Multi Outcome Construction Policy (final report)

work at another level at times, and we are very technical about things, and so theydon’t quite understand that it is not just leave a space out there, and things like that, itis not as easy”. However, Project Architect 1 stated that interacting early with theartist team was really important to achieving an integrated building artwork.According to the Project Architect 1, “Distance is also another issue. The remotenessof building locations and make the process a little bit more difficult. The problem ofdistance is then compounded when the implementation team is uncoordinated”Summary of CostsThe actual percentage of funding involved in Percent for Art is the most obviousdirect cost involved in the implementation of the Percent for Art scheme. In line withthe observations made in the previous section, additional costs are generated via thescheme’s contribution to low contestability, high asset specificity and high taskcomplexity involved in contracting for the provision of public art.The low contestability of Percent for Art contracts was borne out in the interviews –particularly with artists who argue that in order to tender for government projects inthe Percent for Art scheme successfully, a range of additional skills need to bedeveloped. However, competition is increasing as more and more artists becomeaware of the funding opportunities and see the potential of earning income fromgovernment contracts. In the absence of quantitative data, the extent of increasedcompetition has yet to be determined. Qualitative data suggests that competition isincreasing, and artists are finding it more difficult to get work.Limits on contestability are, however, also a formal feature of Percent for Art policy,in that there is a short list of artists and their proposed artwork. This feature of thescheme may be justified by a concern to minimize the transaction costs associatedwith reviewing a large number of proposals. The risks of low contestability are alsoreduced by having the Art Coordinators scan the art environment for new work.112