The Fees Bureau - 20 years

The Business of Architecture BUSINESS Value in 1989: £1.8 billion Value in 2009: £3.4 billion Uninterrupted growth 1997-2008
The profession’s collective fee earnings follow the pattern established by workloads - with about a one year lag. So fee earnings fell in the early 1990’s and began to revive from 1995. By 1998 fee earnings were on an upward trajectory. The peak years seem to have been 2007 and 2008; since when fee earnings have started to fall. Staffing numbers in private practice mirror this pattern very closely although the most recent period shows a huge fall. Our first fees survey in 1998 showed average reported fees were lower than the RIBA Recommended Fee Scales; since then, average fees and hourly rates have been rising. Value of Architects’ Fee Earnings, 1989-2009

The profession’s fee earnings have doubled over twenty years. The pattern of earnings is similar to the pattern of workloads, although there is maybe one year’s lag between work and fee earnings. Private Practice Staffing Trends, 1989-2009

The relationship between fee earnings, workloads and staffing is a strong one. The spectacular dive in private practice staffing numbers in 2008 and 2009 (for all categories of staff except Principals) is alarming. *Architects Fee Index, 1998-2009***

The Architects’ Fees Index measures the real value of average fees over time. We started collecting fees data in 1998, since when average fees have increased by around 10 per cent after allowing for building cost inflation.
Sole Principal Architects’ average Charge-out Rates, 1998-2009

Average hourly charge-out rates are collected for several different staff categories, this chart shows average rates for Sole Principals, whose average rates are up by an impressive 79 per cent since 1998. Very latest 2009 data shows ‘no change’ for Principals Partners and Directors, and falls for all other staff categories.
Data Source: Architects Fees 2010, Architects Performance 2010

This *research is split into four* sections - to view a section click on a link below:**
INTRODUCTION	MARKETS	BUSINESS	INDIVIDUALS

Reports from The Fees Bureau you might be interested in...

Architects Performance 2011	Architects Fees 2012	Architects Markets 2012

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“In their reports covering Architects’ Fees, Earnings, Performance and Markets, The Fees Bureau provides architects with accurate and reliable management information which is so hard to get any other way and which will give practices buying them that extra edge."

- Keith Snook,

Director, Research & Technical, RIBA

“Every practising architect and quantity surveyor worries about whether they are charging the right amount for their services. Mirza & Nacey’s fees guides offer a comprehensive and practical means for consultancies to assess their market value.”

- Adrian Barrick, Publisher, Building

“I like the layout and clarity of information provided. Architects Fees is an invaluable part of every fee proposal that we prepare.”

- Neal Tuson, Neal Tuson Architects

“What a great service. I think your publication is great”

- Martin Walsh, Martin Walsh Associates

The Business of Architecture

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