Big Bad Bids
Furniture helps to define what a space is, and how humans should interact with it. With the seemingly endless options, these skills can’t just be absorbed in an hour-long lunch and learn!
Throughout my design career I’ve had various jobs that have given me a unique perspective into the world of furniture, and the intimidating furniture bid process, as well as writing, responding, evaluating, and the Day 2 follow-through.
Student Start – The Day 2 Follow-Through
I was a student intern entering interior design when I got my first real taste of the commercial furniture world. Our brand-new facility had a dealer we had on contract that would provide ancillary options, layouts, finishes, and pricing. I learned the manufacturers we were allowed to specify, and I was enlightened to the discounting structures in place for those products.
Using our previous orders as a base, I was entrusted with developing a 10-year projected FFE budget and to help define what Day 2 would look like in the future to maintain our standards. This strategic planning project opened my eyes to the significance of that original project bid, both the monetary impact of the products selected, as well as the day-to-day relationships with the individuals on the dealer’s team helping us implement.
Using our previous orders as a base, I was entrusted with developing a 10-year projected FFE budget and to help define what Day 2 would look like in the future to maintain our standards. This strategic planning project opened my eyes to the significance of that original project bid, both the monetary impact of the products selected, as well as the day-to-day relationships with the individuals on the dealer’s team helping us implement.
Dealer Details - The Bid Response
After graduating I dove into the dealer world, catching the errors of designers who didn’t quite understand the lengthy price they had combed through to write their specifications. I responded to these furniture bids, knowing that hours of effort had been put into a document that would need to be extensively rehashed prior to the actual order. In the meantime, we would submit our best and final offer with the limited information available, in hopes that we would be the most cost-effective option.
Once awarded, the interior designer, my salesperson, and I would collaborate, asking nitty-gritty questions to ensure the design intent was fulfilled.
As those interactive design sessions progressed, and rounds of revisions went through pricing iterations, the pressure was on as I would calmly remind my salesperson, “Do you want it right? Or do you want it right now?” to make sure I was capturing each detail, even if it required a little more massaging. We would submit our final proposal and receive the PO from the client in time to get the order in by the manufacturer’s omnipresent weekly lead-time cutoff.
As those interactive design sessions progressed, and rounds of revisions went through pricing iterations, the pressure was on as I would calmly remind my salesperson, “Do you want it right? Or do you want it right now?” to make sure I was capturing each detail, even if it required a little more massaging. We would submit our final proposal and receive the PO from the client in time to get the order in by the manufacturer’s omnipresent weekly lead-time cutoff.
Fun With Facilities – The Bid Evaluation
I then transitioned into corporate facilities. I was contracted to help revamp furniture standards that were as old as I was, putting a millennial twist to my client’s dated stock of furniture. With respect to the client’s aesthetic and cultural hierarchy, we consciously reined in our kit of parts for consistency and flexibility.
This exercise culminated in assessing the various furniture bids that would help implement the new vibes, with consideration to their stringent pseudo-government guidelines and omnipresent budgetary constraints.
I quickly learned the importance of working hand-in-hand with the procurement team, and that these ‘numbers people’ were accustomed to pricing widgets, not the dozens of unique parts that could create a single cube, let alone their variance from manufacturer to manufacturer!
Firm Understanding – Writing The Bid
Since leaving my facilities team, I’ve jumped into the A&D community. As the resident ‘Furniture Queen,’ I’m harnessing on my knowledge to dial in on those limitless options and create a menu to shop from, in hopes of streamlining and demystifying the furniture world.
I look forward to seeing how implementing best practices with our spec writing and the overall bid process will benefit both the team and our clients. For those bread-and-butter clients, we won’t be re-churning the butter on each project!
“And The Award Goes To….”
Unless you’re designing an art gallery, the impact of the space will be dramatically less significant without furniture. The hard work of the architects, engineers, client representatives, countless craftspeople and contractors won’t be noticed if there’s no where to sit and chat about it… plus where do I put my coffee??
As designers, it is our duty to curate and communicate that information through the furniture bid process… while making sure it doesn’t fall down, that there is power where it needs to be, and making sure you’re not blocking a thermostat – or worse – a window.
My father worked 40+ years in construction, and early in my career journey he enlightened me to the fact that “all jobs are temporary, some just last longer than others…” This has always stuck with me, and I’m thankful for the varied experiences I’ve been able to learn and grow from, and the opportunities to share that knowledge along the way!
My father worked 40+ years in construction, and early in my career journey he enlightened me to the fact that “all jobs are temporary, some just last longer than others…” This has always stuck with me, and I’m thankful for the varied experiences I’ve been able to learn and grow from, and the opportunities to share that knowledge along the way!
AUTHOR
Hannah Ryman
Interior Designer
