As I mentioned in a previous blog, I have a builder who is thinking of getting on the LEED for Homes bandwagon and he wants me to be the LEED consultant. I have already drafted up a quote for services which includes a set fee for the preliminary work (i.e. charrette preparation and facilitation, etc.) and then I was going to charge him by the hour for project management stuff after we complete the charrette.

However, my gut says that this is part of the problem with the old model of building. I’ll quote something from Natural Capitalism (Paul Hawken):

“One reason that buildings are inefficient is that the compensation paid to architects and engineers (and in this case, me –the consultant) is frequently based directly or indirectly on a percentage of the cost of the building itself or of the equipment they specify for it. Designers who attempt to eliminate costly equipment therefore end up with lower fees…

…An obvious remedy for this mess if for a developer to stipulate a positive incentive for achieving efficiency. Pilot projects launched by Rocky Mountain Institute in 1996-97 are now testing how much more efficient buildings can become if their designers are rewarded for what they save, not what they spend. Through simple supplementary contracts, designers would keep a portion of several years’ measured energy savings as a bonus fee. Rewards can also be balanced with penalties for poor performance. The incentive can also be paid partly up-front and partly several years later, trued up to measured savings, so the designers have the right inducement to see that their intentions are fully realized in construction, commissioning, training, and operation. Like a Chinese “wellness doctor,” they could even be paid a small performance-based fee for attending to sustaining and improving the building’s performance throughout its life”

My question to you is: Do you know of anyone who is consulting with this type of fee structure? If not, could you recommend anyone I could contact who might be able to help me think about how to accomplish this for my own practice?

Many, many, MANY thanks!