Traditional contract: project brief
This stage is concerned solely with preparing the project brief, the key document upon which the design will be based.
[edit] Starting the work stage and appointing additional members of the consultant team if necessary.
The client updates the business case and project execution plan to reflect comments made at the end of the previous stage. The lead consultant then co-ordinates a start-up meeting attended by the consultant team and the client to issue the revised project execution plan (and business case or part of it if appropriate), to pass on comments made at the end of the previous stage, and to agree the programme for the stage.
The consultant team or the client may identify a requirement to appoint additional consultants or specialist designers. Go to work stage: Traditional contract: appointment.
[edit] Preparing the project brief.
The client and consultant team discuss the required contents of the project brief and consider who the consultant team may need to consult in the preparation of the project brief. It may be appropriate to prepare a project directory of contact details and perhaps a stakeholder map.
The client informs user panels, champions and other stakeholders that will be involved in the development of the project brief that they should make time available to meet with the consultant team. The lead consultant co-ordinates the consultant team to carry out consultations with user panels, champions and other stakeholders and feeds back the outcome of consultations to the client.
The lead consultant co-ordinates the consultant team to prepare a draft project brief.
The client begins preparing, or arranges for the consultant team to begin preparing, a site waste management plan (if required). At this stage, this is a means of recording decisions made to minimise the consumption of resources and to minimise the generation of waste.
The cost consultant highlights areas of potential cost savings and areas of potential cost problems apparent in the draft project brief and prepares an elemental cost plan. The client considers advice from the cost consultant and instructs the consultant team to amend the draft project brief if necessary.
The client issues the revised project brief to the user panels, champions and other stakeholders who may propose further revisions. The client considers the proposed amendments and instructs any necessary revision of the project brief.
If necessary the client revises the business case and project execution plan. This might include: additional value management and risk assessment exercises, re-assessment of the budget and re-assessment of the procurement route.
The project brief is issued to user panels, champions and other stakeholders who may have further involvement in the development of the project.
The client confirms that funding is available and that there is still stakeholder support for the project, and considers whether to proceed to the next stage.
Featured articles and news
Editor's broadbrush view on forms of electrical heating in context.
The pace of heating change; BSRIA market intelligence
Electric Dreams, Boiler Realities.
New President of ECA announced
Ruth Devine MBE becomes the 112th President of the Electrical Contractors Association.
New CIAT Professional Standards Competency Framework
Supercedes the 2019 Professional Standards Framework from 1 May 2025.
Difficult Sites: Architecture Against the Odds
Free exhibition at the RIBA Architecture Gallery until 31 May.
PPN 021: Payment Spot Checks in Public Sub-Contracts
Published following consultation and influence from ECA.
Designing Buildings reaches 20,000 articles
We take a look back at some of the stranger contributions.
Lessons learned from other industries.
The Buildings of the Malting Industry. Book review.
Conserving places with climate resilience in mind.
Combating burnout.
The 5 elements of seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu and shitsuke.
Shading for housing, a design guide
A look back at embedding a new culture of shading.
The Architectural Technology Awards
The AT Awards 2025 are open for entries!
ECA Blueprint for Electrification
The 'mosaic of interconnected challenges' and how to deliver the UK’s Transition to Clean Power.
Grenfell Tower Principal Contractor Award notice
Tower repair and maintenance contractor announced as demolition contractor.