How to find orders for design work. Business for the designer - design firm

* Calculations are based on average data for Russia

Once, the job of an engineer was considered low-paid and not at all prestigious. However, these days the situation has changed dramatically. Good professionals get decent wages and are worth their weight in gold. However, sooner or later, many of them get tired of working for someone else's uncle, and they think about opening their own design organization. Overall, this business is considered profitable but challenging, especially for newbies. Regardless of whether you have experience in this area or you are just in the process of acquiring it, you should start with the development detailed business plan, which takes into account all costs, determines the payback period and the expected profit, assesses the prospects for its development.

Project organization is a profitable business

A project is a temporary enterprise that is designed to create unique products, services, or the results of such work. A project organization, in turn, is understood to be an organization whose main activity is the implementation of projects. Moreover, its main expense item is personnel costs. Design organizations include research institutes, design bureaus, design institutes, development companies and suppliers. software, design bureaus, audit, appraisal and consulting companies, etc. In each of these cases, the result of the organization's work is a specific project - a report or article on the research, technological, project or design documentation, prototype, a report, an advertising campaign, etc. All such seemingly different companies are united by the fact that the main part of their expenses is the costs of maintaining a project team (although, for example, equipment costs can also be significant).

First you need to decide what specialization your office will have. This, in turn, depends on the types of design work that you intend to do. Let's figure out what types of work are performed by design organizations. This can be an individual (control) and standard design or the development of individual solutions and regulatory documents. Individual design is the development of design and estimate documentation in a certain order established by SNiP 1.02.01-85: in one stage - a working project or in two stages - a project and working documentation... The design company has the right to conduct engineering surveys and quality control construction works; design in the field of construction (residential buildings, commercial real estate, etc.); design in the field of architecture; technological design... Do not forget that you need to obtain a license to carry out design activities.

The profitability of this type of business can reach 20-30%.

Licensing of project activities

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The procedure for obtaining a license to carry out project activities depends on its scope. Of course, the most profitable thing, of course, is to draw up projects for geological exploration, which are drawn up taking into account the complexity of their implementation, the protection of subsoil and the environment. But it is impossible to enter this market without great experience and extensive connections, so we will consider the licensing procedure construction business, which is also profitable and highly competitive, but still more “real” for a young project company. The construction industry includes the construction of wooden houses, decoration and repair work, the construction of new reinforced concrete structures, actually design and survey activities. According to the law, you have the right to obtain a license to conduct this activity as legal entities and individual entrepreneur(an individual registered in tax office as a private entrepreneur).

The types of licenses, even within this area, are also different. They can be issued for design, survey, engineering and assembly work, for the construction of structures from various materials ... Since we are interested in design, then for a license for this type of activity you need to apply to State Committee for Construction and Housing and Communal Services RF. The license represents itself authorization document and an appendix listing the work that the receiving organization can do. If you are applying for a license for the first time, then the maximum validity period will be three years. If you apply again, then in this case you will be able to issue it for five years. For beginners, there are also restrictions on certain activities. It is removed only after three to four months from the beginning of work.

After working for some time, you can apply to expand the list of types of licensed work. It is not so easy to arrange all the documents. To begin with, your organization must meet fairly strict requirements that apply to both staff and computer equipment and special programs for work. A minimum of two design specialists must be involved in any design work. Moreover, at least one of them must be a full-time employee of your company. Moreover, the total length of service in the specialty of this employee should be at least three years, which is confirmed by the submission of a copy of his work book... Computer equipment used to work on projects must meet all technical requirements. It goes without saying that all programs installed on your computers must be licensed.

The list of documents for registration of a construction license includes a notarized copy of the Certificate of registration of the enterprise; a notarized copy of the company's Articles of Association; a notarized photocopy of the certificate of the Inspectorate of the Ministry of Taxes and Levies on registration; a notarized copy of a certificate from the State Statistics Committee on the assignment of codes; a notarized copy of the memorandum of association (if any).

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If there were changes in the constituent documents, then you will also need to provide a certificate of changes in them (notarized). In addition, the bank details of the enterprise will be required; the actual address of the enterprise and the contact telephone number of the management body; information about the qualification structure of the enterprise (indicating the position, full name, education, length of service). For registration of qualification certificates, it is advisable to provide photocopies of diplomas, passports, certified by the seal of the company. Do not forget also about the lease for the office and the certificate of ownership (photocopy).

