Unfortunate process for young architects
01 Mar 2019
2 Min Read
CW Team
The present tendering process is referred to by most as an 鈥渦nfortunate鈥� selection process of architects, which originated for the selection of construction agencies and is coordinated by engineers, not architects.
Indrajit S Kembhavi, Partner, Kembhavi Architecture Foundation (KAF), outlines the current tendering process:
- Prequalification: Shortlisting firms based on their previous experience, manpower and financial capacity to undertake the project
- Technical evaluation: Based either on previous project or track record or design competition
- Financial price bid: Although the Council of Architecture has prescribed a minimum scale of fees, this is generally overlooked and financial bids are invited.
The tenders are a weighted average of combination of strength of the technical bid score and the lower financial bids.
On his part, Debmalya Guha, Principal Architect and Planner, Pace Consultants, elaborates upon the eligibility criteria that restrict the entry of most young talented architects:
- Company鈥檚 annual turnover or gross income: A firm led by a young architect of, say, eight to 10 employees will have an average turnover of Rs 2-4 million, but the eligibility criterion is Rs 10-50 million.
- Experience of the firm: To get a project, one needs 鈥榮imilar鈥� experience; without this, you will not get a project
- Earnest money deposit (EMD): This is one of the greatest deterrents for young, struggling architects. They need to deposit a huge amount of money, often ranging in lakhs, to express earnestness at the time of tender submission. The money remains stuck for an unlimited amount of time even after they are informed they have not got the project鈥攚e have not participated in many projects in the fear of our money being stuck.
Even after overcoming all the above mentioned hurdles, and getting the highest technical score, one may lose the project owing to a low quote. I have personally experienced situations where the design scheme selected as the best by the evaluation committee has not won the project as someone has quoted a much lower rate and bagged it.
However, the present selection process has slightly improved from blindly selecting the L1 (lowest bidder) to techno-commercial scoring. The usual norm is to go by 70:30 (technical: financial) scoring formula. But unfortunately, even this process is far from ensuring good architecture.
SHRIYAL SETHUMADHAVAN
The present tendering process is referred to by most as an 鈥渦nfortunate鈥� selection process of architects, which originated for the selection of construction agencies and is coordinated by engineers, not architects.Indrajit S Kembhavi, Partner, Kembhavi Architecture Foundation (KAF), outlines the current tendering process:Prequalification: Shortlisting firms based on their previous experience, manpower and financial capacity to undertake the project Technical evaluation: Based either on previous project or track record or design competition Financial price bid: Although the Council of Architecture has prescribed a minimum scale of fees, this is generally overlooked and financial bids are invited. The tenders are a weighted average of combination of strength of the technical bid score and the lower financial bids.On his part, Debmalya Guha, Principal Architect and Planner, Pace Consultants, elaborates upon the eligibility criteria that restrict the entry of most young talented architects:Company鈥檚 annual turnover or gross income: A firm led by a young architect of, say, eight to 10 employees will have an average turnover of Rs 2-4 million, but the eligibility criterion is Rs 10-50 million.Experience of the firm: To get a project, one needs 鈥榮imilar鈥� experience; without this, you will not get a projectEarnest money deposit (EMD): This is one of the greatest deterrents for young, struggling architects. They need to deposit a huge amount of money, often ranging in lakhs, to express earnestness at the time of tender submission. The money remains stuck for an unlimited amount of time even after they are informed they have not got the project鈥攚e have not participated in many projects in the fear of our money being stuck.Even after overcoming all the above mentioned hurdles, and getting the highest technical score, one may lose the project owing to a low quote. I have personally experienced situations where the design scheme selected as the best by the evaluation committee has not won the project as someone has quoted a much lower rate and bagged it.However, the present selection process has slightly improved from blindly selecting the L1 (lowest bidder) to techno-commercial scoring. The usual norm is to go by 70:30 (technical: financial) scoring formula. But unfortunately, even this process is far from ensuring good architecture.SHRIYAL SETHUMADHAVAN
Next Story
3i Infotech Reports Rs 7.25 Bn Revenue for FY25
3i Infotech, a leading provider of digital transformation, technology services and technology solutions, announced its consolidated financial results for the fourth quarter and full year FY25, ended on March 31st, 2025. The company maintained its growth momentum, displaying consistent progress for the 3rd consecutive quarter.In Q4 FY25, 3i Infotech reported revenue of Rs 1.87 billion, reflecting steady performance compared to Rs 1.81 billion in Q3 FY25 and Rs 1.97 billion in Q4 FY24. The company delivered strong profitability improvements, with gross margin growing by 14.8 per cent Q-o-Q and 1..
Next Story
Emerald Finance Joins Baya PTE to Boost SME Bill Discounting
Emerald Finance is a dynamic company offering a spectrum of financial products and services including its flagship Earned Wage Access (EWA) in India, has entered into a strategic partnership with Singapore-based Baya PTE through its Indian subsidiary. This collaboration aims to strengthen bill discounting services for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), enabling faster access to working capital and improved cash flow management.The initiative is designed to support SMEs that supply to large corporates such as JSW Steel, Delhivery, and PVR INOX, among others. By facilitating timely invoice dis..
Next Story
BLS E-Services Crosses Rs 5 Bn Revenue Mark in FY25
BLS E-Services, a technology-enabled digital service provider, announced its audited consolidated financial results for the quarter and full year period ended 31 March 2025.Speaking about the performance and recent updates, Shikhar Aggarwal, Chairman, BLS E- Services said, 鈥淲e are delighted to report a remarkable performance in FY25, as we achieved several milestones during the fiscal year. FY25 marked our highest-ever financial performance, as we surpassed Rs 5 billion milestone in Total Income during the year, which was reported at Rs 5.45 billion, a notable YoY growth of 76 per cent. The ..
