"With great power comes great responsibility," said Uncle Ben to Peter Parker in the legendary Spider-Man story.
Outsource architectural design has indeed a great power (saving costs, time, and headaches), but we only enjoy it if we know how to do it right.
That's why we made this guide to show, after many years of experience, how to do architecture outsourcing without failing in the attempt.
First and foremost: Understand what you CANNOT outsource
Start by understanding what you can outsource and what you cannot.
There are three questions that help us understand if it is convenient to work with an outsourcing architecture firm:
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Is it a strategic role in my business?
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Can someone do it remotely?
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Is there a considerable cost saving?
1. Is it a strategic role in my business?
If it’s a strategic role (such as CEO, CFO, COO, etc.), outsourcing is definitely not a good idea.
If it's a non-strategic role, like most positions in a company, outsourcing architectural design can be a good option.
For example, is a great idea to outsource architectural drafting services, like AutoCAD and BIM related ones.
2. Can it be done remotely?
If the role absolutely requires physical presence to visit clients or constant interaction in the office with your team, it's best to hire internally.
If the role can be performed remotely (like most positions in the architecture industry), then you should consider architecture outsourcing work.
3. Is there a considerable cost saving?
If the savings are more than 15%, you should consider architectural design outsourcing.
For example, at Gleky, we offer architectural outsourcing services and our clients typically save 39% compared to hiring a US-based candidate.
Interested in learning more? Request a free consultation.
Here are the typical roles that can be outsourced, including outsource AutoCAD and BIM, and the typical savings from our experience at Gleky:
| Role | Average Savings |
|---|---|
| Landscape Designer | 36% |
| Commercial + Residential Architect | 37% |
| BIM Architect | 38% |
| Interior Architect | 36% |
| Urban Planner | 41% |
| Revit Architect | 41% |
How architectural outsourcing works
There is a lot of confusion here, and it’s understandable. In recent years, many terms like Outsourcing, RPO, and Staff Augmentation have emerged, making it hard to distinguish between them.
Let's start by defining outsourcing.
What is outsourcing? It's simply hiring an external company to perform tasks that would otherwise be done internally.
There are four main types of outsourcing your architecture firm can use, especially with architectural outsourcing companies:
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RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing)
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Managed Services
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Staff Augmentation
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Project-Based Outsourcing
Let's dive into each one.
1. RPO
Recruitment Process Outsourcing is when a company outsources all or part of its recruitment process to a specialized external provider.
This is very convenient if your main problem is finding candidates urgently for architectural outsourcing services.
However, if you need a more comprehensive service (which is often the case), the best model is Staff Augmentation, which we will discuss next.
2. Staff Augmentation
What is Staff Augmentation? It is temporarily hiring external professionals to supplement the internal team.
It’s like RPO but involves bringing in people who will work within your culture as if they were employees.
This is usually the best model for several reasons:
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You can hire an architect who fits right into your team’s dynamics and culture.
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You can save more than 40% on payroll.
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You can find someone much faster, similar to RPO.
In summary, it's like hiring someone to work in your team but with the savings and flexibility of outsourcing.
Interested in learning more? Schedule a free call with our founder.
3. Managed Services
Managed Services is an outsourcing model where a company hires an external provider to manage and take full or partial responsibility for certain services, such as enterprise architecture outsourcing.
For example, you might delegate the entire landscape architecture area or the CAD design area of your company to an architectural cad services company.
In the architecture industry, this is only viable if you are outsourcing non-core functions (like accounting or marketing personnel).
But outsourcing an entire core area of your business is simply a bad idea, no matter how much you save.
4. Project-Based Outsourcing
This involves hiring an external company to carry out a specific project with a defined start and end.
It’s very common when a company needs to outsource CAD drafting services for for a short amount of time.
For example, if you have an unexpectedly large project that your current team can’t handle, outsourcing architectural drawings on a project-based model can be a great option.
Which is the best model for outsourcing architectural drafting services?
If your priority is to get talent quickly and quality isn't a major focus, we recommend RPO.
If you need help in areas not directly related to your core business (for example, you're not hiring an architect), we recommend the managed services model.
Finally, if you are hiring an architect and want the highest quality while maintaining significant savings, the staff augmentation model is ideal.
At Gleky, we specialize in this! Schedule a free call with our founder to discuss how hiring an architect from South America can help you take on more projects and save up to 60% on payroll.