The procedure for submitting documents involves several stages:

preparation of a package of documents;

payment of official payments;

submission of documents to the Federal Licensing Center;

obtaining a license.

After you submit the complete package required documents for registration of a license, their verification is assigned, and after two to three weeks the applicant receives either a positive or negative decision of the inspection.

However, the difficulty of obtaining a license for design work lies not only and not so much in meeting all the requirements for this type of activity. Although by law economic activity for the design of construction objects is subject to licensing, often in practice, obtaining the necessary permission is a very long and expensive process, for which you need to be prepared. If you do not have experience in obtaining a license, then it is better to contact a law firm for help, which will take care of all the preparation and submission of documents.

We open a design office

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As a suitable organizational and legal form for conducting project activities, either LLC (an organization with limited liability), or LLP (limited liability partnership) with a standard charter. LLP is a kind economic organization created by agreement of legal or individuals by pooling their contributions in cash or in kind. This option is easier to register, but it has its pitfalls. Be sure to study all the nuances before submitting documents. Decide in advance on the tax regime. The most advantageous is the tax regime based on a simplified declaration. You can register a company yourself, without resorting to the services of intermediaries. But it is advisable to first consult with a lawyer in order to choose the best option for you and insure yourself against possible problems in future.

Even at the stage of obtaining a license, start looking for a suitable place for the office of your company. Most entrepreneurs consider mainly premises in the city center. However, in large cities it is worth considering the option of renting an office in one of the developed "sleeping" areas. The main thing is the availability of a nearby car park and a convenient transport interchange. In the city center, the rental price may turn out to be unreasonably high, and due to constant traffic jams in work time not all of your potential clients will find it convenient to get to your office. It is desirable that the office be spacious enough - from 50-60 sq. meters. It can be standard - with division into offices or organized according to the open space principle - with low partitions separating workplaces, or without them in one room at all.

Focus on the reception area. Don't force your visitors to look for free chairs and a seating area. Place comfortable armchairs or a sofa, provide a table at which you can drink coffee or tea and discuss a future project with the customer. It is possible that earlier design organizations were associated with state institutions. However, now they, like other companies operating in the service sector, have to fight for each client, constantly improving their level of service.

To arrange an office, it will be necessary to purchase (or rent) office equipment - a copier, fax machine, printers, telephones and computers, as well as furniture and office supplies. Ideally, you should also buy a projector and screen for presentations and project presentation to the customer. Do not forget about special literature and regulations... Even if all this is freely available on the Internet, it does not hurt to have paper copies that are more convenient to use.

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However, in the first place is still not the interior of the office, the convenience of its location and equipment, but the qualifications of the personnel working in it. Very high requirements are imposed on the employees of the design organization. If you plan to practice project activities in the field of construction, then the staff of even a small firm will include a chief engineer, chief architect and individual project specialists. All your employees must mandatory have a specialized higher education and extensive work experience in the specialty (at least three years, and for managerial positions - 5-10 years). When hiring a chief architect, keep in mind that he must have a license issued by the Union of Architects. Before starting work, all your specialists must undergo pre-license training, confirmed by a qualification certificate.

Good highly qualified employees with extensive experience are the key to the success of your company in the market. Finding those will not be easy. The only way to lure high-value specialists from other organizations is to offer them higher wages. Thus, it is the fund wages will become the most significant expense item when opening a project company.

Promotion of the design organization

Of course, such services are not in mass demand, but they are still in high demand. Consider the specifics of this business when designing your marketing campaign. The usual means of advertising in this case will not work. As a last resort, you can try to place print ads in specialized publications, if available in your city. But it's still better to focus all your attention (and funds) on online promotion. Develop your site, fill it with thematic articles, order from specialists to promote it in search engines. Groups in social networks Like traditional advertising, they will not give you a large influx of customers, since they are not "inhabited" by your target audience at all.

As for word of mouth, in project business recommendations, of course, play a big role. But, firstly, you should not rely on them at the very beginning of your work, and, secondly, even later, you still cannot do without investments in advertising, which must be taken into account when planning your expenses in the long term. However, this is not at all a reason not to care about the quality of your services and the good name of your company.

