I'd like to preface this topic by giving my appreciation to members/users of this site for the helpful antecdotes and suggestions in coping with such a challenging, yet rewarding profession. With that said...
I'm a licensed architect practicing as a sole-prop in my home, up and running for just under a year. I have been focusing my efforts on small residential and commercial jobs with the goal to grow into additional project types - civic, education, recreation, religious, and planning.
I've recently learned a very hard lesson of dedicating a majority of my resources (and anticipated income) w/ a private developer who, a few weeks ago, decided to not pay me for work completed over 3 months ago, and turn down a proposal for work that I had opened in my schedule for the next 6 weeks.
Obstacles aside, I'm interested in getting work in civic, educational, historic preservation, planning, recreational, and religious work.
So far:
-I've registered my practice as a small business enterprise in 2 municipalities & the surrounding counties,
-submitted my name and contact information on local municipal and school district vendor lists,
-acquired commerical, prof. liability, and addn'l. insurance req.,
-avidly reading thru marketing / networking material,
and am looking for any experience, suggestions, and ideas to make progress in this goal.
I understand past project experience in my firm or under past employers is a major factor in the reviewing process. I am looking at any suggestions beyond looking at working for short-term employment (less than 5 years) within an office that focuses on these type of projects.
Any and all suggestions would be appreciated...
I work in Phoenix, and I understand the realities behind the smaller to one principal - my goal is to go after many small (remodel, renovations, additions), and a few large jobs (whatever the scope) at a time.
that's probably pretty standard, and this i will leave you with an interesting article in ARCADE Journal on just this topic...
basically, in seattle, sans relevant experience, it can be quite difficult to get in on public projects. it's been interesting watching present firm take on these commissions and hopefully the smaller ones we've done will lead to larger/more respectable projects.
just one real quick point and then i'll add more later...
i worked for the capital improvements department of my municipal government for about three years... one of the last things that i did before leaving was sit on the evaluation committee that selected the architects for the continuing service contract...
my number one recommendation would be to find out who is responsible for awarding projects... is it the director of capital improvements? the city architect? etc... once you find out who that is, put together a nice marketing brochure and set up a meeting to introduce yourself... let them know who you are and that you're interested in doing work for the city... find out as much information you can about how projects are awarded... continuing contract? project by project?
In the past, I've contacted "muni" staff members via email or phone, but haven't gained enough insight or information to have the confidence to set up a face to face meeting.
I can see that's critical to market myself with the decision makers whose job is potentially on the line. At the very least, it puts a face & personality with a name, which if done right, could go a long way w/ other candidates possibly just being names on paper.
Again, I'll clarify, I'm not looking to go for a major/significant public project - realistically, that would be professionally irresponsible, and could backfire. I am, however, genuinely interested in taking the iniative to get smaller jobs - remodels/renovations, small builds, etc. - for the experience, long-run opportunities, and clients that are more likely to pay for the work completed accurately.
The easiest way to meet the mover and shakers is to work with them.
Community service is an important route into municipal/community projects. So join the PTA, get on the planning board, attend public meetings, volunteer at the local park, get political and volunteer for an election campaign, or anything else that strikes your fancy. Obviously most cities have many fiefdoms and capital improvement budgets - figure out one or two that jibe with your skills. So focus and play with just libraries, or schools, or public safety, or human services, or administration, or transit, or recreation et cetera at first. each typically has a different organization and funding source, along with different design criteria.
there are some contract particulars with publicly funded projects that you MUST understand before even chasing these projects or you will loose your shirt/be liable for liquidated damages or worse.
last year I participated in transit user's group for a local BRT station. two of the panels members were city councilfolks, members of neighborhood boards, and staff from Metro. Now if I need a pothole fixed, or a meeting with the department of planning, I have folks that I can reach directly without the typical redtape.
So I'm no longer an anonymous recent transplant, but somebody recognized for my expertise in sustainability and urbanism. Becoming a good citizen can be an excellent business plan.
good luck!
(and I want a 5% finders fee for any projects you land using this route)
treekiller, I can see what you mean w/ focusing on 1 or 2 specific areas - I like recreation and human services.