Where to Outsource Architectural Services
Now that we have decided what to outsource and determined the most useful model, the next step is understanding where to do it.
Basically, there are three main options:
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United States
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Latin America
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Asian countries (Philippines and India)
United States
Outsourcing within the United States is useful only if you need to outsource a function that requires physical presence, such as site visits.
For all other cases, it is much more expensive, and the savings you achieve might be so small that it’s not worth it.
Latin America
Outsourcing to Latin America has all the same benefits as outsourcing to Architectural outsourcing companies in the Philippines or India, but with some additional advantages in certain cases.
The common benefits are basically two:
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Lower costs.
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Large talent pools.
And the unique advantages can be summarized in three groups:
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Same time zone: Latin America shares the same time zone as the United States. This means higher productivity, as meetings at 5 PM will be at the same time for the person you hired, not 2 AM as in India for example. This is especially useful if you’re doing staff augmentation.
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Greater cultural similarity: At the end of the day, we are on the same continent, and the Latino population in the USA is quite common, making it much easier to connect and work together.
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Better Language Skills: Some Latin American countries have such strong English skills that many companies outsource their sales to them. This is a big advantage.
So, unless you need to hire for roles outside of architecture, we recommend outsourcing architectural services to Latin America.
If you’re interested in doing this with us, click here and schedule a free conversation with one of our founders to discuss your business.
What company to partner with
We’ll keep it brief. Recently, we published the ranking of what we believe are the best Architecture Staffing Agencies in 2024 and, more importantly, how to choose the right agency for you.
TL;DR: If you're looking for an agency that specializes in the AEC industry and offers savings of up to 60% per person in your own timezone, we recommend working with us (Oh, what a surprise! Not).
With us, interviews are free, so it's a zero-risk option, so maybe it’s a great idea to schedule a quick chat and discuss your business.
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How to outsource.. and how not to
Here's what’s most important.
There are three things you must avoid at all costs and three things you should look for in your outsourcing arrangements.
90% of the problems we've seen come from doing one of the things to avoid or not considering one of the things to do.
Things to Avoid at All Costs
The things you should try to avoid in all cases are:
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Hidden costs
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Double roles
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Language barriers
1. Hidden Costs
Many companies have a confusing cost structure, and you end up paying more than you thought.
Extras for overtime, special projects, vacations, and similar items are often on the list.
The simpler the cost structure, the better.
For example, at Gleky, we make a profit from the monthly payment the client makes to the architect: they pay us the agreed fee, and from that payment, we pay the architect and take our profit.
There are no other costs, either before or after. The only thing you pay every month is the architect's monthly salary.
2. Double Roles
If the person working with you is also working on other projects, it’s a huge red flag.
Ask for exclusivity. This means hiring full-time (which we know isn't always easy), but it’s the best way to ensure your project is their only commitment.
3. Language Barriers
Never accept candidates who are not fluent in English.
When you can communicate fluently with someone you're working with, your productivity skyrockets.
Look for partners who have a strict language filter, and you’ll save yourself many headaches.
At Gleky, we have a vetting process in which candidates must demonstrate an English level equivalent to Cambridge's C1 level, which is considered advanced.
Things to Always Look For
Finally, the things every ideal partner should have are:
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Flexibility to terminate
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Regular performance reviews
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Specialization in architecture
1. Flexibility to Terminate
If you have to give three months' notice to fire someone, outsourcing becomes harder than hiring an employee.
You need less than 30 days' notice (ideally 15) and no termination fees.
By ensuring these things, you have a huge advantage over other companies.
2. Regular Performance Reviews
It's essential that the company you work with conducts detailed follow-ups with you and the employee.
Most importantly, these reviews should be frequent.
Ideally, the company should ask you once a month in the first few months how the person or team you outsourced is performing.
3. Specialization in Architecture
You need a partner who knows all these things not from reading this post but from experiencing them.
It’s easy to think any agency knows these things, but many of them arise only in the AEC industry.
For example, if you need architectural CAD services or are thinking about Revit architecture outsourcing architectural BIM modeling services outsourcing, you need to work with an expert.
The more niche the company, the better.
At Gleky, we are a niche company. We only focus on the architecture and engineering industry and always will.
Interested? Let's schedule a call to understand how we can help you get the best talent and save 60% on payroll.
