Public agencies and institutions like the NYS Dormitory Authority or Office of General Services are sophisticated clients with large budgets, numerous critical facilities, and often, architects or engineers on their staffs.

When they solicit E/A proposals for professional services on restoration projects, they typically want two separate envelopes: one that describes our experience, capabilities, and project approach (the technical proposal), and a second envelope containing our fee (the fee proposal).

The technical proposals are opened and reviewed first to identify the firm best qualified for the project (which, fortunately, is often SUPERSTRUCTURES). Only then does the client open the second envelope submitted by that firm.

Why? Because the lowest fee, within reason, is not as important as selecting the right professional for the project. The professional fee represents a small fraction of the total project cost, and variation in fees between professionals an even smaller fraction. In any case, agencies often negotiate to “fine tune” the fee with the selected firm.

The two-envelope approach to proposals isn’t just for institutional clients with large budgets. Choosing an E/A consultant based on qualifications rather than fee (and fee alone) also makes sense for smaller organizations and projects.