I recognize the need to get out and sell myself, lately it's been a piece of advice fellow peers and colleagues have given the same mention.
I need to decide what it is that I want to specialize in and get going in that direction - select specialized project types, know the ins and outs of them, and get out to the areas that cater to these projects.
In your third paragraph, you gave a particularly insightful statement, but I can't say that I fully follow - contract particulars that I run the risk of getting in over my head if not careful - could you elaborate?
treekiller, I can see what you mean w/ focusing on 1 or 2 specific areas - I like recreation and human services.
I recognize the need to get out and sell myself, lately it's been a piece of advice fellow peers and colleagues have given the same mention.
I need to decide what it is that I want to specialize in and get going in that direction - select specialized project types, know the ins and outs of them, and get out to the areas that cater to these projects.
In your third paragraph, you gave a particularly insightful statement, but I can't say that I fully follow - contract particulars that I run the risk of getting in over my head if not careful - could you elaborate?
contracts aren't certainly not my specialty (i'm just a project manager), but i recall one of the AIA best practices sheets discusses the liability of public projects. Something about don't sign a contract until all the public funding is lined up and legally able to be dispersed. Also if you get into sustainability, don't ever write a contract promising a certain level of energy performance - there is a huge liability hole right there.
Also there is the question of insurance on the client side, potentially slow payment, and other bureaucratic red tape.
check with your E&O insurance broker about the contract issues to watch out for.
There is a program called ACA/Dollar homes under "Restored Homes" which is a division of HUD. They do a lot of moderate to gut rehab work. Its pretty easy to qualify for their list, and a lot of the bigger offices don't like taking this kind of work..fee is 5.5% of construction cost, based on the assumption that architect need only do minimal CA. They give out 3-10 buildings at a time...in my opinion its worth doing if you have more than 5 buildings of the same typology, and within 4 block radius...anyways, check it out, and good luck !
I checked out the ACA / Dollar homes thru HUD; doesn't exist in AZ or Phoenix (for my business interests) - does exist in LA, though. Curiousity led to Office of Native American Affairs may lead to something...
ok... i finally have a few minutes to get back to this...
first a couple of questions... do you have any public sector experience with firms that you have worked with previously? how much experience do you have overall? how comfortable are you with making public presentations and speaking in front of groups of people? are you a natural schmoozer?
depending on where you live, it is going to be damn near impossible to break into public sector work without at least some public sector experience with a previous firm...
here's a little anecdote that my former boss, the capital improvements director for my city, told me... one day someone called him and asked to meet with him to introduce themselves... the two partners in this firm came the next day and introduced themselves and their new firm... they told him that part of their business plan was to focus primarily on public sector projects and that since the lived and worked in st. petersburg they wanted to be able to make a contribution to the city through building public projects... a few months later there was a small interior renovation that needed to be done, so he awarded them a project to see how they would do... now 15 years later they are still doing projects for the city... they handle most of the large/important/design sensitive projects and have emerged as one of the preeminent firms in town... they're now doing work with most of the municipalities in the area...
this same story essentially just repeated itself... about two years ago, while i was still working for the city, an acquaintance that i knew through the aia started his own firm with a partner... they had a fair amount of public sector experience and wanted to try to get into working for the city... he called me up one day and asked me to set up a meeting with myself and my boss so that he could come in and introduce his new firm... he stopped by with a marketing brochure, and told us about how his firm came into being, what type of experience he had gained throughout his career and explained that their business plan was to focus primarily on public work... at that time, we were 6 years through a 7 year continuing contract period... meaning that in about a year, we'd be publishing an rfq for the new continuing contracts... he asked us to make sure that we let him know when that would be happening and also asked if it would be possible to do a small job as a test run... it just so happened that for projects under a certain size, we were allowed to award them to whomever we wanted (i.e. we could go off of the approved list)... so, we awarded it to them as a test drive before the actual contracts came up... the project went well and it gave them a definite leg up on the competition for the rfq...
