Selecting and contracting a supplier for office works is one of the most critical decisions of a project. The quote is the most visible figure, but rarely the most relevant one: what makes the difference is the quality of the selection process and the strength of the contract that follows. In the ARCHIlabs design & build model this responsibility stays with a single point of contact – the studio – which selects and coordinates the contractors on an open-book basis, with full cost visibility for the client.
The selection criteria that matter
A serious selection begins before opening any financial offer. The main criteria concern the supplier's actual capacity on the specific type of work – not just the formal qualification, but documented experience on sites comparable in type, size and context of use. Verifiable references are the most reliable tool: not a logo in a brochure, but a reachable contact who lived through that site. Equally relevant is the operational structure: who actually follows the work, how the subcontracting is organised, what the chain of responsibility is.
Method and transparency as indicators of reliability
A reliable supplier describes its working method even before presenting a price: how it manages variations, how it communicates progress, how it handles non-conformities. Clarity on these points at the offer stage is a stronger predictive signal than any declaration of excellence. In the same way, the willingness to share a detailed technical specification – materials, brands, quality standards – distinguishes those who genuinely govern the process from those who leave the door open to unagreed substitutions during the works.
What to put in the contract
An effective supply contract is not a generic document: it is a tool built around the specific site. It must contain an attached specification that defines materials and standards unambiguously, penalties anchored to intermediate milestones – and not only to final delivery – and precise conditions that define a variation and the process to approve it. The post-delivery guarantees must specify response times and methods. In contracts with significant subcontracting it is advisable to provide back-to-back clauses that align responsibilities along the entire chain. These elements turn a generic agreement into a genuine tool of protection over timing, quality and costs.