Free template
Architecture proposal template, scope to signature
A proposal for architectural services laid out the way owners read it: your understanding of the project, the scope in the five AIA phases, what is excluded, how you charge, the schedule and the terms. Read every section here, or download the editable Word file.
By Camila BruggerFounder and CEO
What a proposal does, and when to send it
The proposal goes out after the first conversations with a client and before the agreement is signed. It is where you define the job: what you will do in each phase, what you will hand over, what is not included, what it costs and how long it takes. A clear scope is also your protection: it is the page you point to when the project changes.
It is not the contract. The terms that govern the work live in the agreement, whether that is AIA Document B101 or your own form. Writing the scope in the same five phases as B101 makes it easy to carry into the agreement.
The five phases of basic services
Under AIA Document B101, basic services are performed in five phases. This is what happens in each one and what the client typically receives, based on AIA's own description. B101 calls the last one the construction phase; many firms call it construction administration.
| Phase | What happens | What the client receives |
|---|---|---|
| Schematic design | You confirm the owner's goals and requirements, research zoning and code limits, and study the concept. | Site plan, floor plans, sections, an elevation, images or models, and an estimate of construction cost. |
| Design development | The approved scheme is developed, with the structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and architectural details laid out. | Floor plans, sections and elevations with full dimensions, door and window details, outline specifications. |
| Construction documents | Drawings and specifications are carried to the detail a contractor needs. | A set with the information the contractor needs to price and build the project. |
| Procurement | Bid documents go out to contractors, bids are evaluated or negotiated, and the contract is awarded. | A construction contract between owner and contractor. |
| Construction administration | You help the contractor build the project as specified and answer questions as they come up. | Site visit reports, answers to RFIs, submittal reviews. |
The template, section by section
14 sections, from the cover letter to the signatures. Text in [brackets] is a placeholder. The gray guidance in the Word file is for you: delete it before you send.
1. Cover letter
How to fill it: One page. Thank the client, restate the project in a sentence, say why your firm fits it and what you need from them to start.
Dear [Client name],
Thank you for the opportunity to propose architectural services for [Project name] at [Address]. Based on our conversation on [date], we understand you want to [one sentence on the goal of the project].
Our team has delivered [number or type of similar projects], including [one relevant example]. This proposal sets out our understanding of the project, the services we will provide in each phase, what is not included, our fee and the schedule.
To begin, we need [signed proposal or agreement, retainer, survey, program]. We look forward to working with you.
[Name], [Title], [Firm name]
2. Project understanding
How to fill it: Restate what the client told you, in your words. It shows you listened, and it is the baseline you will point to if the scope changes later.
- Project type
- [New building, addition, renovation, interior fit out]
- Site
- [Address, lot size, existing conditions]
- Size
- [Gross square feet, levels]
- Program
- [Main spaces and uses]
- Budget for the cost of the work
- [$ amount, as provided by the client]
- Target schedule
- [Start of design, start of construction, move in]
- Approvals needed
- [Zoning, planning review, historic review, building permit]
- Known constraints
- [Easements, setbacks, phasing, occupied building]
3. Scope, phase 1: schematic design
How to fill it: Research and concept. Agree the program, check zoning and code limits, and develop the design until the client can approve a direction.
- Review of the program, site information and applicable zoning and code requirements
- [Number] design options, narrowed to one approved direction
- Site plan, floor plans, [sections and elevations]
- [Renderings, model views or physical model]
- Preliminary estimate of the cost of the work [by our firm or by the client's estimator]
- [Number] review meetings with the client
4. Scope, phase 2: design development
How to fill it: The approved scheme, developed and coordinated. Dimensions, materials and the structural and MEP systems get defined.
- Floor plans, sections and elevations with full dimensions
- Door and window details and outline specifications of materials
- Coordination of structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems [with consultants engaged by our firm or by the client]
- Updated estimate of the cost of the work
- [Number] review meetings with the client
5. Scope, phase 3: construction documents
How to fill it: The drawings and specifications a contractor needs to price and build the project, and the permit submission.
- Construction drawings and specifications for pricing, permit and construction
- Building permit submission [included or excluded]
- Responses to plan review comments, up to [number] rounds
- Coordination of consultant drawings into one set
- [Number] review meetings with the client
6. Scope, phase 4: procurement
How to fill it: Getting the project priced and a contractor selected, by competitive bid or negotiation.
