Practice and Management Flashcards
You are developing a new practice brochure - what should it include?
a - Practice's Mission Statement b - Practice structure c - C.V.s of key personnel d - Approach - management quality assurance e - Equal opportunity policy f - Health and safety policy g - Office environmental policy h - Approach - design i - Consultation j - Key experience k - Other experience
You are obtaining competitive quotations for PI insurance - what information will the companies require in order to calculate your premium?
a - Name and full address of business
b - Name of directors, partners etc and their ages and qualifications
c - Number of employees
d - Gross fees for previous financial year
e - Details of overseas contracts
f - List of five largest contracts
g - Percentage split of work - type and sector
h - Claims history
i - Indemnity limit and excess
Under the EC Working time Directive 93/104 what are the rules on working hours?
a - an absolute limit of 48 hours per week, average over a four month period
b - Member States can opt out by ensuring that workers only work extra hours on a genuinely voluntary basis
List 2 mandatory and 2 optional insurance policies required by an architectural practice
Mandatory - Professional Indemnity Insurance PII
- Employers Liability Insurance EL
Optional - Health
- Key man
What information would you expect to include when preparing a business plan?
a - Details of your business b - Market research c - Marketing d - Personnel e - Financial details f - Cashflow
One of your employees has been seriously injured during work and is now a hospital in-patient. You have spoken to the enforcing authority on the phone but what else must you do?
a - Make a written record of the accident
b - Send a written report within 7 days
How does the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1998 (CDPA 1998) protect architects and their work?
The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 gives the author or creator the exclusive right to copy, adapt, communicate, lend or sell copies of the work, although this right can be sold or transferred.
Your practice has employed a fifth member of staff; what written employment policy must you now have and which other policies do you consider desirable?
Mandatory
- Health and safety
Optional
- Maternity / paternity / adoption
- Working time and time off
- Equality and diversity
- Pay
- Bullying and Harassment
- Rewards, benefits and expenses
- Discipline/ dismissal and grievance
- Redundancy
- Measures to improve performance or manage change
- Use of company facilities
- Training and development
- Patents and copyrights
- Confidential Information
- Whistleblowing
- Smoking drugs and alcohol
You have been asked to quote for a project in competition with other architects - what sources of information would you look to in order to establish a competitive but nevertheless realistic fee?
- published data eg Mirza and Nacey
- Office data and records of similar projects
- RIBA indicative fee scale
Your practice has attracted a number of new projects. At what stage are you legally required to register for VAT and to whom?
You must register your business for VAT with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) if its VAT taxable turnover is more than £85,000. Your VAT taxable turnover is the total of everything sold that is not VAT exempt.
When you register, you’ll be sent a VAT registration certificate. This confirms:
o - your VAT number
o - when to submit your first VAT Return and payment
o - your ‘effective date of registration’ - this depends on the date you went over the threshold, or is the date you asked to register if it was voluntary
Your practice is looking for ways to diversify, list three areas in which you believe the practice could offer additional services
o - Project management o - CDM co-ordinator o - DDA Consultant o - BREAM Consultant o - Design Services e.g. websites, set design etc etc
What are the different legal forms of architectural practice? Give brief advantages of each
Partnership - limited freedom, privacy, acting together but independently as professionals, partnership ethos
Limited Liability Partnership LLP - similar ethos and structure by limited liability
Limited company - Limited liability, international recognition, management and ownership may be separate
What insurances are requried in architectural practice?
PII, Public liability, building and contents, key man (bonus point)
Give five requirements for a chartered practice
RIBA chartered practice scheme:
- at least one of your full-time principals (Director or Partner) must be a RIBA Chartered Member
- at least one in eight of all staff must be a RIBA Chartered Member and all of your architectural work must be supervised by a RIBA Chartered Member
- your practice must commit to operating policies regarding best practice in: Employment; Equality, Diversity and Inclusion; Health and Safety; Environmental Management; and Quality Management
- pay annual fee
- practice and all its employees must conduct themselves in accordance with the Code of Practice for Chartered Practices
Who would you select to form a professional team for the conversion of a historic country house into a hotel?
- QS
- Structural engineer
- M+E engineers
- Historic building advisor
- Planning consultant
- Interior designer
- CDM co-ordinator
List 5 key requirements for an employment contract
- In writing
- Parties to the contract
- Remuneration
- Annual leave entitlement
- Copyright and ownership of work
- Termination
When should the Architect inform the Client that they have been involved with additional work which will incurred extra fees?
The Architect has a ‘duty to inform’ in their appointment with the client and is therefore required to inform the client as soon as they themselves are aware of any even that means the scope of work and therefore the fee has changed. This can then be issued as a variation to the contract.
There are three situations under the RIBA Domestic Professional Services Contract where an architect may disclose confidential information. Can you name one?
2.4 The client shall not disclose Confidential information unless:
o 2.4.1 Disclosure is necessary to take professional advice in relation to the Contract or services
o 2.4.2 It is already in the public domain other than due to wrongful use or disclosure by the Client
o 2.4.3 Disclosure is required by law or because of disputes arising out of or in connection with the contract
If the Architect wishes to sub-contract performance of any part of their Services to a domestic client, what must the Architect first obtain from the Client? What must the Client do in response?
The architect must notify the client of their intention and obtain written agreement from the client and perhaps even amend the terms of their original appointment contract. The sub-contractor should be employed with a back to back agreement to apportion liability for work carried out.
Give an example of a milestone in a project and explain how it may be used
Key milestones can be set out in both an Appointment and a Building contract to measure the progress of works according to a timeline and to structure an invoicing schedule. For example, key milestones could be the issuing of Interim or Stage reports or the completion of set portions of work.
What are the key differences between Private Limited Liability Company (Ltd) and Limited Liability Partnership (LLP).
Private Limited Liability Company (Ltd)
- Ownership by members (shareholders)
- Profit share by members-Can be publicly traded
- Taxed as corporation
Limited Liability Partnership (LLP).
- Ownership by partners as agreed in deed
- Profit shared by partners
- Cannot be publicly traded
- Taxed as partnership
1) QA: What type of architectural practice is required to have a Quality Management System (QMS) in place and when should its QMS be externally certified?
2) When would you be allowed to prepare a simple Project Quality plan (PQP) for each project:
3) What is the universal quality assurance standard:
1) RIBA Chartered practices require QMS. Larger practices require QMS.
2) Early on
3) BS ISO 9001
1) A client asks you to work speculatively on designing a building for a competitive bid. What would be your response?
2) Would you be breaking any Code of Conduct if you agreed to work speculatively?
1) A practice should not carry out services for free
2) Yes. This doesn’t comply with integrity and respect for the work of other architects because you are promoting free work and poor management of practice’s business
What are the architect’s duties under the Modern Slavery Act 2015?
Fair pay, equality and conditions of work. RIBA Code of Professional Conduct requires members to comply with the Act.