a few tips... be confident but not cocky... listen to want the client wants... if an rfq asks you to address certain issues, then be sure to cover everything that they ask about, rather than doing what most firms do which is to just submit their standard boilerplate marketing stuff... in fact that was one thing that the firm above did to nail their interview after being shortlisted for the continuing contract... we (the selection committee) asked the shortlisted firms to specifically address about 4 different issues... they were something like cost control, leed certification, public sector experience, and something else... the firm above specifically crafted their presentation to answer each of those questions... no one else of the 12 firms that we interviewed did that...
wow, this is getting long... only a few more things for now...
try to get involved with the city somehow... about once or twice a year here there would be some sort of steering committee or task force or charrette about some urban issue... show up/volunteer for those sorts of things... their will be lots of city staffers their... make sure that you meet them...
volunteer for the semi-governmental type things like the environmental development committee, zoning review board, and variance review board when there are openings...
get involved with your neighborhood association and work your way into a position where you are acting as a liaison between the association and the city...
and another possible way to get into public work is to do what i did... i had been at a firm that was doing pure developer driven stuff without much design thought... i tried to push them toward public work but they would have nothing to do with it... then there was a job opening for a project management position with the capital improvements department... although it meant that i would be doing any design work, i saw it as an opportunity to get valuable experience doing public sector work... i got to learn everything from the inside... i learned how the system works as well as how to exploit it... i knew going into the job that i would only be there for 3-5 years and then i would move back into the private sector... i befriended a lot of people at the city and now i'm back practicing architecture and doing work for the same people that i was working with on the client side of things a year ago...
if you have any specific questions, i'd be happy to try to answer them...
oh yeah, one more thing... other public sectors to try the same approach with...
municipal government
county government
school board
public housing authority
airport authority
port authority
public library (if they're not under the city government)
i'm sure that there are some others too...
also any other work that has to be done through committee will give you experience that you'll be able to argue is equivalent to public work... such as...
catholic diocese
other churches
homeless shelters
etc...
one more thing... it will also really help to have a real office and get out of practicing out of your home... and to have an employee or two... nothing reeks more of amateur than working out of a home office...
of course, you need enough work to be able to afford to make that happen...
architphil, thanks for the in-depth response and consideration.
I do not have any specific questions at the moment - digesting the infomation right now. But could very well have a few, shortly, when planning for a meeting w/ public agencies.
My reaction is to itemize what I do / do not offer right now...
I do have experience as project architect of public projects, with a previous employer - 2 historic preservation projects (1 large, 1 small), and 1 public restroom renovation.
I have yet to be active in local public / community involvement - and I acknowlege the signficance of this.
I do work out of my home - reality of humble, low overhead start-up -& don't foresee getting into a separate office for several years ($$$).
I am sensitive to the amateur label. W/ a masters degree, 7+ years of experience - office & construction, a license (architect + contractor), and other achievement in past (national wrestling team).
And yet, I agree, perception can be reality. I am working beside my living room and kitchen. Not very marketable.
Lastly, I do recognize the need to organize my business model, qualifications, & portfolio for clients beyond a simple website.
Nevertheless, I think I can make this happen. It is going to take some time - I need to document projects + skills, do my homework, be a familiar face before a public agency will be comfortable giving me a chance to prove myself (or the team, for that matter).
All in all, the responses to this thread have been extremely helpful. I think I have a better idea what is necessary to make these moves.
depending on where you live, another option for workspace other than working out of your home could be renting a workstation in another architect's office... this might be able to give you access to a conference room and a receptionist which will help you present a much more professional appearance... i'm not saying that it can't be done out of your home... but it is certainly a strike against you...
best line ever "contracts aren't certainly not my specialty (i'm just a project manager)" - thanks TK. Alot of my work is as a PM and Oh boy does it involve alot of contract work...in some cases they refer to you as "an expert"
Anyway..focus Cuthbert.
Right. Can I be upfront wakeNbuild? I've worked governments in some shape or another for a consider time (over a decade). And much of what you are saying doesn't give me the confidence - as one whose written reviews of IP, to invest public funds in your endeavour. There are realities at stake that phil/tk mentioned that I think are difficult for a practice one year in w/o employees to undertake.
