Product Specification Supply/Delivery
When commencing a project it is important to have a time frame as this can dictate what products you as a designer can specify. As interior design is an international concept and a major fashion statement, there are thousands of companies world wide offering their product to you via agencies or distributors. They often only stock a few colors/sizes of a range and rely on you the specifier to factor the delivery time into your project. This is called indent. It means that a product is available but it has to be ordered and shipped from its manufacturers destination.
Sometimes this is not a problem if you have lead in times and can confirm that there won’t be any changes or alterations to the drawings/ project. There is also a high level of risk as they may send the incorrect product or you may require more e.g. for tiles – some may arrive broken. This can severely alter the completion time of a project. So remember to take this into consideration when you get swept off your feet by a beautiful imported product.
This not only occurs with indent product but for local product at times. When specifying anything, always make the time for a quick phone call to the supplier to check the amount of stock available and they will often allow you to put it on hold for a nominated period of time. This cuts out any problems that may occur once the project has started and allows you as a designer to keep your design integrity. The last thing you want is to have to alter or compromise your scheme by substituting another product/color as you have not done your job and checked on stock availability. It can disappoint the client (as they are already visualizing the finished effect) and leads you to make hasty choices due to timeframes and pressure for substitutions from the contractors.
Remember – time spent on preparation and investigation saves you time later and keeps the project running smoothly and harmoniously. This creates the best result possible for your client, which is your sole objective at the end of the day.
