RIBA Chartered Practice accreditation is applicable for any size of practice whether you are a sole practioner, medium sized business or large practice, it is designed to help you improve your business effectiveness and performance. It also provides a quality assurance to potential clients and the wider construction industry - accreditation to the scheme confirms that your business is committed to excellence in design and service delivery; something that may give an RIBA Chartered Practice the edge over the competition.

But the benefits for RIBA Chartered Practices go much further than this and are constantly being added to keep increasing the value of the scheme.

Promotion and marketing benefits

RIBA Chartered Practices will be endorsed and promoted by the RIBA, and will benefit from the following: 

• Use of the RIBA Chartered Practice insignia on letterheads, signboards and other promotional materials; a mark of your quality signalling your practice is RIBA accredited
• Client nominations from the RIBA Client Services team; unbiased, personalised nominations service used for free by over 6,000 clients in 2008. The service only nominates RIBA Chartered Practices
• Entry in the Online RIBA Chartered Practice Directory; fully searchable and an opportunity to showcase your portfolio
• Entry in the specialist RIBA Sector Reviews with an opportunity to publish your projects.

 In key areas. These reviews are distributed to key stakeholders within each sector

• Entry in the RIBA Chartered Practice Printed Directory 'the list'; a national directory of   RIBA Chartered Practices distributed free to targeted clients
• Enhanced and discounted RIBA Yellow Pages advertising; with tens of thousands of searches for architects and architectural services a month, the RIBA is well positioned to ensure Chartered Practices receive greater exposure than the rest
• Discounted website development; 'RIBA Microsite' is the flexible website development being offered to RIBA's Chartered Practice members through partner supplier Acefolio – an excellent opportunity for new practices to have a web presence
• Receive quarterly publication of Chartered Practice newsletters dedicated to RIBA Chartered Practices
• Promote your practice at major exhibitions and conferences; throughout the UK and internationally
• Receive discounts; on the use of RIBA meeting rooms, presentation suites and venue hire.

Preferential business serviced benefits

 

RIBA Chartered Practice accreditation demonstrates to potential clients that you operate efficient business management systems and appropriate risk management procedures.

 

The RIBA offers a range of services to support its members which maximise business effectiveness and performance. These include:

• RIBA Chartered Practice Benchmarking Service; compare your performance against the profession and your peers, giving you an objective assessment of areas critical to your success and allowing you to identify new business areas, staff training issues and best practice
• Access advice on employment and HR areas such as payroll and health & safety through a comprehensive online and telephone consultancy service
• RIBA Quality Management Toolkit; quality assurance guidance designed to assist architectural practices of all sizes
• The RIBA Environmental Policy Guide; designed to help practices reduce their carbon footprint, improve recycling and reduce reliance on packaging and the effects of their designs
• Downloadable Health and Safety Policy Template; based on the general needs of a typical architects' needs
• Receive discounts on a range of personal insurance policies and service designed to meet architects' needs
• Encourage recruitment and retention of quality staff, and be acknowledged as a good employer, with the use of the Employment Policy Guidelines and Model Employment Contracts
• Receive preferential rates on a range of business services, including;
• Access accurate and realistic construction cost information and estimates based from the UK's most comprehensive building cost database BCIS (Building Cost Information Service)
• Build and maintain an effective website and exploit your portfolio online with discounts to website development and maintenance service
• Business skills training
• Stay up-to-date with the latest UK and international competitions with a free subscription to the RIBA Competitions Hotline newsletter.
• Organise and secure business visas and immigration for employees with advice from Global Visas
• Find your next employee with discounted rates for job adverts with RIBA Appointments.

 

Taking advantage of the savings on just one of these services can be worth more than the annual Chartered Practice registration fee.