Introduction
By engaging Don Jamieson Architecture as your architect we provide our knowledge, skills and experience in return for a professional fee. The fees for providing the agreed services may be calculated on a Lump Sum, a Time Charge or Percentage Fee basis, or a combination of these depending on the budget, services offered and complexity of the project.

Lump Sum basis
This arrangement suits a project where the exact scope and budget can be clearly defined at the start. This means that we can determine the extent of our services to a fairly accurate level and therefore establish a Lump Sum fee. It gives you the greatest certainty but there is a high level of risk for us if there are changes during the project. If the scope or budget alter then our fees would be varied accordingly.

Time Charge basis
This means that you pay us for the time we spend working on your project at the rates that we agree before we start. It is the fairest option but does provide a degree of risk for you if the time required is much more than anticipated. For this reason we will provide an estimate of the cost of any work completed on a Time Charge basis. Consultancy, Design advice and the early Design stages of a project are normally completed on a Time Charge basis.

Percentage Fee basis
This means that our fee is determined based on a set percentage value of the project cost. This is typically broken down into amounts for the various project stages to establish a means of determining progress payments. During the early stages the percentage is based on the project estimate as the final costs are not known until the completion of all work.

A clear means of applying and calculating the percentage fee is established at the start of the project to ensure both parties know how and when fees will be paid. This method can work well for larger projects once the design and scope of the project is established.

Combination Fee basis
Typically this is the way we prefer to work. Our fee is initially on a Time Charge basis through to the end of the Preliminary Design phase and then either is set as a Lump Sum or Percentage. For complex projects the Contract Administration and Observation phase will also be on a Time Charge basis.

Disbursements
Costs not related to our time are charged separately and in addition to the above fees. This will include various search fee charges, printing and copying costs, couriers & special postage, non-local travel, advertising and fees paid for Consents. Any fees paid, on your behalf, for Consents or to other consultants will have an administration charge of 5% added.

Agreement for Architects Services
As we are a New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) Practice we normally make use of the standard NZIA Agreement for Architects Services. This explains each stage of the project in detail along with the expected project times and fees.

Goods and Services Tax (GST)
We are a GST registered company and all of our fees for services will have GST added.

How much will it cost
There are too many variables to be able to provide a definite answer to this but the NZIA has published a Guide to Architects Charges that outlines a range of fees a client could reasonably expect to pay for projects of different types and complexity.

We strongly believe that the fees we offer provide a fair price for the value we add to the project.