the arc spekt should also provide you with contact sfartion for clients from past projects and i've devoted a separate page to how you can interview those clients. you also want to ask the architect about their capacity for timely performance. you know, is there present combination of staff size and workload adequate to get you what you want in the time you want it? it's very tempting to take on more work than you can handle, but i think most architects would stop short of misrepresenting their ability to handle the work as you need it handled. you want to take about the fee arrangement and the fub would be details such as what are the billing rates, do you remember require a retainer on the fee, what are the terms of payment? and finally it's useful to know if an architect carries professional liability insurance. many don't. there are many clients and many projects where it is either more or less important but it's a good question to ask and you want to ask about the policy limits and whether they have a good claims history. generally speaking, an architect's former clients will be happy