The project business is highly competitive. Advertising and promotion of your services will be the second largest expense item (after payroll). Let's be honest: even if the best specialists work for you, you still can't do without connections. Many companies have dedicated employees who are responsible for developing and maintaining such relationships with high-ranking officials.

One more important factor- the cost of your services. Analyze prices for similar services from your direct competitors. You shouldn't underestimate your prices to the detriment of your own benefit. Is not The best way conducting a competitive struggle that is not beneficial to all market participants, except, perhaps, the customers themselves. But if you charge high prices for your services, you must be able to justify them so that your customers agree to overpay and get the best result.

Expenses and incomes of the project organization

The main expenses that will be required to open your own design bureau consist of the following items: rent of premises (from 40 thousand rubles per month) selection of personnel search - from 10 thousand rubles (cost of services of specialists in the field of personnel selection, posting vacancies on specialized sites); remuneration of specialists - from 100 thousand rubles per month (the exact amount depends on the region, state, qualifications of employees); acquisition necessary equipment- from 100 thousand rubles; expenses for processing the necessary documents for work - from 70 thousand rubles; marketing expenses - from 20 thousand rubles per month. Although design belongs to the service sector, due to the high cost of the services of good specialists, which you cannot do without in this business, as well as additional costs not mentioned above, but inevitable if you are counting on large orders, opening such an organization will require large start-up capital. For this reason, the partnership option is most often used, when participants contribute their funds in exchange for a certain share of future profits.

Your first million.

Today in Russia, if you really want to make money, it is to make money, and not to indulge yourself with illusions about the "fall in money" lying on the bed, or sitting at the computer, you can only in the area that is in demand. The question immediately arises: what is relevant today? Where and how - you ask. I’ll say right away: I don’t think that you can make enough money (well, everyone has their own “ceiling”, and the concept of “money” too) selling ice cream (if you don’t have your own factory for its production, otherwise it’s not a business, but simply resale), the organization of "hotels" for pets, the organization of various questionable (in terms of payback) "production", such as: the production of candles, calendars, etc. We will aim at the leading area in terms of production: Construction! So, to the point!

Design firm.
Conditions: You have a computer, Internet access, e-mail, you know what Word and Excel are, you are able to speak technically competently. The latter is necessary, since, in the end, you can hire a hungry student of a technical university, preferably a construction worker. This completes the preparatory period, let's get down to action!

Now we need a Customer! I will not say that it is easy to find a Customer, but you can find one if you wish. There are several ways, here is one of them: go to the public procurement website and see who won a particular tender (auction) for design. Don't be intimidated by numbers with many zeros! You have not grown up to them yet! Look for within 2-3 million rubles. Find several firms that have won a particular design tender. Now you need to call them and offer your services on subcontracting for a symbolic cost, while telling and describing what orders you have carried out and what you can do. Believe me - you can do EVERYTHING! (but more on that later).

The fact is that not all design firms have a full staff of employees, and it happens that there is no one to do any section of the project documentation, that is, there is no specialist. And you have to look for a specialist on the side. This is where you appear with your proposal. Having discussed all the issues with the General Contractor, namely: which section you are given, deadlines, discussing working points, such as registration, etc.

You retire to do your job. It is worth noting that government orders for design are usually laid out in early spring or winter, rarely in autumn. This is done so that the company that undertakes to make the project can complete the work by the beginning of the construction season, that is, by the summer.

It is not a fact that you will find a company that will immediately give you an order. In this case, there is a second option to find a job: in any locality, there is an architecture department under the administration. You have a direct road there. Usually civil servants, who are forbidden to have side earnings, open a “home firm” at their department. Most likely, your administration also has such a company.

There is a lot of design work in the architecture department, believe me! And so it turns out that they give the work to themselves, do it during working hours, and have a good salary. But the trouble is: not all jobs can be handled. Well, since you can do everything (about this in the second stage, I will explain why you can do everything), then go ahead!

The third option to find an order already requires small investments... Place an advertisement in print media that you provide services for the design of residential buildings. A small digression: by law, any design organization must have membership in an SRO (this is something like a license to carry out a certain type of work), but there is a small loophole with which this law can be circumvented. The fact is that during the construction of buildings (private houses, for example) up to three storeys inclusive, project documentation as such is not required. That is, it is not subject to special verification.
It is with the help of this loophole that we will design houses for individuals, for cash. True, in this case, you will still have to fork out for an A3 format printer (about 11 thousand rubles) for printing finished projects... This is how, using all three methods of finding customers, you can find a job. Well, now directly to the performance of the work, using the example of what you were given to earn on subcontracting.

