Negotiating with Authorities
Especially in larger construction projects, dealing with authorities is unavoidable. In today's article, we'll describe our approach. Generally speaking, due to the astonishingly long construction permitting process in the Czech Republic—one of the longest in the world—negotiating with authorities is often the less enjoyable part of building a new home or apartment. Although we have been in the field for nearly two decades, it's often hard to predict how long the negotiations will take, what the outcome will be, and what surprises will come our way, as well as for you as the investor. Given that it's difficult to anticipate the outcome or an exact timeline, it usually involves a series of compromises and navigating through various regulations, decrees, and standards. In the architect's workload, dealing with construction authorities is often the least creative task. And despite the tremendous effort of many people involved, it often does not yield satisfying results.
Long ago, we at OOOOX used to handle these negotiations with the authorities ourselves. Looking back, it was a wilder time when 'favors' were a common occurrence, and we often didn't even realize that an official was expecting something extra to expedite our request. That's why we decided to hire experts and leave the dealings with authorities to them. We prefer to focus on design, which we believe is our stronger suit, rather than correspond with the building department.
Fortunately, things can be handled differently today. We have a specialist who takes care of all communication with the authorities, updating us periodically and submitting any adjustments required by individual offices. The advantage is that right from the start, our specialist advises us on the most feasible course of action for your specific case, whether it's a renovation or a demolition, to streamline the permitting process. This way, we can anticipate local nuances, as complications with different offices tend to crop up depending on the area. And there's always at least one problematic office to deal with.
How do we proceed in this phase, where we are both designing and negotiating your project with the building department? From the start, we consult continuously throughout this phase. There's nothing worse than having a completed, expensive set of documents rejected by officials because, for example, a local community group disapproves. We've found that consultation during the study phase works as an ideal model. While it may extend the timeframe of the study itself, it ensures that we won't face rejection later on. Interestingly, the officials appreciate being involved so early in the process, and some even feel like they are contributing to the design. This allows us to guide the discussions in the direction we need, even when faced with multiple, sometimes nonsensical, options. It's always a compromise, but we manage to maintain our original intent. Subsequent negotiations are thus simplified. With our wealth of experience in this area, we won't design your project in a way that would lead us into years of endless battles with bureaucrats while you just wait and pay. Our initial designs already take into account what is possible or likely to be approved by the relevant authorities. All that remains for us is to navigate the project through without unnecessary complications.
by Radka - 10. 8. 2023