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Fee proposals for architects, priced stage by stage

Fixed fees, a percentage of construction cost or hourly rates for each work stage, with additional services the client ticks and a retainer paid when they sign.

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In QuoteCloud an architect's or engineer's fee proposal is an interactive document. Each work stage is a price-table line, priced as a fixed fee or as a percentage of the estimated construction cost with Percentage and Formula columns. Additional services are optional rows the client ticks, and they sign online and pay a retainer.

Three pages of a sample fee proposal from a fictional practice, Fenwick Arden, for Nadia and Sam Okoro's new house, fanned out and taking turns at the front. First, the fees by work stage: brief and concept design as a fixed fee of $16,500, then developed design, technical design and documentation, and tender and contract administration at 2.25%, 3.5% and 1.75% of a $1,450,000 construction cost, $125,250 in total, with hourly rates underneath. Second, the same stages in a price table with additional services, the 3D visualisations ticked: $143,715.00 including tax. Third, both clients signed and the 10% commencement retainer of $14,371.50 paid on signing via Stripe.

A staged fee proposal, read top to bottom

Fenwick Arden's fee proposal for a new riverside house. Every part is a QuoteCloud content block, and the parts the clients act on are live: tick a service and the totals and the retainer follow.

  1. The commission, in your words

    Your cover photo, the brief in a sentence or two, who it's for and how long the fee holds. It comes from your fee template, so every proposal opens the same way.

    Templates: Essentials and up

    Practice templates & library
    Fenwick ArdenFee proposal · Architectural services FA-2405 Sample · fictional business
    A house among trees on the bank of a calm river

    Fee proposal · Architectural services

    Okoro house, Riverside Lane

    Prepared for Nadia & Sam Okoro · 3 March · Valid 60 days

    A new two-storey, four-bedroom home of about 260 m² on a sloping riverside block, from concept design to practical completion, for an estimated construction cost of $1,450,000.

  2. From your template

    Four stages, two ways to charge

    Stage 1 is a fixed fee. Stages 2 to 4 are a percentage of the estimated construction cost, set up with Percentage and Formula columns. Your stage names, RIBA- or AIA-style, and your hourly rates sit underneath.

    Advanced pricing and custom formulas: Business plan

    Fees by work stage

    Estimated construction cost$1,450,000

    StageTimeBasisFee
    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.

  3. Client chooses

    Additional services the clients tick

    Renders, a planning application, interiors and a landscape concept are optional rows. The clients tick what they want; the subtotal, tax, total and the retainer recalculate before they sign.

    Price tables: Essentials and up

    Your fees, stage by stage

    ItemQtyRateAmount
    Design stages$125,250
    1 · Brief & concept designFixed fee
    		1 stage $16,500 $16,500.00
    2 · Developed design2.25% of $1,450,000
    		1 stage $32,625 $32,625.00
    3 · Technical design & documentation3.5% of $1,450,000
    		1 stage $50,750 $50,750.00
    4 · Tender & contract administration1.75% of $1,450,000
    		1 stage $25,375 $25,375.00
    Additional services Tick to add
    		 1 set $5,400 $5,400.00
    		1 lot $7,800 $7,800.00
    		1 lot $12,600 $12,600.00
    		1 lot $4,200 $4,200.00
    Subtotal
    $130,650.00
    Tax (10%)
    $13,065.00
    Total
    $143,715.00
    Commencement retainer on signing (10%)
    $14,371.50

  4. The programme, stage by stage

    A Gantt chart shows how long each stage takes, with the optional planning application drawn in dashes and the tender issue as a milestone.

    Gantt charts: Business plan

    Stage programme

    StageW1W2W3W4W5W6W7W8W9W10W11W12W13W14W15W16W17W18W19W20W21W22
    Brief & concept Week 1 to 4
    Developed design Week 5 to 10
    Planning application optional Week 10 to 17
    Documentation Week 11 to 20
    Tender Week 21 to 22
    Tender issued Week 22

  5. Assumptions, exclusions and questions

    What the fee includes and what it doesn't, in your standard wording. When Nadia asked about the renders, the reply went on the proposal as a comment, not into someone's inbox.

    Assumptions & exclusions

    • Fees exclude authority, application and certification fees.
    • Structural and geotechnical engineers are engaged by you; we coordinate them.
    • Invoiced monthly in proportion to each stage completed, 14-day terms.
    • Additional services are agreed in writing before the work starts.

