The verdict in three sentences
An engineering consultancy that does not compare hours booked with progress per phase every week finds fee overruns when it is too late to negotiate a variation. Market project management tools cost €40 to €90 per user per month as a 2026 order of magnitude, while a custom system runs €80,000 to €140,000 over 5 months. The decisive criterion is how finely you split work into HOAI service phases and how you bill progress.
Why overruns show up too late
The managing partner of a building services and structural engineering firm in Berlin, Adlershof, employs 45 engineers and technicians on 300 live projects: housing, schools, offices, energy retrofits. Hours go into a spreadsheet on Friday, when they do. Progress across HOAI phases 1 to 9 (Grundlagenermittlung to Objektbetreuung) is known by project leads, not by management. Progress invoices (Abschlagsrechnungen) are prepared by the office manager from emails. One project in five exceeds its hour budget by more than 20%, and it only shows at year end.
| Indicator | Without project management | With a fit tool |
|---|---|---|
| Time booking | Weekly spreadsheet, 60% completeness | Daily booking per project and phase, 95% |
| Progress per HOAI phase | Known by project lead only | Percentage updated weekly |
| Budget vs actual hours | Visible at year end | Alert at 80% of phase budget |
| Progress billing | Manual, 2 days a month | Automatic proposal, approved in 2 hours |
| Margin per project | Annual calculation | Weekly dashboard |
| Variations negotiated | Rare, too late | Triggered at the alert |
What the tool must cover in 2026
The core is the project record (client, scope, fee, split by HOAI phase and discipline), time booking on desktop and mobile, progress declared by the project lead, billing with progress invoices and retention, subconsultants and joint ventures (ARGE), and a margin dashboard. More mature firms add a 3-month resource plan per engineer and an accounting link (DATEV export is the usual German requirement).
| 2026 option (order of magnitude) | Cost | Strengths | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spreadsheets | €0 licence | Flexible | No consolidation, partial booking |
| Generic project tool | €40 to €60 per user per month | Live in 1 month | HOAI phases to adapt, ARGE poorly handled |
| Specialist engineering software | €60 to €90 per user per month | Phases and fees built in | Rigid on in-house rules |
| Custom build | €80,000 to €140,000 | Exact phases, rules, dashboards | 5 months, demanding scoping |
| Custom maintenance | 15 to 20% per year | Tracked evolutions | Budget ahead |
| DATEV or accounting connector | Scoped case by case | Invoices and payments in sync | Depends on accounting setup |
At 45 users, specialist software at €75 means €40,500 a year, €202,500 over 5 years, against roughly €110,000 of custom build plus €18,000 annual maintenance, about €200,000. Over five years the costs are close, so the custom route only makes sense if your rules are genuinely specific. Specialist software is the sensible pick for standard HOAI work and a one-month start.
Scoping that decides the outcome
Define one grid of phases and disciplines (HVAC, plumbing, electrical, concrete structures, timber) and the fee split key. Decide the rhythm: daily time booking, weekly progress. Set alert thresholds. Migrate the 300 live projects with remaining budgets, not the full history. Typical plan: 3 weeks of scoping, 2.5 months of build, 3 weeks of migration and training, 1 month of bedding in over two billing cycles.
Mini case study
Jonas, managing partner of a consultancy in Berlin, runs the numbers. Turnover is €5,200,000. On the 60 projects a year that overrun by more than 20%, the average overrun is 90 hours at €95 cost per hour: €513,000 of lost margin. If alerts let him recover a quarter of that through variations or tighter management, he gains €128,250 a year. Add 2 days a month of billing saved, about €7,500 a year. For a €110,000 build and €18,000 yearly maintenance, payback comes in under a year.
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FAQ
What does custom project and fee software cost in Berlin in 2026?
As a 2026 order of magnitude, €80,000 to €140,000 depending on phase structure, joint ventures, billing and accounting link. Add 15 to 20% a year for maintenance.
Will engineers book time daily?
Yes if booking takes under 2 minutes and suggests today's projects. Firms that link booking to the resource plan often go from 60% to 95% completeness in 2 months.
Does it handle HOAI phases and fee calculation?
A custom tool mirrors your exact phase 1 to 9 split and percentages, including the 2021 HOAI rules where fees are freely agreed but still often structured by phase.
How are joint ventures (ARGE) handled?
Each project carries the split between lead firm, partners and subconsultants, so you track your own share and recharge services. That avoids 5 to 10% gaps on progress invoices.
How long until we are live?
Five months for 45 users and 300 projects, including a month of bedding in. A first release with time and progress can run within 10 weeks.
Let's scope your project. We scope phases, time booking, progress billing and margin dashboards with you, delivered in releases. 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.
