RIBA Client Design Advisor Skills Checklist

Working with other members of the project team, your RIBA Client Design Advisor will be able to make sure that the following tasks are carried out effectively. You could use this list to identify when and where their input would be valuable. (Please note that this is not an exhaustive list and not all items will be relevant to your project).

An RIBA Client Design Advisor will:

• Explore high-level options for meeting your business or strategic need. Is a new building the best solution or can better use be made of your existing estate?

• Carry out strategic risk assessments of the project.

• Identify lessons learned from previous experience of similar projects.

• Define an agreed set of project outcomes.

• Consult key stakeholders to identify significant project issues.

• Prepare feasibility studies and a strategic business case for the project.

• Help set a budget and propose a funding strategy, taking into account whole project-life costs.

• Identify and develop the most appropriate procurement strategy for completing the project on time, to budget, to the quality required.

• Ensure that the project is compliant with the original brief to ensure that you, the clients, are getting what was originally asked for. Where changes are unavoidable, divergencies or modifications will be agreed and reported as necessary.

• Prepare the outline business case.

• Prepare a full project brief, output specification and sustainability goals.

• Apply for planning permissions.

• Manage the invitation and evaluation of tenders from design and construction teams.

• Check budgets, design proposals, construction details and project documentation.