The “Revit to Reality” panel brought together designers, reps, manufacturers, distributors, and contractors to unpack one of the lighting industry’s most persistent challenges: aligning design intent with real-world procurement and construction realities. The session opened with a detailed walkthrough of the lighting procurement process by Carrie Hawley, who clarified the interdependent roles of owners, architects, consultants, reps, manufacturers, distributors, and contractors. Her overview emphasized how design decisions ripple through budgets, availability, lead times, and construction phasing—reinforcing the importance of precise specifications and well-documented intent.

Panelists highlighted recurring issues such as value engineering, substitutions, unclear documentation, and the difficulty of providing accurate pricing early in the design process. They also addressed the complexity of line-item pricing versus package pricing, noting in particular how the Boston market’s “package model” differs from other regions, influencing cost structures and coordination workflows.

A major theme was the need for earlier and more intentional collaboration. Designers were encouraged to introduce budget pricing during DD and CDs to minimize late-stage surprises. At the same time, all parties stressed the value of transparent communication throughout the lifecycle—from conceptual design through installation. This includes proactively discussing constraints, sharing updates, and aligning expectations across the entire chain.

Contractor insights further underscored the reality of value engineering pressures and how better partnerships with design teams can reduce conflict, rework, and uncontrolled substitutions. The panel closed with industry-wide action items and a shared commitment to ongoing conversations that help bridge the gap between Revit models and built results.