Sourcing is one of the most difficult critical and difficult phases of an architecture and interior design project.
It’s because sourcing is not a single-person job; it involves suppliers, contractors, and third-party vendors. Moreover, from selecting goods to shortlisting them, to placing an order, to installing and mounting them, every phase has several intricacies.
Here’s how to get interior design product sourcing right, following the steps below:
Set a budget and review it
Setting a budget before interior design product sourcing is important to assign enough capital for each department and avoid unnecessary expenditures.
Here’s how you can set a budget: Recognise the needs of the business in terms of procurement. This would require listing down the goods and services requirement. Then calculate the estimated cost based on the requirement. Consider the costs of delivery, installation, mounting, and other related charges.
Outline the areas where you can cut costs and save money.
Finally, set a budget and set aside a fixed buffer. You can come always back to the budget for a review whenever the demand expands.
Prepare all purchase orders
If the need is clearly established, purchase orders can be made with more ease. However, the work before placing the purchase order requires expertise.
Here’s what you can do: Identify the right sourcing platform for the specific needs. Go through the product catalouges and shortlist the items as per the requirement. Request a quote from the sourcing expert. Get the quote reviewed by the internal team and establish if it suits the budget.
Purchase FF&E (furniture, fixtures and equipment)
Once the quote is reviewed against the requirements and the budget, negotiation, if required, is done. Check with vendors for fixtures and equipment and if necessary, place a separate order. After approval from both parties, an FF&E order can be placed.
The documentation includes: Records of negotiation on the initially quoted cost of the order. Quote approval. An order with the list and description of goods, quantity, total cost, and other key information. Service or interior design product sourcing contract. Invoice request and approval. Payment confirmation and order summary.
Note: Payment milestones, timelines, and any other details must be specified clearly in the contract.
Track and expedite
Track the order at each stage and ensure that you get timely delivery. Wherever required, request to expedite the process.
Inspect delivery
As soon as the order gets delivered, check each item for fulfilled delivery against the invoice. Complete the remaining payment as per the pre-defined milestones and terms of payment.
Prepare detailed purchase report
After the delivery of order(s), the buyer is responsible for measuring discrepancies in three-way matching and establishes if there is any significant difference between the quality promised and the quality delivered. Once this is done, a detailed purchase report is created for bookkeeping and auditing purposes. It includes:
- Purchase order
- Purchase invoices
- Payment receipts
- Date(s) of delivery
- Receipt notes of goods received
- Product quality check template and details
- Supplier assessment data
- Contract closure documentation.
The report helps in understanding each aspect of interior design product sourcing and recording the process to avoid recently encountered problems in the future.
Report discrepancies or quality issues
After assessing the delivery thoroughly, prepare a report with the details of issues found in the delivered lot. List down each item with its cost and quality issue against it and share the report with the sourcing partner. Decide a course of action in terms of exchange or return and take consistent follow-ups to resolve the issue.
Supervise installation and mounting
The delivered goods are then installed as per the design needs. For furniture installation and mounting of art, ensure that you have the required professionals. Also, check if your sourcing partner offers installation and mounting services.
Continuous quality control
Run a quality check over a period of time after the installation and establish whether the products sourced are up to the mark. This helps in understanding what works for you and what does not, which improves sourcing in the future.
Additional services
After successful procuring, additional requirements such as cleaning, door and window treatments, alarm and security system, inspection, etc. should be taken care of.Make sure to include these elements of your design and architecture project in the plan created at the start.
Final walk-through
Always ensure that you have adequate time for a final walkthrough and improvements before the promised deadline. The architect and designer must assess the project completion and identify any shortcomings as per the client requirements and pre-defined plan.