The RFP Reality Check: Why You Should Mandate a Design-Build Experiential Design Firm
Key Takeaways:
- The Silo Problem: Why separating design and build leads to budget drift.
- Feasibility Checks: The value of having an engineer in the room during the concept phase.
- Accountability: How a single point of contact eliminates the "blame game."
- Speed: Integrated teams can pivot faster when deadlines loom.
It is that time of year. You are drafting the Request for Proposal (RFP) for your Q3 and Q4 activations. You have the marketing goals, the dates, and the budget. Now you have to decide who to hire.
Traditionally, brands have split this process. They hire a creative agency to dream up the concept, and then they bid out the fabrication to a separate shop to build it. On paper, this looks like due diligence. In reality, it is often a recipe for disaster.
As an experiential design firm that handles both design and fabrication under one roof, we have seen the fallout of the disconnected model too many times. Here is why your next RFP should mandate a design-build approach.
The Cost of "Value Engineering"
In the traditional model, the agency pitches a stunning concept. The brand falls in love with it. Then, the drawings are sent to a fabrication shop for pricing.
This is where the heartbreak happens. The fabricator looks at the design and says, "We can't build this for that budget."
Suddenly, you are in a panic cycle of "Value Engineering." You start stripping away the premium finishes, simplifying the lighting, and shrinking the footprint. The final product ends up being a watered-down version of the rendering you bought.
When you hire a unified design-build firm, the estimator and the designer sit next to each other. We validate the budget while we are designing. If a material is too expensive, our team of experts finds a creative alternative immediately, not weeks later. We design to the number, so the rendering you approve is exactly what gets built.
Eliminating the Blame Game
Construction and installation are complex. unexpected challenges happen. A loading dock is smaller than reported. A material is back-ordered.
When you have separate partners, challenges turn into finger-pointing. The builder blames the designer’s specs; the designer blames the builder’s execution. You, the client, are stuck in the middle, mediating an argument while the clock ticks down.
With the Oetee model, there is zero degrees of separation. If there is a problem, it is our problem. You have one phone number to call. We don't waste time assigning blame because we are too busy solving the issue. We believe positivity promotes progress, and that is much easier to maintain when everyone is on the same team.
Creative Feasibility from Day One
Agencies are great at big ideas. But they often lack the technical knowledge of physics and logistics. We have seen concepts that look beautiful in a 3D render but would require a structural engineer and a permit that takes six months to acquire.
By integrating fabrication into the design phase, we ensure feasibility. We know the weight limits of the venue. We know how wide the doors are. We know which materials are fire-rated for indoor use.
This doesn't stifle creativity; it focuses it. It means we spend our creative energy on ideas that can actually exist in the real world.
Speed to Market
The business landscape moves fast. Sometimes you don't have six months to plan. You have six weeks.
The relay race of handing off drawings from agency to shop creates friction and drag. Questions have to be emailed back and forth. Approvals stall.
An integrated workflow is a sprint. We can start ordering long-lead materials while the final graphics are still being tweaked. We can prototype a mechanism in the morning and refine the design by the afternoon. When speed is the priority, the design-build model is the only logical choice.
Don't let your concept get lost in translation. Hire the firm that builds what they draw. Let’s Work Together.
