Profitable by Design: Estimating Fees for AE Success  

The Art of Estimating Fees

Sponsored by BQE Software | Douglas Teiger, FAIA

Live Webinar Airing on December 3, 2025 at 02:00 PM ET

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 course, 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.

Image courtesy of joakimbkk from Getty Images Signature

 

Speaker

Douglas Teiger, FAIA, 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. 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.

Originally published in Building Enclosure

Originally published in October 2025

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
  1. Identify the correlation between project scope, estimated project cost, and fee.
  2. Develop a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) for construction costs in a simple way. 
  3. Create a top-down approach to fee estimation based on percentage of costs as a guideline.
  4. Define the allocation of hours for each project phase and develop strategies to effectively manage them.