Supplemental Topic
Interior Design and
Furniture Acquisition
Contents
Introduction...................................................................................................2
Background ............................................................................................2
Overview: The Interior Design and Furniture Acquisition Process......2
Assembling the Team ....................................................................................5
The Interior Designer .............................................................................5
Developing the Schedule ...............................................................................5
Programming Interior Design and Furniture ...........................................6
Guidelines and Standards .......................................................................6
Selecting a Product Line ........................................................................6
Preparing a Schematic Floor Plan...............................................................6
Preparing Design Development Documents ...............................................6
Refining Furniture Selections ......................................................................7
Obtaining Firm Pricing (Bids or IUC Quotes) ...........................................7
Furniture Budgets $100,000 and Under .................................................7
Furniture Budgets Over $100,000..........................................................8
Finalizing Furniture Selections ....................................................................8
Monitoring the Construction Phase ............................................................8
Charts
1
June 2002
Process Flow for Interior Design and Furniture Acquisition
Page 1
Interior Design and Furniture Acquisition
Introduction
This document explains how the University manages interior design work
and purchases furniture for new construction, renovations, or space
improvements.
Furniture purchases are part of the “Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment”
(FF&E) portion of a project’s budget. This document addresses only
furniture. Fixtures and equipment have separate acquisition processes that
will be addressed in a future document.
Background
The interior design and furniture acquisition process has been developed to
ensure that:
 interior design and furniture acquisition activities are reflected in each
project’s schedule early in the design;
 UC’s new construction, renovation, and space-improvement projects
meet the functional and aesthetic goals established by all involved user
groups, while also remaining within established furniture budgets; and
 the University’s buying power delivers the best possible discounts and
value from furniture manufacturers and vendors.
Overview: The Interior Design and
Furniture Acquisition Process
Successful interior design and furniture acquisition requires involvement
and cooperation among all departments within the University Architect
Division. In addition, each project’s University client must be represented
by an individual who has decision-making authority for the client group.
The interior design and furniture acquisition process works as follows:
1. The Project Administrator assembles the project team, including the
consulting or staff Interior Designer.
2. The Project Administrator establishes the project schedule, showing all
interior design activities.
3. The Interior Designer meets with the client team to develop a
preliminary assessment of the project’s space and furniture needs. The
Office of the University Architect (OUA) provides guidance on interior
design guidelines and standards along with product decisions and
product manufacturers from which to select furnishings.
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Interior Design and Furniture Acquisition
4. During the Schematic Design (SD) phase, the Interior Designer
prepares floor plans showing spatial design elements and the proposed
furniture layout. These are included in the project’s SD package with a
preliminary budget to be reviewed and approved.
5. During the Design Development (DD) phase, the Interior Designer
coordinates the SD package with the architectural and MEP disciplines.
The Interior Designer also selects materials, finishes, and products, and
then prepares color boards with outline specifications. The OUA must
approve these deliverables (with budget included) before the DD
package is reviewed throughout the University.
6. In the Construction Documents (CD) phase, the Interior Designer and
the client meet to add details to the interior design. The Interior
Designer revises layouts and specifications to show the updated choices
with product lead times.
7. During the bid phase, University Purchasing manages bidding and
procurement, and may authorize the Project Administrator to obtain
quotes under certain parameters. OUA reviews the quote
documentation provided by Purchasing and/or the Project
Administrator and submits its award recommendation to Purchasing.
Once OUA and Purchasing concur with the recommendation,
Purchasing issues a Purchase Order.
8. The Design Team meets to finalize all furniture selections, including
quantities of each item. The OUA reviews and approves the final list of
furnishings, and the Interior Designer finalizes the interior design
specifications to include installation requirements. The user group
approves these final lists and specifications (signoff), and the vendor
prepares a furniture plan (shop drawing) based on its product line.
After OUA reviews the shop drawing, the selected vendor places
furniture orders to the manufacturers and suppliers.
9.
At the tenant fit-up stage of the Construction phase, furniture is
delivered and installed. The Interior Designer supervises the
installation at the site and develops a punch list, which is forwarded to
the Project Administrator. The Interior Designer works with the
furniture vendor to resolve punch-list issues.
