Fresh Projects is a UK-based software platform designed for architects, engineers, and other built-environment professionals to manage financial aspects of their projects. It helps teams track fees, timesheets, expenses, billing, and overall profitability to keep projects on budget and profitable. The platform also centralises project data, streamlines administrative tasks, and offers mobile app support for easy access and updates.
1a Colinette Road
London
SW15 6QG
© 2026 Fresh Projects
Product
Fresh Projects is a UK-based software platform designed for architects, engineers, and other built-environment professionals to manage financial aspects of their projects. It helps teams track fees, timesheets, expenses, billing, and overall profitability to keep projects on budget and profitable. The platform also centralises project data, streamlines administrative tasks, and offers mobile app support for easy access and updates.
1a Colinette Road
London
SW15 6QG
© 2026 Fresh Projects
Product
3 Lessons to Help You Run a More Profitable Practice
3 Lessons to Help You Run a More Profitable Practice
3 Lessons to Help You Run a More Profitable Practice
Reading Time:
Reading Time:
5
5
minute(s)
minute(s)
Running a profitable architecture or engineering practice is rarely about one big decision. More often, it comes down to a series of small, repeatable behaviours that compound over time.
In a recent Fresh Projects webinar, Empower Your Practice: How to Build Your Business Profitability, we brought together leaders from across the AEC industry to share lessons from their own firms. The discussion was practical, honest and grounded in real experience.
Here are three lessons that stood out, along with my perspective on how practices can apply them day to day.
1. Spot profit leaks early, not at the end
Al Scott, co-founder of IF_DO Architects, opened the session with a deceptively simple point. Reviewing profitability at the end of a project is too late.
By the time a project finishes, any overruns in time, fee or scope are already locked in. The opportunity to correct course has passed.
Instead, IF_DO reviews project health regularly and proactively. Weekly check-ins focus on time logged, resource allocation and progress against budget. If a phase starts to drift, the team can reassign work, bring in support or have an early conversation with the client.
This approach does more than protect margins. It removes stress. Teams are not left with the unpleasant surprise of discovering a problem once the project is complete.
Simon’s take
This is a mindset shift many practices struggle with. Profitability is not something to review after the fact. It needs to be visible while decisions can still be made. Fresh Projects was built to support this kind of real-time insight, so teams can act early rather than explain late.
Action tip
Introduce a weekly ten-minute project review. Compare time logged against budget and flag anything trending off course. Small adjustments early can prevent significant losses later.
2. Communicate your value, not just your fee
Nick Hayhurst, founding director at Hayhurst & Co. Architects, addressed a challenge many practices recognise. Clients often see fees as a cost to reduce rather than an investment to protect.
Nick’s advice was clear. Change the conversation.
Instead of focusing on hours or rates, his team talks about outcomes. Good design can reduce construction risk, improve long-term asset value, lower operational costs and enhance user experience. These benefits last far beyond the design phase.
Confidence plays a role too. If architects appear hesitant or apologetic about fees, clients pick up on it. Framing services around expertise and outcomes, supported by examples, helps shift perception from cost to value.
Simon’s take
Architects and engineers create significant value. The challenge is articulating it clearly. Preparing a simple value narrative alongside your fee proposal can reframe the discussion and support more sustainable pricing.
Action tip
Include a short section in your next fee proposal explaining the value of your services and the outcomes clients can expect. Move the conversation away from cost alone.
3. Protect your profit by managing scope and getting paid for all work
Judith Stichtenoth, director at dRMM Architects, brought a perspective shaped by complex projects and larger teams. Her message was direct. What you leave out of your fee calculation can hurt you just as much as what you include.
Scope changes are inevitable. The issue is not that they happen, but whether they are tracked, communicated and charged for. At dRMM, changes to the brief are recorded carefully and addressed early.
Judith also highlighted the importance of disciplined invoice follow-up. Outstanding invoices are not just an admin issue. They directly affect cash flow and financial stability. Treating invoice review with the same seriousness as project delivery helps protect the practice.
Simon’s take
Scope creep is one of the most common causes of lost profit. My rule is simple. Charge for changes. If additional meetings, drawings or revisions are requested, it is reasonable to adjust the fee to reflect the extra work.
Action tip
Create a scope change log for each project and review it monthly. At the same time, schedule a short, regular check of outstanding invoices to keep cash flow healthy.
Talking about fees, scope and payment can feel uncomfortable in the design profession. Yet the experiences shared in this webinar show that addressing these topics directly is essential to running a sustainable practice.
Many firms are becoming more confident in this area. Recent industry data shows that mid-sized practices, particularly those with 50 to 100 staff, have improved profitability by tightening project controls and improving financial visibility.
