In this guide 6 sections
Fees leak through work done after the fee was agreed: extra site visits, revisions beyond the brief, stages finished but not billed, and certificate work slowed by scattered papers. Count visits against the agreement, log every check and revision, and raise the bill when a stage closes. Software helps once projects overlap.
Extra site visits that nobody counted
The agreement allows a set number of visits, and pre-pour checks keep coming. Each request feels small. Across a building with many slabs, the count passes the agreed figure without anyone noticing.
The remedy is a running count per project. Every visit is logged with its date, purpose and engineer. When the count crosses what the fee covers, the extras are flagged for billing before the stage closes.
- Visits allowed under the agreement
- Visits made, with date and purpose
- Extra visits flagged as billable
- Client told before the stage bill goes
Revisions that grow beyond the brief
Architects change plans, and the structure follows. Some revisions sit inside the scope. Others come from a late client change, and they take the same design hours.
A drawing register shows which revision came from whom, and why. With that record, a talk about extra fees starts from dates and sheet numbers. Memory is a weak argument.
Stages finished but never invoiced
Design stages close quietly. GFC drawings go out, the team moves to the next job, and the stage bill waits. By the time it is raised, the client asks what it covers.
Tie the bill to the stage. When a stage is marked complete, the invoice follows against the fee written in the appointment. Accounts can then see what each project still owes.
Checks with no record behind them
A pre-pour check given over WhatsApp leaves nothing in the file. If a dispute comes later, the practice holds no signed note showing the steel was seen. That is a risk rather than a fee leak, but it eats time.
A phone form closes the gap. It covers lap lengths, cover, spacing and shuttering, with photos and a pass or hold. The same entry later counts as a visit.
- Slab or element, and the date
- Lap lengths, cover blocks and spacing
- Shuttering condition
- Photos with a pass or hold
- Name of the engineer who checked
Certificates slowed by scattered files
A stability certificate may be asked for months after the last pour. Check notes, cube test reports and the soil report are needed together. Some sit in diaries, some in inboxes.
Keep them in one project file from the first day. When the request comes, the papers are already gathered. Whether the certificate can be given remains the engineer’s judgement.
A practice with two or three live jobs may manage with a diary and a folder each.
Fee leak worksheet
List each live project with visits allowed, visits made, revisions issued, stages complete and stages billed. Read the columns side by side. Every gap between work done and work billed is a line to raise with the client.
Open a blank worksheet to printQuestions owners ask
Does practice software replace STAAD or ETABS?
No. Design stays in your analysis software. The practice record holds what was issued, checked and billed.
Can GullySystem’s architecture firm product serve a structural practice?
Partly. It already carries a drawing register, revisions, site visit reports and stage billing. A pre-pour form and a visit counter are built around those for structural work.
Do stage bills go straight into Tally?
Not built in. Billing and receipts can be read inside the system, and an export to Tally is priced once your accountant settles the ledger names.
Can a contractor’s site engineer request an inspection?
Yes. The request carries the slab and the date and reaches your engineer’s phone. A request sent on Sunday is still on record on Monday.