The verdict in three sentences
An engineering firm that only sees its margin per project at close suffers overruns instead of managing them. Project and fee tracking software between 18,000 and 40,000 EUR excl. VAT links time spent per phase to the hours budget and to progress billing. For a 25-engineer firm, recovering 3 to 5 margin points pays back the investment in under 12 months.
Where the 30 % hours overrun comes from
In a French structural engineering firm, a project is split into the phases defined by the MOP law: sketch, APS (preliminary design), APD (detailed design), PRO (project), then EXE or VISA (construction drawings or review), often with extra missions (survey, coordination, site follow-up). The quote sets an hours budget per phase, but time is logged at the end of the week in a spreadsheet, with no precise link to the phase. The overrun is real from APD onwards; it only shows on the final invoice.
Three causes appear in almost every audit: client changes not priced as change orders, rework of calculation models after an architectural change, and underestimated site hours during EXE. Without an alert at 70 % or 80 % of budget consumed, nobody raises the change order discussion at the right time.
| Indicator (2026 order of magnitude) | Without tracking | With tracking software |
|---|---|---|
| Average net margin per project | 6 to 9 % | 11 to 15 % |
| Projects overrunning by more than 20 % | 35 % | 10 to 15 % |
| Time to detect an overrun | project close | at 80 % of phase budget |
| Change orders billed on scope changes | 30 % of cases | 70 to 80 % of cases |
| Delay between phase end and invoice | 30 to 45 days | 3 to 7 days |
| Time logging per engineer | 45 min per week | 10 min per week |
Off-the-shelf software or custom tool
Project management packages for engineering firms exist, with subscriptions of 40 to 90 EUR excl. VAT per user per month. They work when your processes match their model. Custom software makes sense when you bill on specific grids (fixed fee per phase, time and materials, percentage of works value), when you need to connect to your accounting and calculation tools, or when project directors reject a tool that is too generic.
| Criterion | SaaS package | Kolonell custom |
|---|---|---|
| Initial cost | 3,000 to 8,000 EUR excl. VAT setup | 18,000 to 40,000 EUR excl. VAT |
| Recurring cost (25 users) | 12,000 to 27,000 EUR excl. VAT per year | 2,500 to 5,000 EUR excl. VAT per year (hosting, maintenance) |
| MOP phases and extra missions | standard model | exact split of your quotes |
| Progress billing | often global percentage | per phase, time and fixed fee combined |
| Accounting link (Sage, Cegid, Pennylane) | CSV export | API sync |
| 5-year total cost | 63,000 to 143,000 EUR excl. VAT | 28,000 to 65,000 EUR excl. VAT |
The modules that make the difference
| Module | What it delivers | Indicative budget |
|---|---|---|
| Quote and hours budget per phase | budget frozen at signature, versioned by change order | 4,000 to 7,000 EUR excl. VAT |
| Mobile time logging | daily entry in 2 clicks, linked to the phase | 3,000 to 6,000 EUR excl. VAT |
| Consumption alerts | notification at 70 % and 90 % of budget | 1,500 to 3,000 EUR excl. VAT |
| Progress billing | monthly statements, retentions, price revision | 4,000 to 9,000 EUR excl. VAT |
| Margin dashboard per project | planned vs actual margin, by phase and client | 3,000 to 8,000 EUR excl. VAT |
| Accounting and payroll link | export of time and invoices | 2,500 to 7,000 EUR excl. VAT |
Roll-out takes 3 months: 3 weeks of workshops with 2 project directors and accounting, 6 weeks of development, 3 weeks of loading ongoing projects and training. Open projects are imported with their remaining budget so tracking starts on day one.
Mini case study
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Julien, managing director of a 25-engineer structural engineering firm in Lyon, bills 2.8 million EUR excl. VAT in fees per year with a 7 % net margin, or 196,000 EUR. Consumption alerts let him bill more change orders and refocus EXE phases: he targets an 11 % margin, or 308,000 EUR, a gain of 112,000 EUR per year. Progress billing cuts invoicing delay from 35 to 5 days, freeing about 230,000 EUR of cash. For software at 32,000 EUR excl. VAT plus 4,000 EUR excl. VAT annual maintenance, payback comes in roughly 4 months.
FAQ
Will engineers really log their time every day?
Yes, if logging takes under 2 minutes on mobile, with projects and phases pre-filled. In our roll-outs, the daily logging rate exceeds 90 % after 1 month.
Can we handle joint contracts with an architect?
Yes, each project carries the fee split between co-contractors. Margin is calculated on your share only, between 15 % and 60 % of the total depending on the consortium.
Does the software replace our accounting tool?
No, it connects to it. Invoices and time flow into Sage, Cegid or Pennylane, avoiding about 6 hours of double entry per month.
How long does it take to load history?
Count 2 to 3 weeks to import ongoing projects. Closed history can be loaded as an option for 1,500 to 3,000 EUR excl. VAT.
What happens if we grow to 40 engineers?
No extra licence is due on a custom tool. Only hosting changes, around 50 to 100 EUR excl. VAT per month.
Let's scope your project. Share two typical quotes and your current tracking file: we will price a tool between 18,000 and 40,000 EUR excl. VAT, delivered in 3 months. 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.