Let's move on to the second stage. At the second stage, you go to the Internet, look for forums on our topics, register on these forums and post an ad for freelancers. Believe me, offers will not be long in coming.
On the very first day, several applications will come. You negotiate the terms on which they agree to work, choose the most profitable for you, issue the TOR received from the General Contractor and wait. Depending on the amount of work, the terms are up to a week, especially if the section is quite large, then preliminary sketches are in progress, requiring agreement with the General Contractor.
Your freelancer will send you intermediate work options, you show these results and agree with your customer. It is not necessary to issue the results of the work, albeit preliminary, in the format of AutoCAD files. Ask to send them to you in pdf format. So it will be calmer both for your mercenary and for you.

Well, the task is finally completed. You are paid, you, in turn, are paid with your virtual worker. Usually, depending on the object and the amount of work performed (the number of sections performed), the amount that remains in the bottom line can reach 100-150 thousand rubles. This is only from one object, and who prevents one more object from being led in parallel ?! Over time, having gained experience, and having already opened your own company with a current account, you will be able to take the General Contracting yourself, but that's another story.

Anastasia

I would like to start designing residential and public buildings, but this question scares me: "Where can I find a customer?"

How much do you want for your work?

Anastasia, we are struggling with this question ourselves :-). Especially "fun" has become this autumn. Even the prospective Customers

decided to "wait". Our approach: Professionalism, sorrow, mobility, accessibility. But you don't always need to be led by the Customer or the Contractor. Success, colleague!

Denis, please tell me what exactly interests you? Such issues are discussed in person and at the meeting! I can assure you that the company's services are not expensive!

Mikhail, tell me what is the name of your company and what city are you in? If it's not a secret, of course? And how do you go to the customer, or does he find you?

It has become more difficult to find customers for R&D. Our design organization is in a similar situation. Construction funding fell sharply. Try to actively promote the organization's advertising, participate in forums, exhibitions, conferences. Go to budgetary sources, take part in the auction :-), and, finally, the main thing - you do the work efficiently and on time: often new customers are located in front of your old customers. Success

I agree with Edward. The main thing is to do your job with the highest quality. We have no problems with our customers, although they have never given them any advertising or promoted. Our advertising is our job.

And one more question. Designing what? What sections? Architecture, engineering? Each area has its own specifics.

I see two types of designers in my life.

The first, sit in a good office, receive good money for the order, which is, as I assume, a form of bribe for the necessary subsequent approvals and permits.

The second ones are those to whom the first ones send the received TK for design. Moreover, the former are not able to figure out what the latter will write. The second ones are far from seven spans in the forehead, but, apparently, the cheapest on the market. A normal designer does not fit into this scheme. I look with amazement at the construction sites of Luzhkov. Despite the obviousness of his interests, I must admit that the project team working for him consists of people capable and willing to work. I have never come across such. A bit enviable. The chain supermarkets had to have a lot of design work. I do not take Auchan and Crossroads. Little cheap "Pyaterochki", "Kopeyki", "Avoski", they should develop despite the crisis.

through friends

I agree, but this is an option

Anastasia Martynyuk The answer is to you personally. I don’t know in what area are you specifically a specialist, designer or architect? But I can advise a sensible thing, go away from this region, absolutely seriously and no kidding. If you are still in Krasnodar! All those tips that you have been given or will be given for "G". Krasnodar are absolutely useless, I worked there for about 8 years. Therefore, I know firsthand about the distribution system of objects, and what is obliquely about the private sector, then even if you turn inside out, you will surpass Gaudi (if you are an architect) and just do "bend" at work working day and night money normal for life will not earn. The approach there is completely different. Everyone wants for free, or very very cheap, and the amount of work is maximum! Well, the Kuban customer does not understand what a designer has to pay for, here are the santikhniki or tilers, yes, and the work is visible (in meters), and you can feel it! And then some "pieces of paper" "pictures" are these designers hating, why should they pay money?