How to get interior design product sourcing right

Vivek Agrawal is a global sourcing expert and founder of Arcedior – a curated products platform with 500+ brands spanning 30 countries

-  Vivek Agrawal

Sourcing is one of the most difficult critical and difficult phases of an architecture and interior design project.

It’s because sourcing is not a single-person job; it involves suppliers, contractors, and third-party vendors. Moreover, from selecting goods to shortlisting them, to placing an order, to installing and mounting them, every phase has several intricacies.

Here’s how to get interior design product sourcing right, following the steps below:

Set a budget and review it

Setting a budget before interior design product sourcing is important to assign enough capital for each department and avoid unnecessary expenditures.

Here’s how you can set a budget: Recognise the needs of the business in terms of procurement. This would require listing down the goods and services requirement. Then calculate the estimated cost based on the requirement. Consider the costs of delivery, installation, mounting, and other related charges.

Outline the areas where you can cut costs and save money.

Finally, set a budget and set aside a fixed buffer. You can come always back to the budget for a review whenever the demand expands.

Prepare all purchase orders

If the need is clearly established, purchase orders can be made with more ease. However, the work before placing the purchase order requires expertise.

Here’s what you can do: Identify the right sourcing platform for the specific needs. Go through the product catalouges and shortlist the items as per the requirement. Request a quote from the sourcing expert. Get the quote reviewed by the internal team and establish if it suits the budget.