Engagement letters and fee variations, signed first
Confirm the appointment with locked terms, and agree every additional service in its own letter before the work starts.
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In QuoteCloud an engagement letter is a document with the services, fees and terms of engagement as locked library blocks, signed online by the client. When the scope changes, a fee variation letter prices the additional services at your hourly rates, shows the revised fee and is signed before the extra work starts.
A sample additional-services letter, AS-02, from a fictional practice, Fenwick Arden, open in the signing view on a tablet: council amendments to the driveway with a resubmission (14 hours at $190, $2,926.00) and the design of a home office in the garage (9 hours at $190, $1,881.00), each shown as agreed and as varied, then the original fee of $143,715.00, the earlier landscape concept letter AS-01 and the revised fee of $153,142.00 including tax, with no change to the programme. The client, Nadia Okoro, then signs on the screen in person and the button changes to Signed.
The fee, one signed letter at a time
The Okoro house from the signed fee proposal to today. Every change in scope went out as its own numbered letter that states the fee before and after, so the final account starts from figures the clients signed.
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9 Mar
FA-2405
Agreed fee
Fee proposal signed
Both clients signed fee proposal FA-2405 with the renders ticked, and paid the 10% retainer.
Agreed fee$143,715.00 -
June
AS-01
+$4,620.00
Landscape concept added
The clients asked for the landscape concept they had left out, priced as in the proposal.
Fee after AS-01$148,335.00 -
14 Sep
AS-02
+$4,807.00
Council amendments and a home office
A revised driveway for the council and a new room for the clients, both at the project architect's hourly rate.
Fee after AS-02$153,142.00 -
Next invoice
Revised
+$9,427.00 since signing
What the practice invoices next
The signed letters are added to the next monthly fee invoice, raised in your accounting software.
Revised fee inc tax$153,142.00
Each fee variation is a separate QuoteCloud document from your fee letter template, and your team writes the fee before and after into it. QuoteCloud does not total letters across documents or invoice them.
The appointment, and every change to it
Three documents for one commission: the letter that confirms the appointment, a fee variation, and the fee proposal whose rates price it.
Client agreement · Architectural services
Engagement letter · Okoro house
This letter confirms our appointment as architects for your new house and sets out the services, fees and terms agreed in fee proposal FA-2405.
Terms of engagement
- ServicesThe services in fee proposal FA-2405, stages 1 to 4, and the additional services you selected.
- Fees & invoicingInvoiced monthly in proportion to each stage completed, payable within 14 days.
- Additional servicesAgreed in writing before the work starts, at the hourly rates in the fee proposal.
- Copyright & licenceWe keep copyright in the design; you have a licence to use it to build this house on this site.
- Professional indemnityWe hold professional indemnity insurance for the project and for six years after it.
- Suspension & terminationEither party may end the engagement on 14 days' written notice; fees are payable to that date.
Terms of engagement that read the same on every job
Services, fees and invoicing, additional services, copyright and licence, professional indemnity, suspension and termination: six clauses from your library, with the term running from signing to practical completion.
- Clauses as Company library blocks, locked so they can't be edited (Business)
- Who may edit templates and the library set by role
- Signed online by one or both clients
Content locking: Business plan
Content lockingThe council asked for a revised driveway and resubmission, and you asked us to design a home office in the garage.
| Change | In the agreed scope | Now | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Council amendments | One planning submission | Revised driveway and resubmission, 14 h at $190 | +$2,926.00 |
| Garage home office | Not in scope | Design and documentation, 9 h at $190 | +$1,881.00 |
- Agreed fee
- $143,715.00
- Variation AS-01 · Landscape concept
- +$4,620.00
- This variation (AS-02)
- +$4,807.00
- Revised fee inc tax
- $153,142.00
- Effect on time
- No change to the programme
Signed before the extra work starts. Fees invoiced with the next monthly invoice.
Each additional service in its own signed letter
What was agreed, what changes and why, who asked for it, the price of each change at your hourly rates and the revised fee, then the client's signature before the work starts.
- Numbered letters from one fee letter template
- The fee before and after, written into each letter
- Signed online or in person, with an audit trail
Fees by work stage
Estimated construction cost$1,450,000
| Stage | Time | Basis | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brief & concept designSite analysis, brief review, two concept options | 4 wks | Fixed | $16,500 |
| Developed designPlans, sections, elevations and a materials palette | 6 wks | 2.25% | $32,625 |
| Technical design & documentationConstruction drawings, specification, consultant coordination | 10 wks | 3.5% | $50,750 |
| Tender & contract administrationTender, site visits and certificates to practical completion | Build | 1.75% | $25,375 |
| Total fees ex tax | $125,250 |
- Hourly rates for additional services
- Principal$260/h
- Project architect$190/h
- Graduate & drafting$130/h
Stages 2 to 4 are a percentage of the estimated construction cost, adjusted to the accepted tender price. Work outside this scope is charged at the hourly rates, agreed in writing first.
Hourly rates the client agreed up front
The fee proposal set the stage fees and the hourly rates for anything outside them. Every fee variation prices extra work at those rates, so the number in the letter is no surprise.
- Fixed and percentage stage fees
- Principal, project architect and graduate rates
- Additional services agreed in writing first
The changes that become additional services
Scope moves for many reasons. Each one gets its own letter before the work is done.
Authority changes
A council or building approval authority asks for amendments, extra reports or a resubmission.
