Unfortunately, whether or not VE happens is not the purview of the architect. Beyond being as clever as possible about where to cut costs and make suggestions accordingly, they don’t decide if their developer client does VE or not. And if it’s a multi-res project, then you can be quacking sure it will be VE’d.
Was more of a general 'they', as the client probably would have gone with a lower end firm if value was their priority. And the design's not that complex to begin with.