Are clients like this similar across all of China?
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Party A’s boss: Superstition? (Maybe this isn’t the most appropriate way to put it, but feng shui should always come first; one should consult a feng shui expert every year to determine the optimal location for wealth, and then adjust the office layout according to the expert’s advice. Can’t we do that?) Feng shui master’s advice: Do you want to make money? If so, just do what’s necessary. Project director for the client: You can work from the office or at home via remote guidance; it’s already good enough to go to the construction site once a week – there’s no need to have people stationed there constantly. If you encounter problems that cannot be solved or that you don’t understand, turn to the design institute or other people you know for help. Design institute: Please finalize the plan as soon as possible so I can create the drawings. Party A’s boss: I haven’t decided yet what kind of factory I want to build. Constructor: Was this factory built in this way? Construct in accordance with the diagram. Party A’s Project Director: Okay, let’s go with that. A month later, the client’s boss said: No, this color is not right; it should be a bit lighter. Constructor: Boss, I’ve already ordered all the building materials, and the project director said it would be fine. Project Director of Party A: It was said, but the boss hasn’t signed off on it yet. You know the boss is very busy; so keep the building materials you’ve ordered for other uses and make the changes here instead.
The market is not regulated, and this is a common situation
It can be said that competition within the industry is quite fierce. My company is launching a new small project, with an investment estimate of around 400 to 500 million. When looking for a design firm in the initial stage, the criterion for selection is a good attitude towards service (the smaller firms are obsequious and flattering, which gives them a friendly impression and makes communication easier) ； The larger company disdains these smaller projects; in fact, their attitude is quite sincere, only they don’t put as much effort into them as the smaller company does. It’s fine if they win the project, and it doesn’t matter if they don’t – which makes them seem a bit arrogant in the eyes of the client. The second issue is negotiating the design fees: the smaller company offers low initial prices, with discounts of up to 20%, while the larger company’s initial prices are 1 million higher than those of the smaller company, resulting in discounts of only a few percentage points at most. What’s the situation now? The five specialties related to building structures are basically fine (drawing production is slow due to a shortage of staff). It was agreed at that time to provide 3D modeling. This can’t be done; they’ve found someone to start from scratch. . . There’s no other choice but to let it go. I’m not very familiar with the contractors or supervisors, but it seems fine; at least when it comes to cutting corners, the supervisors keep an eye on things and there are no issues. It’s just that the design progress cannot keep up with the construction progress. . .
The courtyard has limited capabilities, so it can only excel in terms of price and enthusiasm. It is also possible that capability issues lead to errors that cause delays or a reduction in the number of services provided. A large team is also made up of people; if its composition is unstable, its capabilities and quality of service may not be better than those of a smaller team – it depends on luck
This post was last edited by CHANGBAISHI on 2022-2-9 at 16:13. The reason is that the contracts are vague; in most cases, the prices are low, and those who can make things a bit unclear can benefit from this. For example, simplifying the process or failing to follow the specifications…… If either party complies strictly with the terms of the contract, such problems will not arise. If there are issues on site, the first step is to refer to the terms stipulated in the contract; any changes must be implemented in strict accordance with the relevant regulations, and any modification plan will involve investment costs. It is necessary to specify in the contract which party is responsible for fulfilling the relevant terms. An oral statement without a signature is nonsense; it must under no circumstances be used as a basis for a binding agreement. . . . . Another point to note is that one should not generalize from a single example or be blinded by a single detail. Everything should be handled in accordance with the contract as much as possible; oral agreements are worthless – never trust them. As for the rest, as long as there is a market, it’s a matter of individual power; money can make even the smallest people do work – that’s the principle behind it.