Hourly Rates for A/E Designers Are Looking Good This Year

Architecture, engineering and environmental consulting firms are charging more for their employees’ time than ever before, according to a report from Natick, Mass.-based ZweigWhite. Data from its “2007 Fee & Billing Survey of Architecture, Engineering, Planning & Environmental Consulting Firms” show that across the 29 employee positions reviewed for the report, hourly billing rates increased an average of 6% in the past year and 26% since 2003.

Data in the new edition of the annual report, published every year since 1998, were compared to data from the 2006 edition, revealing that median hourly billing rates increased the most for senior interior designers (32%), structural engineers (21%), senior structural engineers (17%), senior electrical engineers (13%), and interior designers (10%). Civil, mechanical and electrical engineers all increased by approximately 6% each over the same time period.

The report defines senior staff as those with at least five years of experience, with some project management responsibilities, while non-senior staff have fewer than five years of experience and are not typically in project manager roles.

Other findings from the survey show that 75% of firms update their billing rates annually, while another 14% do so every two years. Additional survey data show current project design fees as related to construction costs for a range of architecture and engineering services in a series of major market sectors.

For more information or to order the survey, go to www.zweigwhite.com .

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