for all stages of a project, Client information notes (designed to share with your client), Access design considerations, topical guidance and access to the free legal reference service.
A database of over 175 peer-reviewed design notes covering guidance, tools and case studies of built environment sustainability for the architectural profession, including designing for resource and climate change considerations, and best practice regenerative and biophilic design.
Curated content across the Acumen database that puts topic-related notes in one convenient place.
It is usual practice for the project design to be finalised and agreed before tenders are obtained or a building contract is signed. The advantage of this is that the owner knows what they are entitled to expect; contractors know what they are to provide and a lump-sum price can be set. However, it is almost inevitable that there will be changes to the original scope of work. For this reason most building contracts allow for variations and adjustments to the lump-sum price.