SABMag Issue 89 – Winter 2026

RAIC Report

Reframing Value: Transforming How Canada Procures Architectural Services

By the RAIC Fees and Procurement Working Group

At the 2025 Conference on Architecture hosted by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), the Fees and Procurement Working Group convened a national discussion on one of the profession’s most persistent challenges: the misalignment between architectural fees, procurement practices, and the true value architects deliver.

Structured around six guiding questions, the session drew practitioners from across the country to reflect on systemic barriers, regional disparities, and practical reforms. What emerged was a shared call to reimagine how architectural services are defined, selected, and compensated, ensuring that they reflect architecture’s essential role in advancing sustainability, quality of life, and public interest.

Architecture as a Public-Interest Service

Delegates agreed that architecture remains widely misunderstood as a luxury or artistic service rather than a professional discipline that contributes to public health, safety, and economic resilience. They emphasized the need to reposition architects as strategic actors who serve the public good through evidence-based design and community impact.

Participants called for stronger communication tools to help architects demonstrate the long-term value of design decisions, particularly those made early in the project lifecycle. The RAIC’s continued leadership in providing advocacy resources and public education materials was viewed as vital to this effort.

Undercutting and Quality Erosion

Fee-based competition dominated the discussion. Delegates described how undercutting, lowering fees below sustainable levels to secure work, compromises quality, limits innovation, and creates ethical tension within the profession.

Regional inconsistencies in billing, coupled with rising liability insurance costs, were identified as compounding pressures. Participants called for professional bodies to promote ethical fee practices and to strengthen national standards that reward qualifications and design excellence, not the lowest bid. The creation of a national architectural policy was seen as one path toward consistency and reform.

Reforming Procurement Practices

Delegates proposed a range of procurement reforms to promote fairness and transparency, including the adoption of qualification-based selection (QBS), standardized RFP templates, and reduced weighting of price in evaluations. Aligning scope, deliverables, and evaluation criteria was considered critical to managing risk and achieving better project outcomes.

Participants encouraged the RAIC to continue advocating with public-sector clients for more equitable procurement systems and to equip firms with practical tools and training to pursue such opportunities.

From Cost to Investment

A recurring message was the need to shift public and client perception: architecture should be seen not as a cost but as an investment. Well-designed buildings yield economic, environmental, and health benefits that extend far beyond construction.

Delegates recommended clearer, phased breakdowns of professional services to improve client understanding and counter misconceptions about design fees. Many also noted confusion around the RAIC Fee Guide’s interpretation and use across jurisdictions, underscoring the need for consistent communication and regional engagement.

Innovation and Global Models

Participants examined alternative fee models and international best practices, such as the RIBA fee calculator, outcome-based contracts tied to post-occupancy performance, and structures that scale with project complexity or community impact.

They also highlighted opportunities to integrate technology to increase transparency and expand service offerings, through digital design review, lifecycle analysis, and participatory planning, helping firms demonstrate broader value.

Unified Advocacy for Systemic Change

Advocacy was identified as a cornerstone of lasting change. Delegates called for coordinated campaigns, videos, awards, and thought-leadership content that communicate architecture’s societal value to clients, policymakers, and the public. Collaboration with allied professions was seen as key to amplifying the message.

A strong recommendation emerged for the RAIC to develop advocacy and communication toolkits that help member firms articulate the link between fees, scope, and outcomes in ways that resonate beyond the profession.

Next Steps

The session was viewed as a starting point for sustained action. Delegates urged the RAIC to continue advancing initiatives such as a national construction cost calculator, procurement process reviews, and updates to the RAIC Fee Guide.

Through unified advocacy and evidence-based reform, Canada’s architectural community can ensure that architectural services are not only fairly compensated but also recognized as essential investments in sustainable, resilient, and inclusive communities.