Outline of Services

The Outline of Services is a resource for everyone involved in the building and construction process, from practitioners to clients. It aims to clearly outline what architects provide and how and when they are involved, throughout all stages of the process – including briefing, designing, delivering, maintaining, and operating a building.

Architects play an incredibly important and varied role, depending on the project. But we know there’s no clear, common reference document for understanding across the industry about what services architects provide, or how and when we provide them.

We also know that there’s inconsistent understanding and language used, including across jurisdictions, about what these services are and what work architects actually do. The Outline of Services aims to change that.

Developed by the Institute’s Outline of Services Working Group in consultation with our whole membership, the Outline of Services is a tool for anyone in government or industry involved in building and construction projects; and anyone in the architectural profession who wants to educate clients and partners about the nature and timing of these services.

With this resource, we aim to promote informed, transparent discussions about architects’ role in a project before it occurs – providing visibility over essential work that might otherwise be overlooked and leading to better outcomes for clients, industry, communities, and – in the case of government projects – taxpayers.