Fee and time tracking software for an architecture practice: cost in Dublin in 2026

The verdict in three sentences

A 20-person architecture practice that does not measure time spent per work stage has no idea which projects keep it alive and which ones drain it. Off-the-shelf tools at 25-60 EUR per user per month are enough while your contracts stay standard, but a custom tool between 18,000 and 40,000 EUR excluding VAT pays off once joint ventures, variations and progress-based invoicing multiply. The realistic gain observed is 8 to 15 margin points recovered on loss-making projects from the second year.

Why practices lose track of their profitability

In Dublin, design work is driven by housing schemes, retrofit programmes and public buildings. A 20-person practice typically carries 25 to 40 live projects spread across stages: concept, developed design, technical design, tender, construction and handover (the French equivalent is the MOP framework: ESQ, APS, APD, PRO, ACT, DET, AOR). The problem is simple: fees are agreed per stage, but hours are logged in a global spreadsheet, when they are logged at all.

As a result, the partner discovers at year end that a primary school consumed 140% of its planned time budget during construction, or that a lost competition absorbed two months of a project architect's salary. Fee tracking software links three data points: the contract fee per stage, the time actually spent at each staff member's loaded hourly rate, and the progress invoiced to the client.

Off-the-shelf or custom: the 2026 figures

Specialist vendors for architects and engineering firms charge 25 to 60 EUR per user per month. For 20 users, budget 6,000 to 14,400 EUR excluding VAT per year, often with initial configuration billed at 2,000 to 5,000 EUR. These tools handle timesheets and planning well, complex cases less so: lead consultant in a joint appointment, fee splits between sub-consultants (structural, MEP, quantity surveyor), fee indexation, additional services (project management, fire safety, surveys).

A custom tool, built around the way you contract, costs 18,000 to 40,000 EUR excluding VAT depending on scope, then 250 to 600 EUR a month for hosting and maintenance. It integrates with your accounting software and imports your project history.

Over five years, cumulative costs converge. The decision therefore rests on business fit: if more than a third of your revenue comes from joint appointments or public contracts with variations, custom usually wins.

What the specification must include

Priority features, ranked by return on investment: mobile time entry per project and stage, a time budget per stage calculated from fees and loaded hourly rate, overrun alerts, progress fee invoices, a margin dashboard per project and client, then fee splits between sub-consultants. A 3-month resource planning module helps decide which competitions to enter.

Mini case study

Ciara, partner in a 20-person architecture practice in Dublin, bills 2.1 million EUR in fees a year. After six months of reliable timesheets, the tool reveals that 9 projects out of 32 are loss-making, with 168,000 EUR of uncovered time, mostly during construction. The practice renegotiates two variations, drops one overly time-consuming service type and resizes its proposals. It recovers 11 margin points on those projects, about 92,000 EUR a year. For a custom tool at 32,000 EUR plus 5,400 EUR of annual maintenance, payback comes in under six months.

FAQ

How much does fee tracking software for an architecture practice cost in 2026?

Off-the-shelf tools cost 25 to 60 EUR per user per month, or 6,000 to 14,400 EUR a year for 20 people. A custom tool runs 18,000 to 40,000 EUR excluding VAT, plus 250 to 600 EUR monthly maintenance.

Does the software handle work stages?

Yes, each project is split into stages from concept to handover, with a fee percentage per stage. Additional services such as project management are added as separate lines.

How long until the data is reliable?

Allow 3 months of daily entry for a first margin reading and 6 months for robust comparisons between project types. A completion rate above 90% is the key condition.

Can we import our project history?

Yes, importing projects and fees from the last 3 years of spreadsheets usually takes 3 to 5 days. It lets you compare real time budgets with new proposals immediately.

Does the tool connect to our accounting software?

Invoice and payment sync with the main accounting packages is included in scope, for 2,000 to 4,000 EUR depending on the package.

Let's scope your project. We scope your fee and time tracking tool in one workshop: work stages, joint appointments, indicative budget of 18,000 to 40,000 EUR, go-live in 8 to 14 weeks. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.