    Nadia OkoroCould one of the renders show the river deck at dusk?

    Oscar, Fenwick ArdenYes, view six will be the deck at dusk.

  6. Clients sign

    Signed by both clients, retainer paid

    Each client signs in their own signature block, with no account needed. The 10% commencement retainer is paid by card on signing, and you see every step: opened, renders added, signed, paid.

    eSignatures: every plan · payments on signing: Essentials and up

    Take payments on signing

    Accept the fee proposal and pay the retainer

    2 of 2 signed

    • Nadia OkoroClient Signed9 Mar, 7:42 pm
    • Sam OkoroClient Signed9 Mar, 7:58 pm

    Commencement retainer on signing (10%)

    $14,371.50

    Paid via StripePay with card or PayPal

    Certificate of authenticity and audit trail attached

    Activity

    1. Fee proposal openedNadia Okoro
    2. 3D visualisations added+$5,940.00 inc. tax
    3. Signed by both clientsCertificate of authenticity attached
    4. Retainer paid$14,371.50 via Stripe
    5. Project created in monday.comThrough Zapier

Every way a practice charges, in one proposal

Most commissions mix fee bases. Each is a line, a column or a block in the same document.

  • A fixed fee

    Brief and concept design at $16,500: one price-table line, with the deliverables in the line note.

  • A percentage of construction cost

    2.25%, 3.5% and 1.75% of $1,450,000, set up with Percentage and Formula columns. Advanced pricing and custom formulas are on Business.

  • Hourly rates

    Principal, project architect and graduate rates in the proposal, so extra work is agreed at rates the client has already seen.

    Fee variations at your hourly rates

  • A retainer on signing

    A percentage or fixed amount, paid by card through Stripe or PayPal when the client signs. Later stage fees are invoiced from your accounts.

Tick a service and the retainer follows

Try it: add a planning application or interior design to the Okoro proposal. The total and the 10% commencement retainer in the signature block update together, exactly as the clients see them.

When both clients have signed, the retainer is charged through your Stripe or PayPal account and the proposal is marked Paid. QuoteCloud takes this one payment on signing; your later stage invoices come from your accounting software.

  • Optional rows and multiple-choice groups for additional services
  • Retainer as a percentage or a fixed amount
  • Several signers, each with their own signature block
  • No account needed to sign

Price tables and payments: Essentials and up

How payments on signing work
Fenwick ArdenFee proposal · Architectural services FA-2405 Sample · fictional business

Your fees, stage by stage

ItemQtyRateAmount
Design stages$125,250
1 · Brief & concept designFixed fee
1 stage $16,500 $16,500.00
2 · Developed design2.25% of $1,450,000
1 stage $32,625 $32,625.00
3 · Technical design & documentation3.5% of $1,450,000
1 stage $50,750 $50,750.00
4 · Tender & contract administration1.75% of $1,450,000
1 stage $25,375 $25,375.00
Additional services Tick to add
 1 set $5,400 $5,400.00
1 lot $7,800 $7,800.00
1 lot $12,600 $12,600.00
1 lot $4,200 $4,200.00
Subtotal
$130,650.00
Tax (10%)
$13,065.00
Total
$143,715.00
Commencement retainer on signing (10%)
$14,371.50

Accept the fee proposal and pay the retainer

2 of 2 signed

  • Nadia OkoroClient Signed9 Mar, 7:42 pm
  • Sam OkoroClient Signed9 Mar, 7:58 pm

Commencement retainer on signing (10%)

$14,371.50

Paid via StripePay with card or PayPal

Certificate of authenticity and audit trail attached

Build your fee proposal template in QuoteCloud

Free for 14 days, no credit card required. Send us your current fee proposal and we'll convert one template for you free during the trial.

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The fee letter in Word, and the fee proposal in QuoteCloud

What changes for the people who write, check and chase fee proposals.

The jobA Word fee letterWith QuoteCloud
Stage fees A table with the percentages typed in, worked out again by hand whenever the cost estimate moves. Fixed and percentage stages in one price table. With Formula columns (Business), each stage fee is worked out from the construction cost you enter.
Additional services Listed in a paragraph. The client replies by email with the ones they want, and someone retypes the total. Optional rows the client ticks. The total and the retainer update in front of them.
Knowing it was read A PDF attachment, then silence until someone calls. Document tracking shows when it was opened and the reading time, with notifications.
Acceptance Print, sign, scan and return, then a separate invoice for the retainer. Both clients sign online and pay the retainer on signing through Stripe or PayPal.
A second pair of eyes A director reads it, if they see it before it goes. Over your threshold it waits In Review until a director approves it (approval workflow, Business).