At Fresh Projects, our aim is to make the commercial side of practice clearer and easier to manage. These lessons reinforce why simple, real-time tools matter. They reduce guesswork and help practices focus on delivering great work without sacrificing profitability.
If you want to explore how these principles could apply in your own firm, book a guided demo of Fresh Projects. And if you have lessons of your own to share, we would love to continue the conversation.
Running a profitable architecture or engineering practice is rarely about one big decision. More often, it comes down to a series of small, repeatable behaviours that compound over time.
In a recent Fresh Projects webinar, Empower Your Practice: How to Build Your Business Profitability, we brought together leaders from across the AEC industry to share lessons from their own firms. The discussion was practical, honest and grounded in real experience.
Here are three lessons that stood out, along with my perspective on how practices can apply them day to day.
1. Spot profit leaks early, not at the end
Al Scott, co-founder of IF_DO Architects, opened the session with a deceptively simple point. Reviewing profitability at the end of a project is too late.
By the time a project finishes, any overruns in time, fee or scope are already locked in. The opportunity to correct course has passed.
Instead, IF_DO reviews project health regularly and proactively. Weekly check-ins focus on time logged, resource allocation and progress against budget. If a phase starts to drift, the team can reassign work, bring in support or have an early conversation with the client.
This approach does more than protect margins. It removes stress. Teams are not left with the unpleasant surprise of discovering a problem once the project is complete.
Simon’s take
This is a mindset shift many practices struggle with. Profitability is not something to review after the fact. It needs to be visible while decisions can still be made. Fresh Projects was built to support this kind of real-time insight, so teams can act early rather than explain late.
Action tip
Introduce a weekly ten-minute project review. Compare time logged against budget and flag anything trending off course. Small adjustments early can prevent significant losses later.
2. Communicate your value, not just your fee
Nick Hayhurst, founding director at Hayhurst & Co. Architects, addressed a challenge many practices recognise. Clients often see fees as a cost to reduce rather than an investment to protect.
Nick’s advice was clear. Change the conversation.
Instead of focusing on hours or rates, his team talks about outcomes. Good design can reduce construction risk, improve long-term asset value, lower operational costs and enhance user experience. These benefits last far beyond the design phase.
Confidence plays a role too. If architects appear hesitant or apologetic about fees, clients pick up on it. Framing services around expertise and outcomes, supported by examples, helps shift perception from cost to value.
Simon’s take
Architects and engineers create significant value. The challenge is articulating it clearly. Preparing a simple value narrative alongside your fee proposal can reframe the discussion and support more sustainable pricing.
Action tip
Include a short section in your next fee proposal explaining the value of your services and the outcomes clients can expect. Move the conversation away from cost alone.
3. Protect your profit by managing scope and getting paid for all work
Judith Stichtenoth, director at dRMM Architects, brought a perspective shaped by complex projects and larger teams. Her message was direct. What you leave out of your fee calculation can hurt you just as much as what you include.
Scope changes are inevitable. The issue is not that they happen, but whether they are tracked, communicated and charged for. At dRMM, changes to the brief are recorded carefully and addressed early.
Judith also highlighted the importance of disciplined invoice follow-up. Outstanding invoices are not just an admin issue. They directly affect cash flow and financial stability. Treating invoice review with the same seriousness as project delivery helps protect the practice.
Simon’s take
Scope creep is one of the most common causes of lost profit. My rule is simple. Charge for changes. If additional meetings, drawings or revisions are requested, it is reasonable to adjust the fee to reflect the extra work.
Action tip
Create a scope change log for each project and review it monthly. At the same time, schedule a short, regular check of outstanding invoices to keep cash flow healthy.
Talking about fees, scope and payment can feel uncomfortable in the design profession. Yet the experiences shared in this webinar show that addressing these topics directly is essential to running a sustainable practice.
Many firms are becoming more confident in this area. Recent industry data shows that mid-sized practices, particularly those with 50 to 100 staff, have improved profitability by tightening project controls and improving financial visibility.
At Fresh Projects, our aim is to make the commercial side of practice clearer and easier to manage. These lessons reinforce why simple, real-time tools matter. They reduce guesswork and help practices focus on delivering great work without sacrificing profitability.
If you want to explore how these principles could apply in your own firm, book a guided demo of Fresh Projects. And if you have lessons of your own to share, we would love to continue the conversation.
Published:
Published:
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Fresh Projects is a UK-based software platform designed for architects, engineers, and other built-environment professionals to manage financial aspects of their projects. It helps teams track fees, timesheets, expenses, billing, and overall profitability to keep projects on budget and profitable. The platform also centralises project data, streamlines administrative tasks, and offers mobile app support for easy access and updates.
1a Colinette Road
London
SW15 6QG
© 2026 Fresh Projects
Product