- Preparing the bid or proposal documents
- [Help the client prequalify and invite contractors]
- Answering bidder questions and issuing addenda
- [Reviewing bids and helping the client select a contractor]
7. Scope, phase 5: construction administration
How to fill it: Supporting the client while the contractor builds. Define how often you visit and how many submittals and RFIs are covered, because this is where hours run over.
- Site visits, [frequency or number of visits]
- Review of shop drawings and submittals
- Responses to requests for information (RFIs), [with a target turnaround]
- Review of the contractor's applications for payment
- Change orders and construction change directives
- Punch list at substantial completion and final completion review
- [Record drawings from the contractor's markups]
8. Deliverables summary
How to fill it: One table the client can scan: what they receive at the end of each phase, and in what format.
Deliverables summary Phase Deliverables Format Client review Schematic design [Plans, concept images, preliminary estimate] [PDF] [Written approval to proceed] Design development [Dimensioned drawings, outline specifications] [PDF] [Written approval to proceed] Construction documents [Permit and construction set, specifications] [PDF, CAD or model files] [Written approval to issue] Procurement [Bid documents, addenda, bid review] [PDF] [Contractor selection] Construction administration [Site reports, RFI responses, submittal reviews] [PDF] [Ongoing] 9. Additional services
How to fill it: Services you can provide but that are not in the fee above. AIA's B101 separates basic services from supplemental services, agreed at signing, and additional services that come up as the project moves. Name them now so a later request is a conversation, not a dispute.
Additional services Service Included Available for an added fee Programming and space planning [Yes or No] [Yes or No] Existing conditions survey or as built drawings [Yes or No] [Yes or No] Interior design and furniture selection [Yes or No] [Yes or No] Renderings beyond [number] [Yes or No] [Yes or No] Sustainability certification [Yes or No] [Yes or No] Redesign after a phase has been approved [Yes or No] [Yes or No] Record drawings [Yes or No] [Yes or No] 10. Exclusions
How to fill it: What your fee does not cover. Specific beats general: a client reads an exclusion list to find out what else they must buy.
- [Land survey and geotechnical investigation]
- [Hazardous materials testing and abatement design]
- [Permit, plan review and impact fees]
- [Engineering disciplines not listed in the scope]
- [Changes to approved work requested by the client or required by others]
11. Fee and compensation
How to fill it: Pick one basis for the basic services and delete the others. AIA's own instructions for B101 list a stipulated sum, a percentage of the cost of the work and other methods such as hourly rates, and state that AIA makes no recommendation between them.
- Option A, fixed fee
- [$ amount] for the basic services above
- Option B, percentage
- [#]% of the cost of the work, estimated at [$ amount]
- Option C, hourly
- At the rates in [Schedule A], estimated at [$ amount], not to exceed [$ amount] without written approval
Fee and compensation Phase Share of the fee Amount Schematic design [#]% [$] Design development [#]% [$] Construction documents [#]% [$] Procurement [#]% [$] Construction administration [#]% [$] Total 100% [$] - Additional services
- [Hourly rates in Schedule A, or a fee agreed in writing before the work starts]
- Reimbursable expenses
- [Printing, travel beyond a set distance, fees paid on the client's behalf], billed at [cost or cost plus #%]
- Invoicing and payment
- [Monthly, in proportion to the work done], due within [#] days
- Retainer
- [$ amount], applied to the final invoice
12. Schedule
How to fill it: Your time and the client's review time, phase by phase. Showing client review separately makes clear who owns each delay.
Schedule Phase Our duration Client review Target completion Schematic design [# weeks] [# weeks] [MM/DD/YYYY] Design development [# weeks] [# weeks] [MM/DD/YYYY] Construction documents [# weeks] [# weeks] [MM/DD/YYYY] Permit review [By the jurisdiction] [Not applicable] [MM/DD/YYYY] Procurement [# weeks] [# weeks] [MM/DD/YYYY] Construction administration [Construction duration] [Not applicable] [MM/DD/YYYY] 13. Terms and conditions
How to fill it: Either attach your standard terms or state which agreement form the proposal will become part of. Keep the business points here and the legal language in the agreement.
- Agreement form
- [AIA Document B101, our standard agreement or the client's form]
- Ownership and use of documents
- [Who owns the drawings and models, and the client's license to use them]
- Insurance
- [Professional and general liability coverage]
- Limitation of liability
- [As agreed with your insurer]
- Termination and suspension
- [Notice period and payment for work done]
- Proposal validity
- [#] days from the date above
14. Acceptance
How to fill it: Both signatures and dates record that the client accepted the proposal. If a separate agreement will follow, say so here, so nobody reads the signed proposal as the whole contract.
