The verdict in three sentences
A 25-person practice tracking fees in a spreadsheet discovers a loss-making project during construction, when it is too late to renegotiate. A tool that splits fees by design stage (sketch design, preliminary design, final design, technical design, tender, construction stage, handover) and compares hours used to the stage budget every week changes the conversation with the client. The choice is between a market tool at 30 - 70 EUR per user per month and custom software at 60,000 - 130,000 EUR, depending on how specific your processes are.
Why project profitability escapes practices
Fees on a standard commission are split by stage, with percentages agreed in the contract (in the Netherlands often aligned with the DNR 2011 standard terms, in France with the MOP law stages). Problems arise when actual hours are not linked to any stage, or only once a quarter. Here is a typical split and the overruns commonly observed.
| Stage | Share of fees (typical range) | Common hours overrun (2026 estimate) | Main cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sketch and preliminary design | 12 - 18 % | + 20 to 40 % | Unpriced brief iterations |
| Final design | 12 - 16 % | + 10 to 25 % | Changes in areas and uses |
| Technical design | 15 - 20 % | + 10 to 20 % | Coordination with engineers |
| Tender documents | 8 - 12 % | + 5 to 15 % | Failed lots, re-tendering |
| Shop drawing review | 5 - 8 % | + 15 to 30 % | Underestimated drawing volume |
| Construction stage | 20 - 25 % | + 25 to 50 % | Extended site, extra meetings |
| Handover and snagging | 4 - 6 % | + 20 to 60 % | Snag list dragging on |
On a project with 400,000 EUR of fees, a construction stage running 30 % over consumes about 27,000 EUR of margin. Without an alert, the practice bills neither a variation nor an extension of the commission.
Market tool or custom build: the 2026 comparison
| Criterion | Market tool | Custom software |
|---|---|---|
| Initial cost | 0 - 5,000 EUR setup | 60,000 - 130,000 EUR |
| Recurring cost for 25 users | 9,000 - 21,000 EUR a year | 7,000 - 16,000 EUR a year (maintenance, hosting) |
| Cumulative 5-year cost | 45,000 - 110,000 EUR | 95,000 - 210,000 EUR |
| Stage-based fee split | Standard, sometimes rigid | Matches your contracts, extra services included |
| Progress invoicing | Generic templates | Matches your schedules and public client rules |
| Accounting and payroll integration | Prebuilt connectors | Custom (accounting package, payroll export) |
| Time to deploy | 2 - 6 weeks | 4 - 7 months |
For most practices of 10 to 30 people, a well configured market tool is enough. Custom software is justified for complex joint ventures, competitions, client-side advisory work, or when the practice wants fees, resource planning and hiring in a single tool. For reference, the same custom scope for a Paris practice runs 40,000 to 90,000 EUR excluding VAT.
Features to demand, whatever you choose
Time entry must take under 5 minutes per person per week, on mobile and desktop, or it will not happen. Each hour is linked to a project and a stage and valued at real hourly cost (loaded salary plus overheads, often 60 to 90 EUR per hour in Amsterdam in 2026). Overrun alerts fire at 80 % and 100 % of the stage budget. Progress invoicing is generated from completion, with tracking of deposits and retentions. Finally, a dashboard compares planned and actual margin by project, project lead and client type.
Mini case study
Pieter, managing partner of a 25-person practice in Amsterdam, bills 2.6 million EUR of fees a year across about thirty projects. He estimates that 6 projects a year exceed budget by 20 % or more, with an average loss of 25,000 EUR each, or 150,000 EUR. He invests 95,000 EUR in custom software plus 11,000 EUR a year. If alerts let him negotiate variations or reframe the commission on half of those overruns, he recovers 75,000 EUR a year: the project pays back in about 18 months.
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FAQ
Does the software handle additional services (site supervision, fire safety, construction drawings)?
Yes, each additional service becomes a stage with its own budget. On public projects they often represent 10 to 20 % of total fees.
How do we get staff to log time?
Limit entry to half-days per project and stage, with an automatic Friday reminder. A logging rate above 90 % is usually reached within 6 to 8 weeks.
Can we migrate projects in progress?
Yes, migrating active projects (stage budgets, hours already used, invoices issued) takes 2 to 4 weeks and costs about 4,000 to 10,000 EUR depending on file quality.
Does it produce invoices compliant with public contracts?
It can generate progress claims under the applicable public procurement terms and export e-invoices in the required format. This module costs about 6,000 to 15,000 EUR in a custom build.
What annual budget after delivery?
Count 10 to 15 % of the initial cost per year for maintenance, EU hosting and enhancements, roughly 6,000 to 19,500 EUR.
Let's scope your project. Send us your headcount, fee volume and current tools, and we will tell you whether a market tool is enough or a custom build is justified, with indicative budget and timeline. 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.