Positioning a Residential Firm to Compete for Public Projects
Challenge
A six-person studio in Tucson, Arizona, with a portfolio of private residences, approached us with the ambition to win institutional and civic work in the region. They had only completed one public building: a small birdwatching pavilion in Southern Arizona.
Strategy
Future–Future developed a communications strategy to position them for larger-scale work, target public clients, and speak to their focused priorities like advancing institutional missions, stakeholder engagement, capability to deliver high-quality projects, and cost-and-schedule control.
We leveraged the firm Principals’ legacy projects, installed processes to chase public work such as RFQ/RFP response and interview presentation templates, and identified opportunities to promote their birdwatching pavilion.
Execution
Future–Future prepared the firm’s submission for the US Pavilion’s call for entries for PORCH: An Architecture of Generosity at the 2025 Venice Biennale, which frames their birdwatching pavilion as a porch that brings communities together.
Our narrative focused on the pavilion’s civic impact and spirit of generosity. It described how the project replaced a temporary birdwatching tent built by the Paton family in their backyard, turning it into a permanent public porch.
Results
The firm’s project was selected for exhibition at the US Pavilion—an opportunity we capitalized on to launch communications campaigns and generate new business opportunities.
We fielded an RFQ for a birdwatching center in Henderson, Nevada, released shortly after, focusing the content on their inclusion in the Venice Biennale for their birdwatching pavilion, resulting in them being the only out-of-state firm shortlisted and subsequently winning the project.
How Future-Future Can Help
Future–Future advises on how firms communicate their identity, position themselves to identify new project opportunities, cultivate new markets, and win new work. Our communications and PR efforts work in tandem with the firm’s commercial objectives, delivered as part of an integrated service offering. We have collaborate with architects to develop proposals for a range of project opportunities, including governmental, institutional, commercial, and private projects worldwide, ensuring that proposals are as convincing as possible.
Our comprehensive RFP strategy for architects includes:
Audit of past proposals
Tracking RFPs and competitions globally
Go/No Go Evaluation
Close reading and research
Competitive positioning analysis
Messaging strategy
Teaming strategy and brokerage
Editorial guidance
Special content production (eg: focus pages)
Competitive fee consulting
Interview presentation, editorial direction, and coaching
