Interior designers navigate a dynamic landscape. Time, resources, and client requirements must all be carefully balanced to ensure a successful interior design project – and in the busy world of interior design, FF&E procurement is an often-overlooked hero.
In this blog post, we will explore what procurement entails, the challenges of FF&E procurement, and why having a dedicated procurement specialist is not just advantageous but a strategic necessity for interior designer.
What does procurement mean?
In simple terms, procurement is defined as the action of obtaining – this could be physical items, digital goods, or services. The procurement process is key to the success of a project, requiring careful planning and management to meet deadlines and budgets.
What is FF&E procurement?
FF&E procurement stands for Furniture, Fixture and Equipment. It is a process used by interior professionals from interior designers to businesses, encapsulating the purchase of all the objects within a space that are moveable – sofas, floor lamps, rugs, tables, and more.
Why is procurement important to interior designers?
The role of an interior does not end at client briefs, mood boards, and 3D renderings. Bringing this vision to life requires months of hard work to find and purchase items required for a project. If a living room interior design project requires a new sofa and coffee table, then procurement is the process of acquiring these pieces – and while this definition may seem simple, the bigger a project gets, the more complicated the process can become.
Procurement is important to interior designers for many reasons: client satisfaction, budget requirements, timelines, and logistics. A delayed item can cause a project to fall behind, severely impacting client confidence, and poor organisation can be financially devastating.
Interior designers must be specific with their purchases; if a client requests a particular colour, finish, or material, their interior designer must ensure this requirement is met. Procurement therefore requires extensive knowledge and expertise to be efficient and effective, with rigorous organisation, negotiation, and strategy all playing a key role in the process.
Why use a procurement specialist?
Interior designers have a lot to consider: their margins, design work, taking on new clients, updating existing clients, and marketing their services. Procurement is an additional task to add to an already overwhelming amount of work, but it is an essential step of the process. Ignoring the importance of procurement will result in missed deadlines, annoyed clients, a huge potential loss of revenue.
There are software options to manage procurement, but even with these technology aids, it is still a complicated process to navigate – requiring knowledge, expertise, and a serious time commitment. The other option is adding a procurement team to your business, which can be costly and take time to get established.
This is where procurement agents come in. We take on the hassle of procurement, ensuring the FF&E for your projects are delivered on time and within budget. Design Space has decades of experience as a procurement specialist with clients around the world, from solo interior designers to large design studios.
What is a procurement fee?
Procurement specialists charge a fee for their services. This covers the time spent sourcing items, negotiating with suppliers, and chasing up the process of manufacturing. Although hiring a procurement specialist may seem like just another expense for your project, it is important to consider that procurement specialists often reduce the overall project expenditure due to the close relationships they maintain with suppliers, brands, and partners. This close relationship brings in higher discounts that interior designers may not be able to access independently – lowering the overall cost to your business.
Additionally, procurement specialists save interior designers time in the long run by removing the mammoth task of procurement and making more time for focus on the money-making aspects of your business: networking, signing new clients, and producing incredible design work.
So, why hire a procurement specialist?
Procurement is a fundamental part of the interior design process. Your hard-earned clients deserve to benefit from the expertise of a procurement specialist, and you deserve more time to focus on the money-making aspects of your business. By hiring a procurement specialist, we can unlock access to exclusive suppliers, pricing, and customisation options to take your clients to the next level.
Interested in our FF&E procurement services? Contact us to find out how our procurement specialists can supercharge your interior design business.