The verdict in three sentences
An architecture firm running projects without phase-based time tracking often under-bills 8 to 15 % of profitability: drifting projects, forgotten change orders, billing lagging behind progress. Billing and project-management software costs EUR 18,000-50,000 as custom development, or EUR 30-80/user/month as SaaS. The gain comes from fees computed per phase and time booked to the right project, with typical payback in 8 to 14 months.
Billing at the project's pace
An architecture project splits into phases (concept, schematic, design, detailed design, tender, works). The challenge is to bill each phase's progress, book hours to the right project and spot jobs where time spent exceeds the fee. Without a tool, these drifts show up too late.
| Element | Without software | With software |
|---|---|---|
| Fees per phase | Estimated globally | Computed phase by phase |
| Time tracking | Absent or rough | Per project and phase |
| Progress billing | Late | At phase milestone |
| Change orders | Forgotten | Traced and billed |
| Profitability per job | Unknown | Net margin per project |
| Under-billed projects | Undetected | Automatic alerts |
What it costs in 2026
The choice depends on firm size and depth of need (project management, accounting, document management). 2026 ranges for a firm of 3 to 30 staff.
| Firm size | Custom (EUR) | SaaS (EUR/user/month) | SaaS annual (10 users) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 people | 18,000 to 26,000 | 30 to 50 | 3,600 to 6,000 |
| 6 to 12 people | 25,000 to 38,000 | 40 to 65 | 4,800 to 7,800 |
| 13 to 30 people | 38,000 to 50,000 | 50 to 80 | 6,000 to 9,600 |
| Advanced time-tracking module | +5,000 to 12,000 | included to +10/user | per headcount |
| Document/plans module | +6,000 to 15,000 | +5 to 15/user | per volume |
Maintenance of a custom build is 15 to 20 % of the build per year; SaaS bundles updates and hosting into the subscription.
Mini case study
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Antoine's firm, an architect in Bordeaux, has 8 staff and bills EUR 1,100,000 in fees/year. Lacking fine tracking, he estimates 10 % of time unbilled on change orders and overruns, i.e. EUR 110,000 of lost profitability. He invests EUR 32,000 in custom software plus 18 % maintenance (EUR 5,760/year).
Phase-based time tracking and under-billing alerts recover half of that loss in year one, i.e. EUR 55,000. Year-1 cost: EUR 37,760. Payback in 9 to 10 months, then durably improved profitability per job.
FAQ
How much does architecture firm software cost in 2026? Expect EUR 18,000-50,000 custom depending on firm size, or EUR 30-80/user/month as SaaS with time tracking and billing.
Does it compute fees per phase? Yes: it splits the fee across phases (concept to works supervision) and bills progress at each milestone, avoiding billing delays.
How does it improve profitability? By booking time to the right project and alerting on under-billed jobs, it recovers 8 to 15 % of profitability usually lost on change orders and overruns.
Does it track staff time? Yes: every hour is booked to a project and phase, giving true net margin per job and grounding future quotes in data.
How long to deploy? SaaS is live in 2 to 4 weeks; custom takes 6 to 12 weeks depending on modules (time, documents, accounting).
Let's scope your project. Number of staff, time-tracking needs, plans document management or accounting integration: give us the scope and an indicative budget. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