Acceptance Row Client Architect Company [Client company] [Firm name] Name and title [Name, title] [Name, title] Signature [Signature] [Signature] Date [MM/DD/YYYY] [MM/DD/YYYY]
Fee structures, explained without the numbers
AIA's instructions for B101 list a stipulated sum, a percentage of the cost of the work and other methods, including hourly rates, and state that AIA makes no recommendation between them. This page does not suggest percentages or rates either: they depend on building type, location, scope and market, and a number without your data behind it would be a guess.
| Method | How it works | Fits when | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed fee (stipulated sum) | One amount for a defined scope, often billed by phase as the work progresses. | The scope is clear and unlikely to change. | Every change needs a written additional service, or the fixed fee absorbs it. |
| Percentage of the cost of the work | The fee is a set percentage of the construction cost, so it follows the budget as the project grows or shrinks. | The budget is known but the design will evolve with it. | Define what counts as the cost of the work, and which estimate you bill against until the real cost is known. |
| Hourly | Time is billed at agreed rates, often with an estimate or a not to exceed amount. | The scope is uncertain: early studies, existing buildings, additional services. | Clients want a ceiling. Give an estimate and report hours every month. |
Proposal habits that keep scope where you put it
Restate the project in your own words
The project understanding section is the baseline for every later conversation about scope. If the client reads it and nods, a change is easy to name as a change.
Count everything you can count
Design options, review meetings, renderings, site visits, rounds of plan review comments. A number in the scope turns an open promise into a service with an edge.
Write exclusions as a list
One line per item, specific enough that the client knows what else to buy: survey, geotechnical report, permit fees, consultants you are not bringing.
Show the client's review time
Put your duration and the client's review time in separate columns. When a phase runs late, the schedule already shows whose clock was running.
Ask for written approval at the end of each phase
A signed schematic design is the line that separates refining the design from redesigning it, which is an additional service.
Put an expiry date on it
Your availability and costs change. A validity date lets you revisit the fee if the client comes back months later.
Won the project? Staff the construction documents.
WorldTeams builds remote architecture teams for US firms, so you can take on the work you propose: drafters, BIM modelers and project architects who join your team and work in your standards.
Questions, answered
What should an architecture proposal include?
A cover letter, your understanding of the project, the scope of services by phase, the deliverables, additional services and exclusions, the fee and how it is billed, reimbursable expenses, the schedule, the key terms and a place to sign. Organizing the scope by the five phases of basic services in AIA Document B101 makes the proposal easy to carry into the agreement.
What are the phases of architectural services?
AIA Document B101 divides basic services into five phases: schematic design, design development, construction documents, procurement, and construction. Schematic design settles the concept, design development adds dimensions, materials and systems, construction documents give the contractor what it needs to price and build, procurement selects the contractor, and the construction phase, often called construction administration, supports the owner until completion.
How do architects charge for their services?
The common bases are a fixed fee (a stipulated sum), a percentage of the cost of the work, and hourly rates, sometimes with a not to exceed amount. AIA's instructions for its B101 agreement list these and other methods and make no recommendation between them. The right one depends on how well defined the scope is and how much it is likely to change.
What is the difference between a proposal and a contract?
A proposal is your offer: scope, fee, schedule and key terms, sent for the client to accept. The contract is the signed agreement that governs the work, such as AIA Document B101 or your own form, and it covers liability, ownership of documents, termination and disputes in detail. You can attach the accepted proposal to the agreement as an exhibit. Have your attorney review both.
What should an architectural proposal exclude?
List everything the client might assume is included but is not: land survey, geotechnical investigation, hazardous materials testing, permit and plan review fees, engineering disciplines outside your scope, renderings beyond a set number, and redesign after a phase is approved. AIA's B101 treats services that come up as the project proceeds as additional services, and naming them up front keeps a later request from turning into a dispute.
Can I use this template with an AIA contract?
Yes. Its scope follows the five phases of basic services in AIA Document B101, and the terms section asks you to name the agreement form the proposal will become part of. This template is not an AIA document and does not replace one: AIA Contract Documents are licensed by AIA, and your attorney should review the agreement you sign.
Sources: AIA Contract Documents, Summary of B101-2017; AIA Contract Documents, Instructions for B101-2017; AIA, Defining the architect's basic services.
Last updated September 23, 2026.