Fee and project tracking software for an architecture practice in Amsterdam 2026

The verdict in three sentences

For a 15-person architecture practice in Amsterdam, the real issue is not time entry but the lack of an alert when the preliminary design or technical design stage overruns. An off-the-shelf package costs about 50 EUR per user per month, or 9,000 EUR a year, while a custom tool costs between 25,000 and 45,000 EUR excluding VAT with a 3-month delivery. Custom makes sense when the practice wants to track fees by its own stage allocation rules and reconcile them with invoicing.

What to track, stage by stage

The appointment splits fees by stage, in line with the DNR 2011 standard terms commonly used in the Netherlands. The partner must be able to compare, at any time, the share of fees billable and the share of hours used. Here is a common split for a 2,000,000 EUR housing project at 12 % fees, or 240,000 EUR.

A 30 % overrun on preliminary and technical design means 254 non-billable hours, about 21,600 EUR of lost margin on a single project. With 12 live projects, the stake quickly exceeds 100,000 EUR a year.

Package or custom: 2026 comparison

Packages built for architecture practices handle time entry and invoicing well. Their limit shows on practice-specific rules: change orders, additional services, joint ventures with engineering firms or dashboards per partner.

Rule of thumb: below 10 users and without frequent joint ventures, a package is enough. Above 15 people with complex appointments, custom pays back in 2 to 3 years and becomes an asset of the practice.

Scope of a custom tool in 3 months

A first 6-week release covers time entry by project and stage from browser or phone, an hours budget per stage and an alert at 80 % consumption. The second 6-week release adds fee invoicing by stage, change orders, export to the accounting software and a profitability dashboard by project, client and team member. Data from the old spreadsheet is imported to compare past projects and refine future budgets.

Mini case study

Sanne, partner at a 15-person practice in Amsterdam, runs 12 live projects. Last year, her records show an average overrun of 180 hours per project on preliminary and technical design, at 85 EUR full cost: 15,300 EUR per project, 183,600 EUR across 12 projects. With an alert at 80 % of hours, she expects to cut that overrun by a third, by negotiating a change order or reframing the client earlier: 61,200 EUR of margin recovered a year. For a 38,000 EUR tool with 4,800 EUR of annual maintenance, payback comes in about 8 months.

FAQ

Will the team actually log their time?

Entry rates exceed 90 % when logging takes under 2 minutes a day and works from a phone. An automatic reminder at 5:30 pm and a weekly table per partner are usually enough.

Can we import live projects?

Yes, importing 12 to 20 live projects with their stage budgets takes 3 to 5 days. Hours already used can be imported from a spreadsheet.

Does the tool handle public tenders and joint ventures?

Custom software allocates fees between lead consultant and partners according to the agreed percentages. This avoids allocation errors that are common on projects above 1,000,000 EUR of works.

How much does maintenance cost?

Count 10 to 15 % of the initial cost per year, or 3,600 to 6,750 EUR for a 36,000 to 45,000 EUR tool. It covers hosting, fixes and small improvements.

Let's scope your project. Tell us your practice size, your types of appointments and your accounting software: we scope two releases with an indicative budget and 3-month delivery. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.