That said as projection you are asking the right questions, it is a direction you want to move towards. But I think it may take another 5 years...with intense focus. Set some small goals within the next 18 months inline with the suggestions above, and then make the jump and show them your face. In the meantime...
Also you mentioned that you are a licensed contractor, but you didn't mention design-build services which seems to be catching alot of steam internationally <- also a great way to show people you can roll.
Anyway my two cents...I must apologise though you are practicing in Arizona, and my experience is limited to the UK and the Anglophonic Caribbean. But i hope you can find some guidance in my words nonetheless
just cause I seem to know more about contracts from my professional practice class then all but one of the principals in my office doesn't make me an expert. This is being humble and acknowledging what I know I don't know.
...listen to want the client wants... this is the most important advice to heed for any project type. it's not about our 'design' but providing solutions for the patron. we are a service industry that sometimes forgets this and thinks we're artists.
here in st.petersburg we recently changed the program from minority business enterprise to small business enterprise... so now you just have to do under a certain amount of profit each year and most small to mid sized architecture firms will qualify...
some of our smaller hard bid projects are "sheltered" so that only qualified SBEs can bid on them... on other larger projects, usually a certain percentage is required to be given to SBEs...
also, if you're ever lucky enough to get shortlisted for an interview and you're still relatively inexperienced, put an older well respected engineer or landscape architect on your team and bring them with you to the interview... try to make sure that you or a member of your team know at least 2 people in the room on the selection committee...
Acquiring Public Projects
I'd like to preface this topic by giving my appreciation to members/users of this site for the helpful antecdotes and suggestions in coping with such a challenging, yet rewarding profession. With that said...
I'm a licensed architect practicing as a sole-prop in my home, up and running for just under a year. I have been focusing my efforts on small residential and commercial jobs with the goal to grow into additional project types - civic, education, recreation, religious, and planning.
I've recently learned a very hard lesson of dedicating a majority of my resources (and anticipated income) w/ a private developer who, a few weeks ago, decided to not pay me for work completed over 3 months ago, and turn down a proposal for work that I had opened in my schedule for the next 6 weeks.
Obstacles aside, I'm interested in getting work in civic, educational, historic preservation, planning, recreational, and religious work.
So far:
-I've registered my practice as a small business enterprise in 2 municipalities & the surrounding counties,
-submitted my name and contact information on local municipal and school district vendor lists,
-acquired commerical, prof. liability, and addn'l. insurance req.,
-avidly reading thru marketing / networking material,
and am looking for any experience, suggestions, and ideas to make progress in this goal.
I understand past project experience in my firm or under past employers is a major factor in the reviewing process. I am looking at any suggestions beyond looking at working for short-term employment (less than 5 years) within an office that focuses on these type of projects.
Any and all suggestions would be appreciated...
dont work in michigan........
and small budget projects are actually smaller to none as for a solid budget...
I work in Phoenix, and I understand the realities behind the smaller to one principal - my goal is to go after many small (remodel, renovations, additions), and a few large jobs (whatever the scope) at a time.
from observations at firms i've worked in:
1. get on the city list for public projects. which means that you'll probably get to do some really awful TIs before you land any projects of note
2. network like hell w/ movers and shakers.
3. be aware of passed bonds/levies...
here in seattle, the Libraries for All and Fire Facilities and Emergency Response Levy have allowed some firms to show their stuff, especially smaller ones.
that's probably pretty standard, and this i will leave you with an interesting article in ARCADE Journal on just this topic...
basically, in seattle, sans relevant experience, it can be quite difficult to get in on public projects. it's been interesting watching present firm take on these commissions and hopefully the smaller ones we've done will lead to larger/more respectable projects.
That's pretty helpful, thanks holz.box!
thanks for the informative post holz
just one real quick point and then i'll add more later...
i worked for the capital improvements department of my municipal government for about three years... one of the last things that i did before leaving was sit on the evaluation committee that selected the architects for the continuing service contract...
my number one recommendation would be to find out who is responsible for awarding projects... is it the director of capital improvements? the city architect? etc... once you find out who that is, put together a nice marketing brochure and set up a meeting to introduce yourself... let them know who you are and that you're interested in doing work for the city... find out as much information you can about how projects are awarded... continuing contract? project by project?
more tomorrow...
