Why Condo Boards Struggle to Compare Design Proposals
One of the most common challenges condominium boards face during a corridor renovation is evaluating design proposals.
Many boards invite multiple design firms to interview, review portfolios, discuss ideas, and present their approach to the project.
The process seems straightforward.
Yet many boards leave those interviews feeling more confused than when they started.
The problem is not that the proposals are bad.
The problem is that they are often impossible to compare.
Most Boards Are Buying Design Services Infrequently
A typical condominium building may renovate its hallways once every 10 to 12 years.
As a result, most board members have limited experience selecting design firms, evaluating renovation proposals, or managing common area improvement projects.
At the same time, the firms being interviewed participate in these conversations regularly.
This creates a natural information imbalance.
The board is learning the process while simultaneously trying to make an important decision.
Every Designer Is Solving a Different Problem
One design firm may focus on modernizing the building.
Another may focus on maintaining architectural character.
Another may emphasize budget control.
Another may emphasize aesthetics.
None of these approaches are necessarily wrong.
The challenge is that boards are often comparing solutions to different problems.
Without clearly defined project objectives, every proposal can appear attractive for different reasons.
The Last Interview Often Feels Like the Best Interview
An interesting pattern frequently emerges during design interviews.
By the time a board reaches its final interviews, members have already spent hours asking questions, reviewing ideas, and learning about the renovation process.
As a result, they are often more informed during the fourth interview than they were during the first.
The final designer benefits from that education.
Questions become more focused.
Discussions become more productive.
The board feels more confident.
This can create the impression that the final interview was the strongest interview when, in reality, the board simply became a more informed buyer over the course of the process.
Renderings Can Complicate Decision-Making
Advances in visualization technology have made renderings more accessible than ever.
While renderings can be useful communication tools, they can also create challenges when introduced too early in the process.
A compelling image can sometimes become the focus of discussion before the board has fully defined its objectives, scope, budget, or priorities.
The result is that conversations begin revolving around a specific design solution before the underlying problem has been clearly defined.
How Boards Can Make Better Comparisons
Before interviewing design firms, boards should work to establish:
Project goals
Budget expectations
Scope priorities
Desired outcomes
Market positioning objectives
With those elements defined, proposals become significantly easier to evaluate.
Rather than comparing personalities, presentations, or isolated design ideas, boards can assess which team is best equipped to achieve the building's objectives.
Better Information Leads to Better Decisions
The strongest design selections rarely happen because one firm had the most exciting presentation.
They happen because the board understood what it was trying to accomplish before the interview process began.
When objectives are clear and expectations are defined, proposals become easier to compare, decisions become more rational, and renovation projects are more likely to succeed.
The goal is not simply to select a designer.
The goal is to select the right partner for the project the building is actually trying to undertake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do design proposals look so different from each other?
Because each firm is solving a different problem. One is modernizing, one is preserving character, one is controlling budget, one is leading with aesthetics. Without a defined objective from the board, all four proposals are reasonable answers to questions nobody asked.
How can we make proposals comparable?
Give every firm the same written scope, the same objective, and the same information about existing conditions before they present. Proposals become comparable when the inputs are identical, not when the presentations are better.
Is the last firm we interview always the most impressive?
Often, and it is worth knowing why. By the fourth interview a board has absorbed hours of education, so its questions are sharper and the conversation is better. The last firm inherits an advantage the first three paid for. Scoring against fixed written criteria helps offset it.
What should we actually be evaluating?
Whether the firm understands multifamily common areas specifically, how they document scope, who stays involved during construction, and how they handle unforeseen conditions. Portfolio images show taste. Those four things show whether the project will run.
Keep Reading
This article is part of the Corridor Renovation Guide. To see how KAID Design leads boards through the work, visit Corridor Renovation Design.
Planning a corridor renovation? KAID Design guides condo and co-op boards through the entire process, from feasibility study to final walkthrough. Start a conversation.