How I would compare two design proposals

Put the scope on one page

Take a blank sheet and make a column for each proposal. Write down the stages included, what you receive at each stage and anything described as optional. Keep the language simple. If you cannot explain an item in your own words, ask the designer to explain it.

The exercise is useful because a missing item is not necessarily a problem. It may be deliberately outside the current appointment. What matters is knowing who will deal with it and when you will need to make that decision.

• Which stages are included in the proposed appointment?
• What is excluded or dependent on further information?
• Who coordinates the other people involved?

Ask what working together will feel like

A proposal should help you understand the conversation you are signing up for. I would ask who your main contact will be, how feedback is collected and how you will know a decision is needed. Those details matter when you are fitting a project around work and family life.

Try a simple hypothetical question: what happens if we look at the first layout and realise our priorities have changed? Listen for a clear explanation of how the team would discuss the change and confirm the next step. You are looking for an understandable process, rather than a promise that nothing will ever change.

• How will we review ideas together?
• How are changes to the agreed work discussed?
• What information do you need from us before starting?

Look for evidence that answers your questions

Photographs can help you decide whether you connect with a team's design work. They cannot tell you everything about the experience of getting there. I would also look for feedback that discusses communication, collaboration and how the team worked with others.

Read that feedback alongside the proposal. A comment from a client and a comment from a consultant offer different perspectives. Neither replaces a direct conversation about your own priorities, but both can give you better questions to ask.

• Look for work relevant to the type of project you are considering.
• Read the detail of feedback rather than relying only on a rating.
• Ask the team to explain how their proposed approach fits your brief.

Make the decision with the gaps filled in

Before choosing, send each team your remaining questions and ask for a clear written response. Then revisit the fee alongside the scope, the working relationship and the support you understand you will receive.

My preference is for a client to begin with a clear sense of what we have agreed and why. If you are still unsure what a proposal means, that is a worthwhile conversation to have before moving forward.