I understand, and look forward to more.
In the past, I've contacted "muni" staff members via email or phone, but haven't gained enough insight or information to have the confidence to set up a face to face meeting.
I can see that's critical to market myself with the decision makers whose job is potentially on the line. At the very least, it puts a face & personality with a name, which if done right, could go a long way w/ other candidates possibly just being names on paper.
Again, I'll clarify, I'm not looking to go for a major/significant public project - realistically, that would be professionally irresponsible, and could backfire. I am, however, genuinely interested in taking the iniative to get smaller jobs - remodels/renovations, small builds, etc. - for the experience, long-run opportunities, and clients that are more likely to pay for the work completed accurately.
Lastly, architphil - THANK YOU!
These thing come down to who you know, not what you know.
A few funny handshakes here & there can open doors...
The easiest way to meet the mover and shakers is to work with them.
Community service is an important route into municipal/community projects. So join the PTA, get on the planning board, attend public meetings, volunteer at the local park, get political and volunteer for an election campaign, or anything else that strikes your fancy. Obviously most cities have many fiefdoms and capital improvement budgets - figure out one or two that jibe with your skills. So focus and play with just libraries, or schools, or public safety, or human services, or administration, or transit, or recreation et cetera at first. each typically has a different organization and funding source, along with different design criteria.
there are some contract particulars with publicly funded projects that you MUST understand before even chasing these projects or you will loose your shirt/be liable for liquidated damages or worse.
last year I participated in transit user's group for a local BRT station. two of the panels members were city councilfolks, members of neighborhood boards, and staff from Metro. Now if I need a pothole fixed, or a meeting with the department of planning, I have folks that I can reach directly without the typical redtape.
So I'm no longer an anonymous recent transplant, but somebody recognized for my expertise in sustainability and urbanism. Becoming a good citizen can be an excellent business plan.
good luck!
(and I want a 5% finders fee for any projects you land using this route)
treekiller, I can see what you mean w/ focusing on 1 or 2 specific areas - I like recreation and human services.
I recognize the need to get out and sell myself, lately it's been a piece of advice fellow peers and colleagues have given the same mention.
I need to decide what it is that I want to specialize in and get going in that direction - select specialized project types, know the ins and outs of them, and get out to the areas that cater to these projects.
In your third paragraph, you gave a particularly insightful statement, but I can't say that I fully follow - contract particulars that I run the risk of getting in over my head if not careful - could you elaborate?
Thanks for the advice, treekiller!
treekiller, I can see what you mean w/ focusing on 1 or 2 specific areas - I like recreation and human services.
I recognize the need to get out and sell myself, lately it's been a piece of advice fellow peers and colleagues have given the same mention.
I need to decide what it is that I want to specialize in and get going in that direction - select specialized project types, know the ins and outs of them, and get out to the areas that cater to these projects.
In your third paragraph, you gave a particularly insightful statement, but I can't say that I fully follow - contract particulars that I run the risk of getting in over my head if not careful - could you elaborate?
Thanks for the advice, treekiller!
contracts aren't certainly not my specialty (i'm just a project manager), but i recall one of the AIA best practices sheets discusses the liability of public projects. Something about don't sign a contract until all the public funding is lined up and legally able to be dispersed. Also if you get into sustainability, don't ever write a contract promising a certain level of energy performance - there is a huge liability hole right there.
Also there is the question of insurance on the client side, potentially slow payment, and other bureaucratic red tape.
check with your E&O insurance broker about the contract issues to watch out for.
O.K.
There is a program called ACA/Dollar homes under "Restored Homes" which is a division of HUD. They do a lot of moderate to gut rehab work. Its pretty easy to qualify for their list, and a lot of the bigger offices don't like taking this kind of work..fee is 5.5% of construction cost, based on the assumption that architect need only do minimal CA. They give out 3-10 buildings at a time...in my opinion its worth doing if you have more than 5 buildings of the same typology, and within 4 block radius...anyways, check it out, and good luck !
