The Art of Estimating Fees: Unlocking Profitable Projects for Your AE Firm (1 PDH)
Date: June 10, 2025
Time: 3:00pm – 4:00pm PM Eastern Standard Time
Duration: 1 hour
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Summary
Ready to master the art of estimating fees and gain profound insights into their impact on your bottom line? Join Douglas Teiger, FAIA, on a journey that begins at the very inception of a project—when that initial request for a proposal lands on your desk or in your inbox. In this comprehensive session, you will not only learn to define project scope, but also develop a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) for construction costs and estimate project hours. We’ll culminate by dissecting how fees are structured and introduce a simplified system to enhance your overall project profitability.
Join Douglas for this illuminating session that will empower you to unlock profitable projects and gain mastery in fee estimation. By the end of this session, you’ll possess the knowledge and tools to make informed financial decisions, ensuring the prosperity of your AE firm.
By the end of this session, you will learn how to:
- Identify the correlation between project scope, estimated project cost, and fee
- Develop a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) for construction costs in a simple way
- Create a top-down approach to fee estimation based on percentage of costs as a guideline
- Estimate fees, whether they are for hourly or fixed-fee projects
- Define the allocation of hours for each project phase and develop strategies to effectively manage them
Your Speaker
Douglas Teiger, FAIA | Founder, Teiger Consulting
Douglas graduated from Cornell University, in 1982 with a BARCH. He opened his own firm in 1989 and grew from a solo practitioner to become managing partner of his 32-person firm.
In 2009, Douglas received a Master’s in Spiritual Psychology from USM, where he learned tools and skills he is sharing with his staff and clients. His ability to effectively streamline the operations allowed for more time to be spent on design and project research while creating a culture that fosters a holistic approach to a work life balance.
In 2017, he served as President of the AIA Los Angeles Chapter and previously served on the AIA National Strategic Council. In 2019 Douglas transitioned out of his firm elevating three associates to partners, sold his shares and started his next venture, Teiger Consulting.
Douglas’s mission is to “live an inspiring balanced life” whether it involves family, coaching, consulting, painting, or sports.
Your Host
Anthony Fasano, P.E., AEC PM | Engineering Management Institute
Most AEC organizations are too busy to focus on attracting, developing, and retaining talented professionals, making it hard to grow. Through his work at EMI, Fasano utilizes a proven framework to help organizations, both public and private, build professional development plans, programs, and tools that help them attract, build, AND maintain strong teams and grow sustainably.
Fasano has written a bestselling book entitled Engineer Your Own Success (by IEEE-Wiley Press), and under his stewardship, EMI has built a massive content platform including 10 active podcasts, 3 YouTube channels, and a popular blog dedicated to helping AEC professionals become better managers and leaders.