The chart on the following page shows the process flow for interior design
and furniture acquisition.
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ID coordinates
design w ith
architecture, MEP
disciplines
PA assembles
project team,
including UC ID
and/or
consulting ID
ID selects materials,
f inishes; prepares
color boards w ith
outline specs;
submits to PA
PA develops
project
schedule show ing
all ID activities
PA (in conjunction
w ith ID) submits
ID package
to OUA ,
Campus Planning
ID meets w ith
client to identif y
project's space
and f urniture
needs
OUA /Campus
Planning review ,
approve
ID package
Bidding/
Acquisition
Schematic
Design (SD)
Design
Development
(DD)
Construction
Documents
(CD)
Consulting ID f ees
included in basic
services of Master
Project Budget
Worksheet
ID prepares
f loor plans show ing
preliminary
f urniture layout,
other ID f eatures
OUA provides
guidance
on spatial design
and f urniture
User group
review s, approves
DD Phase
deliverables
(including costs)
ID revises
ID package
per
recommendations
ID produces
material, f inish,
and f urniture
specif ications
f or bidding
CD Phase
deliverables
(including budget)
review ed,
approved
Bid package
issued f or
f urnishings (incl.
approximate
quantities)
V endors
submit bids
PA , ID
recommend
low est/best bid
OUA /Purchasing
review , approve
recommendation
Purchasing
aw ards w ork to
recommended
vendor
Purchase Order
issued to vendor
f or f urnishings
ID, vendor f inalize
selections (colors,
f abrics, quantities)
OUA review s,
approves
recommendation
ID, vendor f inalize
specif ications to
include selection,
installation details
V endor prepares
f urniture plan
(shop draw ing)
User group
approves f inal
selections
(signof f )
OUA review s
shop draw ing
f or accuracy
PA , ID, client meet to
ref ine spatial design
and f urniture choices
to value-engineer, if
necessary
Is budget
more than
$100,000?
SD Phase
deliverables
(including
preliminary costs)
review ed, approved
No
Purchasing
obtains quotes
f rom IUC vendors
Installation
(Construction
Phase)
Yes
V endor delivers,
installs f urniture
ID monitors installation
of building materials,
f inishes, f urniture;
creates punch list;
f orw ards to PA
Abbrevia tions
ID f orw ards
punch list
to PA
ID f ollow s up on
punch-list items
w ith vendor
and PA
PA
ID
OUA
Project Administrator
Interior Designer
Office of the University Architect
Chart 1: Process Flow for Interior Design and Furniture Acquisition
V endor places
order w ith
f urniture
manuf acturer
Interior Design and Furniture Acquisition
Assembling the Team
If a project will require interior design services, the Project Administrator
must identify and involve the Interior Designer before design work begins,
as the rest of the project team is being assembled.
The Interior Designer
The University’s staff Interior Designer (a member of the Campus Planning
and Design Department) works with the Construction Management and
Renovations departments to support each project’s interior design needs.
If a project requiring interior design services will use an outside
Architect/Engineer (A/E, also called an Associate), the selected A/E firm
must provide an Interior Designer as part of its project team. This Interior
Designer can be either a staff member of the Associate firm or a
subcontractor.
Interior Designers who work for or contract with outside A/E firms on UC
projects are called Consulting Interior Designers. The University’s
Interior Designer provides guidance to the Consulting Interior Designer
throughout the project. This interaction ensures that Consulting Interior
Designers understand and apply UC’s standards when developing layouts
and planning furniture purchases.
The University’s Interior Designer works with the Department of
Renovations on small projects designed internally.
Developing the Schedule
When developing the project schedule, the Project Administrator must
include all design, bidding, and construction activities related to interior
design and furniture acquisition. The schedule must identify the
responsible parties and completion dates associated with these activities.
The Project Administrator works with the University’s Interior Designer
and/or the Consulting Interior Designer to assign appropriate dates and
responsibilities for interior design aspects of the project schedule.
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Interior Design and Furniture Acquisition
Programming Interior Design and
Furniture
Once the project team and schedule have been established, the University
and/or Consulting Interior Designer meet with the client organization to
identify the project’s space and design needs as well as basic furniture
requirements.