I checked out the ACA / Dollar homes thru HUD; doesn't exist in AZ or Phoenix (for my business interests) - does exist in LA, though. Curiousity led to Office of Native American Affairs may lead to something...
ok... i finally have a few minutes to get back to this...
first a couple of questions... do you have any public sector experience with firms that you have worked with previously? how much experience do you have overall? how comfortable are you with making public presentations and speaking in front of groups of people? are you a natural schmoozer?
depending on where you live, it is going to be damn near impossible to break into public sector work without at least some public sector experience with a previous firm...
here's a little anecdote that my former boss, the capital improvements director for my city, told me... one day someone called him and asked to meet with him to introduce themselves... the two partners in this firm came the next day and introduced themselves and their new firm... they told him that part of their business plan was to focus primarily on public sector projects and that since the lived and worked in st. petersburg they wanted to be able to make a contribution to the city through building public projects... a few months later there was a small interior renovation that needed to be done, so he awarded them a project to see how they would do... now 15 years later they are still doing projects for the city... they handle most of the large/important/design sensitive projects and have emerged as one of the preeminent firms in town... they're now doing work with most of the municipalities in the area...
this same story essentially just repeated itself... about two years ago, while i was still working for the city, an acquaintance that i knew through the aia started his own firm with a partner... they had a fair amount of public sector experience and wanted to try to get into working for the city... he called me up one day and asked me to set up a meeting with myself and my boss so that he could come in and introduce his new firm... he stopped by with a marketing brochure, and told us about how his firm came into being, what type of experience he had gained throughout his career and explained that their business plan was to focus primarily on public work... at that time, we were 6 years through a 7 year continuing contract period... meaning that in about a year, we'd be publishing an rfq for the new continuing contracts... he asked us to make sure that we let him know when that would be happening and also asked if it would be possible to do a small job as a test run... it just so happened that for projects under a certain size, we were allowed to award them to whomever we wanted (i.e. we could go off of the approved list)... so, we awarded it to them as a test drive before the actual contracts came up... the project went well and it gave them a definite leg up on the competition for the rfq...
a few tips... be confident but not cocky... listen to want the client wants... if an rfq asks you to address certain issues, then be sure to cover everything that they ask about, rather than doing what most firms do which is to just submit their standard boilerplate marketing stuff... in fact that was one thing that the firm above did to nail their interview after being shortlisted for the continuing contract... we (the selection committee) asked the shortlisted firms to specifically address about 4 different issues... they were something like cost control, leed certification, public sector experience, and something else... the firm above specifically crafted their presentation to answer each of those questions... no one else of the 12 firms that we interviewed did that...
wow, this is getting long... only a few more things for now...
try to get involved with the city somehow... about once or twice a year here there would be some sort of steering committee or task force or charrette about some urban issue... show up/volunteer for those sorts of things... their will be lots of city staffers their... make sure that you meet them...
volunteer for the semi-governmental type things like the environmental development committee, zoning review board, and variance review board when there are openings...
get involved with your neighborhood association and work your way into a position where you are acting as a liaison between the association and the city...
and another possible way to get into public work is to do what i did... i had been at a firm that was doing pure developer driven stuff without much design thought... i tried to push them toward public work but they would have nothing to do with it... then there was a job opening for a project management position with the capital improvements department... although it meant that i would be doing any design work, i saw it as an opportunity to get valuable experience doing public sector work... i got to learn everything from the inside... i learned how the system works as well as how to exploit it... i knew going into the job that i would only be there for 3-5 years and then i would move back into the private sector... i befriended a lot of people at the city and now i'm back practicing architecture and doing work for the same people that i was working with on the client side of things a year ago...
if you have any specific questions, i'd be happy to try to answer them...
oh yeah, one more thing... other public sectors to try the same approach with...
municipal government
county government
school board
public housing authority
airport authority
port authority
public library (if they're not under the city government)
i'm sure that there are some others too...
also any other work that has to be done through committee will give you experience that you'll be able to argue is equivalent to public work... such as...
catholic diocese
other churches
homeless shelters
etc...
one more thing... it will also really help to have a real office and get out of practicing out of your home... and to have an employee or two... nothing reeks more of amateur than working out of a home office...
of course, you need enough work to be able to afford to make that happen...
architphil, thanks for the in-depth response and consideration.
