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Explains common fee structures (time charge, fixed lump sum, percentage of cost of works) and four pricing approaches, ending with examples of top-down and bottom-up development.",{"@graph":14,"@context":71},[15,34,54],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/","Healthcare",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/is-my-fee-too-high-part-2-fee-justification-and-pricing-methods/664903/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":48,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":49,"interactionStatistic":50},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/is-my-fee-too-high-part-2-fee-justification-and-pricing-methods/664903.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Logic","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-29",true,{"@type":51,"interactionType":52,"userInteractionCount":22},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":53},"ViewAction",{"@type":55,"mainEntity":56},"FAQPage",[57,63,67],{"name":58,"@type":59,"acceptedAnswer":60},"How should architects justify their fees when a client says they are too high?","Question",{"text":61,"@type":62},"Start by assessing your value and how you deliver it to the client. 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Ezumi Harzani Ismail  \n3 Oct 2020  \nTopic: Is my Fee too high?  \nWhen your client says your fee is too high, how will you justify it? Understanding architectural fees structure and knowing how to charge are important in justifying your fees to clients. Usual fee justifications are fragmented and inconsistent, explaining your time and its value alone may not be able to meet client’s fee expectations. There are many elements that affect architect’s fee, including scope of services, complexity, geographic, economic and social contexts, reputations etc.  \nArchitects spend hours solving spatial problems in multiple dimensions and understanding the constraints of by-laws with practical and innovative solutions, but what some clients see is just a stack of drawings. How to capture those values and efforts in an effective manner to discuss finances with a potential client?  \nBefore answering the question ”Is your fee too high?”  \nYou need to take stock of your own value as an architect and how you provide that value for a client.  \nPromote the value of an architect  \n§ Architect as an expert.  \n§ A professional. Solving spatial problems in multiple dimensions, understanding the constraints of building regulations.  \n§ Be specific, identify instances where you have saved a client money, time, or won an award with their project.  \n§ Keep those moments as concrete evidence of your value and refer to them often while initiating any conversations with clients.  \nSet client expectations  \nWhat are the conditions to consider to take on a client?  \n§ Relationship with the client;  \n§ Quality of the client – background check;  \n§ RFP competition – success basis / factor;  \n§ Client's primary issues;  \n§ Timing for your firm.  \nOnce your conditions for accepting a client proposal are set, make them known across your firm's leadership. This is important to establish for marketing, sales, and the employees' own perception about the office brand.  \nWhen client ask for:  \ngood, cheap and fast  \nI used to ask:  \ngood, cheap or fast ?  \nDelivery  \nGood Cheap Fast  \nBungalow Own building  \nHousing  \nCSR project  \nNot good (bad)  \nNot cheap (expensive)  \nNot fast (slow)  \n- Good and cheap thing is not fast;  \n- Good and fast thing is not cheap;  \n- Cheap and fast thing is not good.  \ntoday :  \n- Good and cheap is fast;  \n- Good and fast is cheap;  \n- Cheap and fast is good.  \nand:  \n- Cheaper is not better;  \n- Slower is not cheaper;  \n- Better is not slower, neither it is cheaper.  \nChoose fee structure  \nTime Charge  \n§ When the scope of works or scope of services is not clear;  \n§ Start with an hourly engagement to get a sense of working style and deliverables before commissioning a project for completion.  \nFixed Lump Sum  \n§ Fixed fee is common for Concept Development or Planning when cost of works is uncertain;  \n§ Or for specific architectural task / design review;  \nPercentage of Cost of Works  \n§ Fee based on percentage of construction cost calculation;  \n§ It aligns the project complexity, cost risk for both the client and architect since pricing is based on the actual building cost.  \nThere are four main fee pricing methods:  \n§ Start with a known scope and build up to a fee;  \n§ Start with an acceptable fee and build down to the scope that the client can afford;  \n§ Determine resources and work the time required;  \n§ Use a unit pricing structure like percentage of construction cost or cost per sq. m.  \nTop-down Fee Pricing  \n§ Value-based pricing;  \n§ Scope of services will be determined based on available time value for the tasks.  \nStarchitects?  \nTotal Fee  \nless  \nExpenses  \nless  \nContingency  \n=  \nArchitect’s Labour Fee  \n/  \nHourly Rate  \n=  \nHours Required  \nRequired Tasks  \nAchievable Scope of Works & Services  \nExpenses May include: Travel Milleage Renderings Model Prints  \nBottom-up fee development  \nThe scope of works and scope of services are determined.  \nScope of Works  \nFee  \n| |  |\n| --- | --- ","cbCaiiROiKc1g3QZ","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiiROiKc1g3QZ","pdf",2223329,36,"English","# Understanding architectural fee justification\n## Promoting an architect’s value\n## Setting client expectations\n## Choosing fee structure\n## Fee pricing methods and calculations","[{\"question\":\"How should architects justify their fees when a client says they are too high?\",\"answer\":\"Start by assessing your value and how you deliver it to the client. Promote your expertise using concrete evidence, and explain how your work addresses constraints, complexity, and effort beyond drawings.\"},{\"question\":\"What conditions should be considered before taking on a client?\",\"answer\":\"Consider your relationship with the client, the client’s background and quality, RFP competition success factors, the client’s primary issues, and your firm’s timing readiness.\"},{\"question\":\"What are the main architectural fee pricing methods discussed?\",\"answer\":\"The material outlines time charge, fixed lump sum, and percentage of cost of works, and also describes four ways to price fees: build up from a scope, build down from a fee, determine resources and time required, and use unit pricing such as percentage of construction cost or cost per sq. m.\"}]","Is my Fee too high? - Part 2 - fee justification and pricing methods | PDF",91]