Role and requirements

RIBA Client Design Advisors (CDAs) are architects and other construction industry professionals who have the specialist skills and experience (see 12 criteria below) to assist clients with the complex process of commissioning projects, getting them built and delivered. A Client Design Advisor who is a qualified architect is not the main architect in such projects but acts as an independent advisor providing strategic advice to clients. The role of the CDA is to help clients to achieve their objectives and to meet their expectations on performance and design quality. 

The Client Design Advisor will always be a senior professional with individual responsibility of providing the client with strategic advice. It is possible that they will work for a larger company, or will organise a team of others with appropriate skills to support them. CDAs may come from a range of backgrounds, but must have at least five to ten years relevant experience of the industry and of working directly with clients and their stakeholders.

Each CDA on the register will be a member of the RIBA (Chartered Architect or Affiliate Member, if not an architect) and abide by the RIBA Code of Conduct. They will pay an annual fee and will have demonstrated that they have the following core skills/ experience/ knowledge:

1. Ability to champion and assess design quality
2. Client and stakeholder leadership and facilitation
3. Business case making and project initiation
4. Brief writing, output specification and contract documentation
5. Project budget, value and risk management
6. Ability to select and commission project teams
7. Strategic and feasibility studies and appraisals
8. Procurement and construction management including partnering
9. Knowledge of planning consents and health and safety procedures
10. Funding and development processes
11. Programme preparation and evaluation
12. Post-completion services

Client Design Advisors may be specialists in a particular sector but most of those on the register will be able to contribute across all sectors.

The role of the CDA will vary from project to project depending on the preparation required, the other participants and size of the works. Potential tasks of a CDA are likely to include many of the following:

• Helping to define an agreed set of project outcomes
• Developing and examining options with the client and stakeholders through feasibility studies, visits to other projects, the use of Design Quality Indicators (DQIs) etc.
• Consulting stakeholders and identifying project requirements and key design issues
• Carrying out or helping to commission initial design studies
• Advising clients on financial planning, whole life costs and value for money
• Advising clients on procurement processes including EU procurement rules
• Developing value and risk assessments
• Checking budgets are sufficient to achieve well designed buildings
• Assisting the client with preparation of a project programme - ensuring that it provides adequate time for the various stages including design and design development
• Researching and developing the scope of works with the client, describing required outcomes and outputs, and design aspirations for the project.
• Helping to prepare briefs, output specifications and other project documentation
• Assisting in the selection of potential design and construction teams
• Co-ordinating bid evaluation and helping to assess bids for the works, including evaluation of design teams
• Checking design and construction details of emerging design proposals for the client
• Negotiating final design and technical details with bidders
• Checking appropriate aspects of the contract documentation
• Monitoring during construction
• Commissioning post-occupancy evaluations and feeding back information to the client and others
• Checking adequate facilities management and maintenance regimes are in place
• Advising on future modifications to the buildings
• Advising on final disposal