Architecture fee economics
AIA benchmarks
Donnée 01
6-12%
typical architecture fee as % of construction cost
Donnée 02
5 AIA phases
SD, DD, CD, Bid, CA. Each one tracked
Donnée 03
6-18 mo
typical commercial project design duration
Source · AIA fee structure + industry benchmarks 2026Architecture industry aggregate
Architecture proposals live on the 5 AIA phases (Schematic Design, Design Development, Construction Documents, Bidding, Construction Administration). Owners compare across firms on fee percentage, design vision, and phase depth. Tracking tells you which firm characteristic carried the pitch.
The architecture proposal signal framework
AIA phase fees and design vision are the twin pressure points. Tracking surfaces each.
| Signal | Meaning | Move |
|---|---|---|
| Design vision dwell 4+ min by owner | Concept landing | Offer a design-vision walkthrough with the lead designer. |
| Phase breakdown re-read by estimator | Fee structure pressure-test | Send a tiered CA option to reduce late-phase fee. |
| Portfolio dwelled on one specific project | Reference fit | Offer a reference call with that client. |
| Engineering coordination section opened by new email | MEP engineer reviewing | Offer joint design-team intro call. |
| Silence past 14 days | Competing firm landed | Breakup with a specific design insight. |
Architecture proposals without vs with tracking
✕Without proposal tracking
- Concept resonance invisible
- Fee structure objections late
- Portfolio relevance unknown
- Engineering coordination surfaces in kickoff
- Lost pitches give no feedback
✓With Afterquoted
- Concept dwell triggers walkthrough
- Phase re-read triggers CA tier
- Portfolio dwell triggers reference call
- Engineering open triggers joint call
- Every lost pitch is data
Five pain points architects know
- Fee percentage comparison is brutal. 6% vs 8% vs 10% decisions.
- AIA phase split negotiation. Owners trim CA phase aggressively.
- Portfolio relevance matters more than volume. One resonating project wins.
- Engineering coordination fees contested. Sub-consultants scrutinized.
- Long sales cycles (2-6 months). Tracking surfaces cold bids.
For architects · proposal tracking
See which phase the estimator flagged
Afterquoted tracks design vision, phase fees, portfolio dwell.
Start tracking free →What our cohort shows
Architecture firms in our 2026 cohort see the biggest lift on CA-phase tiered offers triggered by estimator re-reads. Our cohort average is +38%.
Integrations for an architecture firm
- Monograph / Deltek. Proposal opens as project activities.
- Dropbox / Google Drive. Portfolio images shared with tracking.
- BQE Core. Project accounting sync.
- Slack. Team notifications on owner and estimator signals.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Yes, both.
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