Sample fee proposal · FA-2405

One fee, agreed before the first sketch

Four stages and the renders the Okoros ticked: $130,650 plus tax. Both signed the same evening and paid the $14,371.50 retainer, so concept design started with the fee settled.

$143,715.00 Total fee with 3D visualisations, inc. tax (sample figures)

Large fees approved by a director first

Set a rule once: any fee proposal with a total value over $100,000 goes In Review when it's ready to send. The practice manager and the director each approve it, and only then can it be sent.

Other rules can trigger on the template, a discount percentage, the author's team or role, or the customer.

  • Every named approver can be required
  • Approvers see the whole proposal and approve or decline it
  • The approval log stays with the document

Approval workflow: Business plan

Approvals, review & client sign-off
Document workflowFenwick Arden Sample data

Document workflow

In Review

Triggered when Total value greater than $100,000

  • Tom AchterbergPractice managerApproved
  • Clara WhitlowDirectorWaiting

Must be approved by all approvers before it can be sent.

  1. Approval request sent by Oscar Bayne
  2. Approved by Tom Achterberg

Approval workflow · Business plan

How to write a staged fee proposal

Five steps from enquiry to a signed proposal and a paid retainer.

  1. Start from your fee template

    Open the template for the project type, with your stage names, percentages, hourly rates and terms already in.

  2. Set the cost and the scope

    Write the brief, enter the estimated construction cost and check each stage fee and its deliverables.

  3. Offer the extras

    Add renders, planning, interiors or landscape as optional rows the client can tick.

  4. Approve, then send

    Over your threshold a director approves it first (approval workflow, Business). Send one link and see when it's opened.

  5. Signed with the retainer

    The clients tick their extras, sign and pay the retainer. Confirm the appointment with an engagement letter.

Fee proposal templates to start from

Real QuoteCloud templates for architecture and consulting proposals. Or send us your own fee proposal: one template is converted free during your trial.

All architecture & engineering templates Templates for architects & engineers

Fee proposal questions, answered

Can a fee be a percentage of the construction cost?

Yes. Price each stage as its own price-table line and set up Percentage and Formula custom columns so the fee is worked out from the estimated construction cost. Advanced pricing and custom formulas are on the Business plan. On Essentials you can enter each stage fee yourself and show the percentage and cost in the line note.

Can clients choose additional services in the fee proposal?

Yes. Add renders, planning applications, interiors or landscape design as optional rows or a multiple-choice group in the price table. The client ticks the services they want and the subtotal, tax, total and any retainer update before they sign. Price tables are on the Essentials plan and up.

Can the client pay a retainer when they accept?

Yes. Set a deposit as a percentage or a fixed amount and the client pays it by card through Stripe or PayPal when they sign, and the document is marked Paid. QuoteCloud takes this payment on signing only: it does not invoice later stage fees or instalments, so invoice those from your accounting software.

Do RIBA or AIA work stages come built in?

No. QuoteCloud has no built-in stage scheme. You write your own stage names, deliverables and fee bases into your fee template once, RIBA-, AIA- or locally styled, and every proposal starts from it. Send us your current fee proposal and one template is converted free during your trial.

What if the construction cost estimate changes before the client signs?

Update the cost and the stage fees, then revise and resend the proposal. Revisions and version history are on the Business plan. Once the proposal is signed, agree any change in scope or fee in a separate fee variation letter that the client signs before the extra work starts.

Can both clients sign the fee proposal?

Yes. Add several signers, each with their own signature block. Signers don't need a QuoteCloud account, an optional one-time passcode can be required, and every signed document carries a certificate of authenticity and an audit trail. eSignatures are included on every plan, including the free plan.

Will I know when a client opens the fee proposal?

Yes. Document tracking shows when a proposal is opened and how long it was read, and notifications tell you when it is viewed or signed, from the Essentials plan. Comments and replies on the document keep the client's questions with the proposal rather than in email.

More questions from practices

After the fee proposal

The letters, tenders and reports that follow, and the set-up that keeps them consistent.

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