Property developer or independent architect

Advantage of a smaller general contractor. Fixed price. Personal contacts, say in the selection of contractors, everything goes hand in hand. No gimmicks.
Advantage architect, independent site management, architectural special features. Architect build prices always higher. He wants to be paid, currently not getting good offers. Craftsmen don’t like working with architects, as in their eyes the architect is a guarantee for stress. Many don’t even submit bids when tendered by architects. Fixed price? Forget it with an architect.
Profit general contractor. So what, should he add on? The market allows it. Whoever doesn’t want that, should wait until Dragi raises the interest rate. Karsten

Advantage of a smaller general contractor. Fixed price.

I know two architects who do that too.

Personal contacts, say in the selection of contractors, everything goes hand in hand. No gimmicks.

All that too.

Advantage architect, independent site management, architectural special features.

True.

Prices for architect construction always higher.

Not true.

He wants to be paid, he currently doesn't get good offers.

The first part is true, I don’t understand the second.

Craftsmen don’t like building with architects because in their eyes architects are a guarantee for stress.

To stay with your generalizing style: That is false.

Many don’t even bid on tenders through architects.

Many don’t even bid on tenders. True.

You can forget about fixed prices with architects.

We’ve already had that...

Profit for general contractor. So what, should he add on?

This sentence has no verb.

So, that might have been a bit cheeky of me. Sorry for that, Karsten. I like your point of view and many of your posts. But that one was too general for me, as I’ve experienced all that differently.

Possibly you are right with your theses in many cases – but not always.

I would depend on references, conversations, and ultimately on the feeling of who I am building with. And not on which "legal form" it is.

My experience here is that since we are public service, we are forced to tender construction measures. Smaller ones ourselves, larger ones through an architect. Not private, I am speaking from the profession now. Small stuff, I get three offers by mail or phone, that works. Larger ones through an architect, this started back in 2014. For a well over 300 thousand Euro contract, we had to invite six companies just to receive three usable offers. Painting work for 100 thousand, two serious offers, one defensive offer, three without any response. And since 2024 it has become even worse. For an estimated 450 thousand Euro measure, the tenders are currently running, submission is on 26.10. I’m curious, I fear the worst, the architect already had to beg companies before the tender to participate. I myself have also become active, called bosses to see if they would submit something. A frequently heard statement was, sorry, we are not submitting anything at the moment, we do not participate in tenders, do not build with architects etc. etc. It is just said that way. One said, I would gladly do a fixed price for the whole thing, but please leave the architect out. Only, as tempting as that would be if the fixed price is right, I am not allowed to do that. That is my reality here. Karsten

2 questions:
- How can an independent architect offer fixed prices? You pay the craftsmen yourself and not through the architect, right? Then it is no longer an architect but a general contractor?
- Isn't the problem with public tenders that only the lowest bidder always gets the contract and the companies therefore save themselves the effort? I don't know if that can be applied so well to the private sector.

- How can an independent architect offer fixed prices? You pay the craftsmen yourself and not through the architect? Then it’s no longer an architect but a general contractor?

The architect makes the plan and bids according to sqm, m², linear meters. Since he knows all the dimensions and does this 14, 15 times a year with the same set of companies, he simply knows what it costs...
Then he also factors in a margin for sample selection, does not start from the minimal standard but from a middle ground and quotes a price that turns out to be correct in the end.

Ok, I see that, but for me it is still not a "fixed price". If unforeseen additional costs arise somewhere, the architect does not pay for them out of his own pocket. A single-family house is of course not the Elbphilharmonie or BER. Just wanted to clarify what you mean, I am also rather pro-architect, a good one should be able to estimate a single-family house reasonably well.