Guidelines and Standards
The OUA will provide approved guidelines and standards documents to
assist in space planning, layout, and selection of materials, color, and
furniture.
Selecting a Product Line
Furniture manufacturers offer product lines that range from standard to
superior in quality. The required quality level for a project’s furnishings is
identified when the budget is established. The facility’s intended purpose,
in part, determines which quality level is appropriate for its furnishings.
The OUA participates in the programming meeting to provide guidance on
product selection.
Preparing a Schematic Floor Plan
Once schematic design is under way, the Interior Designer prepares a
preliminary floor plan that shows interior spatial design features and
furnishings as they will be placed in the facility. The layout is included
with the project’s other schematic design drawings and specifications
during the regular approval process for SD deliverables.
Preparing Design Development
Documents
During the Design Development phase, the Interior Designer refines the
layout developed in the SD phase and coordinates this effort with the
architectural and MEP disciplines, including lighting, mechanical,
electrical, audiovisual and telecommunication systems. The Interior
Designer selects materials and finishes, prepares a color board, and
develops outline specifications for furniture requirements. Specifications
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Interior Design and Furniture Acquisition
should reflect the selected product line as the standard, but should also
allow competitors to submit bids or quotes on approved equals.
The color boards and specifications for interior design must be
submitted to OUA and approved before being included in the DD
approval package. The Interior Designer submits the color boards and
outline specifications along with preliminary costs to the Project
Administrator, who forwards them to OUA. Once OUA has given
approval, the regular DD approval process can proceed with the interior
design documents included (revised if necessary to address OUA
comments).
Refining Furniture Selections
During the Construction Documents phase, the Interior Designer and client
meet to refine spatial design, materials, finishes, and furniture selections
made in the DD phase. If preliminary costs exceed the budget, value
engineering may be necessary. The goal is that the Interior Designer
develop specifications for the interior design that are sufficient to obtain
bids or quotes from furniture vendors. The layout and specifications
developed at this stage are included in the regular CD approval process.
Obtaining Firm Pricing (Bids or IUC
Quotes)
A project’s budget determines the correct procedure for obtaining furniture
prices from vendors.
Furniture Budgets $100,000 and Under
For smaller projects (roughly, furniture budgets of $100,000 or less),
standard contracts in place through the Inter-University Council (IUC) will
usually provide the most competitive pricing for furniture. IUC vendors
offer fixed discounts on their products.
University Purchasing can provide the names of IUC vendors. The Project
Administrator can contact these vendors directly for price quotes. After
evaluating quotes, the Project Administrator recommends the best and
lowest-priced vendor. After concurrence by OUA and University
Purchasing, a Purchase Order is issued.
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Interior Design and Furniture Acquisition
Furniture Budgets Over $100,000
On larger projects, the Project Administrator can use either IUC prices or
competitive bidding, which usually results in deeper discounts. Using the
bid process, Purchasing prepares a bid package based on specifications
from the Interior Designer, and vendors submit bids. After evaluating all
bids, the Project Administrator recommends a vendor. Once OUA and
Purchasing concur with the recommendation, a Purchase Order is issued.
Finalizing Furniture Selections
Once a vendor has been selected, the Design Team meets to finalize all
furniture selections, including quantities of each item. The OUA reviews
and approves the final list of furnishings, and the Interior Designer finalizes
the interior design specifications to include the vendor’s precise installation
requirements. The user group approves these final lists and specifications
(signoff) and the vendor prepares a furniture plan (shop drawing) based on
its product line. After the shop drawings are reviewed for accuracy by
OUA, the furniture order is placed with the selected vendor.
Monitoring the Construction Phase
At the tenant fit-up stage of the Construction phase, the selected vendor
delivers and installs the furniture. The Interior Designer (University or
Consulting, depending on the project structure) and vendor are responsible
for supervising delivery and installation at the site.
The Interior Designer and vendor must ensure that materials, finishes, and
furniture are installed according to specifications. As part of this
responsibility, the Interior Designer develops a punch list for the
installation and forwards it to the Project Administrator. Throughout the
Construction and Acceptance phases, the Interior Designer works directly
with the furniture vendor and Project Administrator to ensure that all
punch-list issues are resolved.
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