It is my understanding that design competitions are free. I'm not sure why Lewisham Council think they are too expensive.

Surely getting innovative, costed design by pitching one firm against another to see what is possible is great value. How many surveys have the council done on the site so far? How many times have they changed their mind? How much did that cost? How many meetings did the council have?

Here are the guidelines from RIBAS own website:

Guidelines for clients

Types of competition
Today, the format of an architectural competition is determined by the requirements of the client and the specific project. Each competition is tailored to individual needs.

There are 2 distinct forms of competition:

* to find the right architect or design team for a project
* to find the most appropriate design solution for a project.


Finding an Architect
Finding the right architect is usually done through Competitive Interview. This process is relatively quick and is especially suited to projects where the appointed architect is required to help the client develop the project brief.


Finding a Design Solution
Finding the most appropriate design solution requires a detailed brief to be issued to all participants to enable comparative design submissions to be made.


Standard Competitive Processes
There are many tried and tested competitive processes which enable a client to select either an architect or a design solution:


* Competitive Interview to find the right architect
Expressions of interest are requested from registered architects, with a shortlist being selected for interview. Only a broad project brief is required, and a commitment to build.
* Open Ideas Competition
This is run to identify a range of possible design solutions, against a broad conceptual brief, with no commitment to build.
* Open Project Competition to find a single design solution
Often a 2-stage competition, open to all registered architects with a detailed project brief and a commitment to build.
* Invited Competition to find a single design solution
Restricted to selected architects, with a detailed project brief and a commitment to build.

Tailor-made Competitions
The beauty of the competitive process is that it is completely flexible and can be adapted to meet the specific requirements of each client, and each project. Many clients choose to combine the design competition with the competitive interview. By introducing an interview element into the design process, the client is able to determine the likely working relationship with the competing design teams. Adapting the competitive process to the needs of individual clients is a skill that is intrinsic in the service offered by the RIBA Competitions Office.

RIBA Approved Competitions
An RIBA Approved Competition indicates to contestants that the Institute is involved in the management of the competition and that the competitive process conforms to best practice standards. Only competitions which are approved by the Institute can be associated with the RIBA name and logo.

To find out more about the RIBA Competitions process please request a copy of the Guidance Notes for Clients by completing the online request form.