Two engineering practices quote for what the client believes is the same job. One fee is half the other. The client chooses the cheaper, then discovers that site visits, revisions and the building control submission were not included.
Neither practice was dishonest. Only one explained the scope.
What clients ask
Clients usually ask what the fee covers, whether site visits are included, how many revisions are allowed, whether the fee includes liaising with building control, whether drawings are included or just calculations, what happens if the design changes, how long it takes and whether there is a fixed fee for common work.
Example conversations
These scripts use information a practice might publish. Your answers should come from your own pages.
Client: What does the fee for a beam calculation include? Assistant: The domestic services page sets out the fixed fee for a standard beam calculation, including what is provided and how many elements are covered. It also lists what falls outside it, such as additional beams, a site visit if required and revisions after the design is issued.
Client: Why is your quote higher than another? Assistant: The page explains what is included at each level, which is usually where quotes differ, including whether drawings, site visits and building control liaison are part of the fee. The team can talk through the scope so you can compare properly.
Client: What if the architect changes the design? Assistant: The page explains how revisions are handled, including how many are included and the hourly rate that applies afterwards.
Fixed fees for standard work
Beam calculations, loft conversions, chimney removals and common domestic elements can be published as fixed fees. It makes a practice easy to instruct and it filters out the enquiries that want a full design for a fixed price.
Explain what a site visit adds
Clients often assume a visit is included, or that one is unnecessary. Explaining when a visit is required, what it costs and what it prevents helps them understand rather than resent it.
Scope creep starts at the proposal
Every additional beam, changed layout and revised architect's drawing has a cost. Stating the revision policy in the proposal, rather than raising it mid-project, is what keeps the relationship intact.
Turnaround and when you can start
Clients working to a build programme need to know when calculations will arrive as much as what they cost. Publishing typical turnaround for standard domestic work, and current availability for site visits, is often what decides the instruction when two practices quote similar fees.
Larger projects are quoted, not priced
Commercial and development work depends on scale, stage and programme, as described in project enquiries for engineering consultancies.
Never advise on the structure itself
Fees and scope can be explained completely. Whether a wall can come down cannot, as set out in homeowner structural questions an engineer must not answer online.
Clear pricing across professions
Publishing what is included is what distinguishes credible professional pricing, as in monthly bookkeeping package questions, and hidden extras damage trust as in hidden costs answering services.
Getting started
Publish fixed fees for standard work, what each includes and your revision policy, then answer at any hour. SpideyChat for B2B companies answers from your published pages, plans are on the pricing page and the chatbot ROI calculator helps size the time saved.