How common is design development outsourcing in architectural practices? We think it happens all the time, both for big brands and small studios. It may not always be formal outsourcing, but it carries with it the same basic principles. A basic form of outsourcing is to use interns and graduates who work in temporary roles but handle much of the design development work and less of the more demanding conceptual and creative design work. A more sophisticated and organized form of outsourcing is the hiring of an external company, either local or international. Such a company effectively becomes a design partner, seamlessly integrating into the company’s architectural design team.

An offshore company, for example, would take care of all the drawing/modeling tasks, but they are usually not in direct contact with the client, nor are they present at meetings and basically work hard to meet the requirements of the main architect. This is why the use of “outsourcing” as a term to describe work with interns and graduates is justified, but as we will see, it may often not be the best approach.

Almost every company fits into one of the above two categories as a natural adaptation of the market to cut costs with tasks that are by their nature quite easy to delegate. This is common practice today and is a perfectly correct approach, especially when there are adequate channels of communication between lower and higher level staff. Managing an office and/or a set of projects is a task in itself, leaving little room for design or modeling work.

So the question now is which of these ways of working is the most optimal. The short answer would be that each company has specific needs and a specific culture, but if we look closely we can easily determine a general trend. While using interns and graduates can solve a short-term problem, the need to constantly rehire and retain them can be a huge distraction. Instead, using outsourcing firms for the architectural design development phase means you’re partnering with highly-skilled professionals, without overhead costs. These companies often specialize in specific domains where they have fine-tuned internal systems that allow them to work extremely quickly, relying heavily on advanced BIM solutions. Outsourcing companies can also guarantee on-time delivery, as they typically have reserve resources and a larger number of employees.

When looking at outsourcing companies, there is little to no distinction between the interaction workflow you will have with local versus international companies. The problem can arise when you limit yourself to a small market, the local one, and end up constantly changing outsourcing service providers and therefore relying on new companies to pick up work where the old ones left off. The solution is to tap into the international market and become a quality and reliable partner for long-term collaboration. Looking wider rather than narrower has the additional advantage that you will likely find suppliers with lower production/management costs which will translate into much better prices and therefore a more competitive offer.

In today’s hyper-connected global economy, communication is not a problem and overseas collaborations become opportunities rather than challenges, allowing design leaders to focus on the core aspects of their businesses.