Agree which stages you are commissioning, rather than treating the whole journey as an automatic inclusion in every appointment. [1]
Brief & feasibility
The starting point is a review of the property, your objectives, planning context and budget.
Ask whether this stage includes a site visit, measured survey or written feasibility report. Agree which checks are included and how findings, limitations and next steps will be recorded.
Before the discussion, write down what you want the project to achieve, the spaces you need, your budget and your preferred timing. ARB’s client checklist recommends preparing a brief around these practical requirements. [1]
Concept design
This stage explores layouts and develops the design before an application is prepared.
Agree the number of options and revision rounds, how the proposals will be presented and how you will approve a preferred design. Ask how a later change to the brief affects the scope and fee.
Planning submission
The planning stage includes preparing application information and coordinating with the council during its consideration.
Identify the application routes included, who authorises submission and the scope of responses to council queries. Record whether revised applications, appeals or condition submissions need a separate appointment.
Technical design
Building regulations drawings, structural calculations and coordinated construction details form the technical design stage.
Planning permission and building regulations approval are different processes; a project may need both. Completion of a planning stage should therefore not be mistaken for completion of all technical approvals. [2]
Ask for the technical drawing schedule and specialist design responsibilities to be recorded. Confirm who arranges the building-control submission and which reports need a separate commission.
Construction
The construction stage covers programme management, quality control and site coordination.
Agree the construction contract, site-management arrangements and progress reporting. Record how client decisions and changes to the price or programme will be authorised.
Handover & support
The final stage includes completion checks, snagging and close-out information.
Ask for the handover document list, responsibility for outstanding certificates and the snagging procedure. Confirm the aftercare contact and any defects period or warranty in the applicable contract.
Agree the handovers between stages
Before work begins, ask for the scope, fee basis, responsibilities and limitations to be recorded in the appointment. ARB recommends discussing these matters alongside communication and the arrangements for resolving problems. [1]
For each stage, clarify what you will review, what decision you need to make and whether proceeding authorises further paid work. Keep the agreed brief and subsequent instructions together so that a design change can be identified against the version previously accepted.