Client changes
A new room, a different kitchen or a revised brief after the design was agreed.
Extended contract administration
The build runs past the programme and site visits and certificates continue.
More consultants to coordinate
A heritage, acoustic or fire engineer joins the team and needs coordinating.
Put your terms of engagement in QuoteCloud
Free for 14 days, no credit card required. Send us your engagement letter or fee letter template and we'll convert one for you free during the trial.
Additional services
No extra work before a signature
Unagreed extra work is where fee disputes start. A letter priced at agreed rates and signed before the work begins settles it while everyone still remembers why.
Signed at the site meeting, or online from the link
Choose the signer, open the signing view and hand the client your tablet at the site meeting. Or send the letter, as Fenwick Arden did with AS-02, and the client signs in a browser on any device, with no account.
Add both clients as signers, each with their own signature block, and ask for a one-time passcode before signing if you want one. Every signed letter carries a certificate of authenticity and an audit trail.
- Sign in person on your phone or tablet
- Several signers on one letter
- Activity shows when it was opened and signed
eSignatures: every plan
Free eSignaturesApprove the additional services
Nadia Okoro · Client
Signed in person · 14 Sep, 9:20 am
Additional services AS-02
- Fee variation
- +$4,807.00 inc. tax
- Revised fee
- $153,142.00 inc. tax
Certificate of authenticity and audit trail attached
Activity
- Fee letter openedNadia Okoro
- Signed by Nadia OkoroCertificate of authenticity attached
How to agree an additional service
Five steps from a change in scope to a signed fee letter.
Record the change
Open your fee letter template and write what changed, why, and who asked for it.
Price it at your rates
Price each change at the hourly rates in the fee proposal, as agreed and as varied.
State the revised fee
Show the original fee, earlier letters, this letter and the revised fee, and any effect on the programme.
Check it if it's large
Over your threshold, a director approves the letter first (approval workflow, Business).
Signed before the work
The client signs online or in person. Invoice the work from your accounting software as it's done.
Engagement and fee variation questions, answered
Can we send an engagement letter or client agreement from QuoteCloud?
Yes. Build your engagement letter as a template with the services, fees and terms of engagement as text blocks, and create one for each new commission. The client signs it online with a legally binding eSignature, on any plan, and the signed letter carries a certificate of authenticity and an audit trail.
Can terms of engagement be locked so nobody edits them?
Yes, on the Business plan. Save clauses such as copyright and licence, professional indemnity and termination as Company content in the content library and lock them. Locked blocks can be used in every letter but not edited, and custom roles decide who can change templates and the library.
How do we agree additional services before doing the work?
Create a fee variation or additional-services letter from your template. State what changes and who asked for it, price each change at the hourly rates in your fee proposal, and show the fee before and after. The client signs it online or in person before the extra work starts.
Should we revise the engagement letter or send a new fee letter?
Before it is signed, Revise Last Version makes a new revision and keeps the original in the document history; revisions and version history are on the Business plan. Once the appointment is signed and work has started, a separate numbered fee letter for each change is usually clearer.
Does QuoteCloud invoice the fee variations?
No. QuoteCloud records the signed letter; your team invoices the additional services from your accounting software, for example with the next monthly fee invoice. A payment can be taken on signing through Stripe or PayPal, but QuoteCloud does not bill stages, instalments or later invoices.
Is a QuoteCloud engagement letter legally binding?
QuoteCloud eSignatures are legally binding and eIDAS compliant, with 256-bit encryption and an audit trail. Whether your terms of engagement suit a project is for your practice and its advisers: QuoteCloud provides the document and the signature, not legal advice or contract wording.
Before and after the appointment
The fee proposal that leads to it, the library that holds its terms, and the reports that follow.
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Staged fee proposalsFees by work stage, as a percentage of construction cost, fixed or hourly, with additional services the client ticks.Explore
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Practice templates, clauses & specification libraryBranded templates for every office, standard clauses and specifications in a locked library, and roles.Explore
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Site inspection, defect & status reportsSite visit and defect reports with marked-up photos, and project status reports with the programme and next steps.Explore
- Specifications & product schedulesFinishes and product schedules with codes, images and locations, and sample approvals the client signs.
- Tender responses & capability statementsMethodology, team, insurances and a fee schedule from your library, approved before it goes out, exported as a PDF.
- Building condition & compliance audit reportsRatings, marked-up photos, findings and priced recommended works in one report the client accepts and signs.
- Equipment, plant & asset inspection reportsMechanical, fire and electrical asset lists with condition scores, remaining life and a maintenance schedule.
- Design reports & option studiesOptions side by side with images, plans, comparison tables and a fee for each, and the client's choice signed.
- From recommended works to signed worksTurn an audit's recommendations into priced options the client ticks and signs inside the report.
- Approvals, review & client sign-offFee proposals approved by a director before they're sent, and reports the client accepts with a legally binding signature.
- CRM, accounting & project tool integrationsOpportunities from your CRM, fees to Xero or QuickBooks, and appointed projects to your project tools.
- Architecture & engineering templatesReal QuoteCloud templates for architecture, interior design, engineering and building services work.
- QuoteCloud implementation for practicesTemplates converted, fee scales and clauses loaded, roles, approvals and training for every studio.
- FAQAnswers to the questions architects, engineers and specifiers ask most.
Every extra agreed before it's drawn
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