In an RFP for architectural services where engineering is provided by another firm and interior design is priced at $30 per square foot with a 10% coordination fee, which arrangement should ABC propose?

• A. ABC Architects and XYZ Partners hire an interior design firm to design the Community Space interiors and one model apartment of each unit type, with interior design fees itemized in the fee proposal at $30 per square foot plus 10% coordination.
• B. ABC Architects and XYZ Partners include interior design within the architectural fee, with no separate itemization.
• C. ABC Architects alone handle interior design for the Community Space and unit interiors without coordination fees.
• D. ABC Architects contract an interior design firm only for the Community Space, excluding model apartments, with no coordination fee.

Answer: (A)

When interior design is priced as a separate discipline with a specific per-square-foot rate plus a coordination fee, the best approach is to contract a dedicated interior design firm and itemize that fee in the proposal, covering clearly defined deliverables such as the Community Space and one model apartment of each unit type. This structure preserves clear scope and accountability: the interior design team handles finishes, layouts, and materials for those spaces, while the architecture and engineering teams focus on their respective scopes, with the coordination fee ensuring ongoing cross-discipline integration. Itemizing the interior design fee at a set rate per square foot plus a 10% coordination charge also aligns with standard RFP practices for multi-disciplinary projects, making costs transparent and trackable for the owner.

Why this fits the scenario: the RFP indicates interior design is priced at $30 per square foot with a 10% coordination fee, and the project involves engineering provided by another firm. Having a separate interior design firm deliver the specified areas (Community Space and at least one model apartment per unit type) and itemize the fee exactly as described ensures the pricing model is respected and coordination with the architectural and engineering teams is formally accounted for.

This approach is preferable to bundling interior design into the architectural fee with no itemization, which obscures cost breakdown and coordination responsibilities; or having the architectural firm take on interior design without the stated coordination fee, which would ignore the required pricing structure and cross-disciplinary coordination needs; or limiting interior design to only the Community Space and excluding model apartments, which would fail to meet the specified deliverables and the fee arrangement.