I do not have any specific questions at the moment - digesting the infomation right now. But could very well have a few, shortly, when planning for a meeting w/ public agencies.
My reaction is to itemize what I do / do not offer right now...
I do have experience as project architect of public projects, with a previous employer - 2 historic preservation projects (1 large, 1 small), and 1 public restroom renovation.
I have yet to be active in local public / community involvement - and I acknowlege the signficance of this.
I do work out of my home - reality of humble, low overhead start-up -& don't foresee getting into a separate office for several years ($$$).
I am sensitive to the amateur label. W/ a masters degree, 7+ years of experience - office & construction, a license (architect + contractor), and other achievement in past (national wrestling team).
And yet, I agree, perception can be reality. I am working beside my living room and kitchen. Not very marketable.
Lastly, I do recognize the need to organize my business model, qualifications, & portfolio for clients beyond a simple website.
Nevertheless, I think I can make this happen. It is going to take some time - I need to document projects + skills, do my homework, be a familiar face before a public agency will be comfortable giving me a chance to prove myself (or the team, for that matter).
All in all, the responses to this thread have been extremely helpful. I think I have a better idea what is necessary to make these moves.
Thank you to all contributors!
depending on where you live, another option for workspace other than working out of your home could be renting a workstation in another architect's office... this might be able to give you access to a conference room and a receptionist which will help you present a much more professional appearance... i'm not saying that it can't be done out of your home... but it is certainly a strike against you...
Hmm (ponder), that's being resourceful...
best line ever "contracts aren't certainly not my specialty (i'm just a project manager)" - thanks TK. Alot of my work is as a PM and Oh boy does it involve alot of contract work...in some cases they refer to you as "an expert"
Anyway..focus Cuthbert.
Right. Can I be upfront wakeNbuild? I've worked governments in some shape or another for a consider time (over a decade). And much of what you are saying doesn't give me the confidence - as one whose written reviews of IP, to invest public funds in your endeavour. There are realities at stake that phil/tk mentioned that I think are difficult for a practice one year in w/o employees to undertake.
That said as projection you are asking the right questions, it is a direction you want to move towards. But I think it may take another 5 years...with intense focus. Set some small goals within the next 18 months inline with the suggestions above, and then make the jump and show them your face. In the meantime...
Also you mentioned that you are a licensed contractor, but you didn't mention design-build services which seems to be catching alot of steam internationally <- also a great way to show people you can roll.
Anyway my two cents...I must apologise though you are practicing in Arizona, and my experience is limited to the UK and the Anglophonic Caribbean. But i hope you can find some guidance in my words nonetheless
just cause I seem to know more about contracts from my professional practice class then all but one of the principals in my office doesn't make me an expert. This is being humble and acknowledging what I know I don't know.
...listen to want the client wants... this is the most important advice to heed for any project type. it's not about our 'design' but providing solutions for the patron. we are a service industry that sometimes forgets this and thinks we're artists.
good luck wakeNbuild.
thanks treekiller.
hey, seattle is still favorable to MBE's w/ public work, OF. at least from what we've seen.
here in st.petersburg we recently changed the program from minority business enterprise to small business enterprise... so now you just have to do under a certain amount of profit each year and most small to mid sized architecture firms will qualify...
some of our smaller hard bid projects are "sheltered" so that only qualified SBEs can bid on them... on other larger projects, usually a certain percentage is required to be given to SBEs...
also, if you're ever lucky enough to get shortlisted for an interview and you're still relatively inexperienced, put an older well respected engineer or landscape architect on your team and bring them with you to the interview... try to make sure that you or a member of your team know at least 2 people in the room on the selection committee...
good stuff...
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