What is a Fee Proposal?
It’s the moment a client decides if they trust you, if they understand your value, and if they’re willing to pay for your expertise. Yet, too many architects and interior designers treat it like a dull formality—just a list of services and numbers.
That’s why some firms win projects at higher fees while others get ghosted.
If your proposal doesn’t sell your value, justify your fees, and make it easy to say yes, then it’s not working hard enough for you. The best fee proposals don’t just inform—they persuade.
Let’s break down exactly how to write a high-converting fee proposal that lands clients, reduces pricing pushback, and makes you look like the obvious choice.
Understanding the Client's Perspective
Most clients aren’t shopping for an architect or interior designer based on price alone. They want someone who gets their vision, reduces stress, and makes the process seamless.
But they also don’t know how your process works. They’ve likely never done this before, and they’re anxious about whether they’re making the right choice.
Your fee proposal should speak to those concerns:
✔ What’s included? (And what’s not?)
✔ How do you work?
✔ What happens next?
✔ Why is your fee justified?
If your proposal answers these clearly, your client feels relieved, reassured, and ready to move forward.
The Key Elements of a High-Converting Fee Proposal
Instead of a generic, info-dump-style proposal, think of it like a high-converting landing page.
You need to:
✔ Capture their attention (make them feel seen).
✔ Show them why you’re the best choice (build trust).
✔ Make it easy to say yes (reduce friction).
Here’s exactly what you should include.
The Brief.
Provide your understanding of the brief, use this as an opportunity to show you listen, and you provide a personal approach.
What Important to You.
Extract what the priorities of the client are, quality, cost, time, light, a key view? This goes a little deeper into your initial consultation to really build trust and show you understand your client.
Project Inspiration.
If applicable, such as if you charged for your initial consultation, you may have some sketches or inspiration images you can include to further define the brief.
Your Project Roadmap
Use this to provide a unique project roadmap to your client, highlighting projected timescales if they work with you. This will show that you know what you're doing.
Our Fee and Payment Schedule
Make sure this is skimmable, allowing your client to quickly review fees and how they're broken down, before getting too detailed with scope.
Terms and Conditions
Arguably the most important, make sure you include your terms and conditions for working such as payment terms, copyright etc. Ensure these also meet any contract you put in place, plus meet any registered professional body you may be part of (such as the ARB, RIBA).
Next Steps
Once you've built trust, outlined your fees and conditions - make sure it's easy for them to take the next step. What do they do now? reply to your email? call you? sign something? You're clients will want to know what to do next. Reduce the friction.
Our Studio
After this, your clients may still need some more information to help them decide. Use the next sections to continue to build trust and rapport. First, outline your studio, principles and what makes you unique.
The Design Team
If you can, highlight which members of your studio will be working on this project. Make it as personal as you can, build connection.
How We Communicate
Use this as an opportunity to begin setting up your boundaries. Highlight working hours, how you communicate and use this as another opportunity to show you're unique and the best fit.
Sustainability
Sustainability is becoming increasingly important, make sure you highlight what you're doing to make your buildings better. Show you're up-to-date and can lead the client's decisions.
Project Profiles
Include some more designs, and testimonials to showcase your projects. Build more trust and show that you've done this before successfully.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answer any questions that may be what's holding your client back. Make it as frictionless as possible. These will usually be questions that people often ask after you've sent your current fee proposal.
Schedule of Services
I'll include the schedule almost as an appendix. This allows client's to finally go through the scope item-by-item once you've built trust.
Contact
The final call to action. Make it easy to move to the next steps, guide your client.
Common Mistakes to Avoid in Fee Proposals
Even the best architects and designers make mistakes in their proposals. Here’s what to avoid:
✔ Being Vague – If you don’t specify, clients assume more than you’re offering.
✔ Not Making the Fee Feel Justified – Explain why your fee makes sense.
✔ Forgetting a Clear CTA – Don’t make them guess the next step.
Conclusion: How to Write Fee Proposals That Win Projects
It’s your sales pitch, your credibility check, and your chance to stand out.
✔ Sell the outcome, not just the deliverables.
✔ Frame your fee as an investment, not an expense.
✔ Make it easy to say yes with clear CTAs & social proof.
Want to skip the guesswork and use a fee proposal iterated and developed over a decade? Download my high-converting fee proposal templates here.
- Tim, Architecture Templates
About the Author
Tim is a UK-based ARB-registered Architect and founder of a boutique practice specializing in architecture and interior design. With over a decade of experience, he helps designers build efficient workflows that maximize profits, attract better clients, and create a balanced work-life.
Rather than offering mentorship or coaching, Tim shares proven templates and systems—built from the exact processes he uses in his own business—to help small firm owners streamline their work and focus on high-value projects.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should an architecture fee proposal include?
A strong fee proposal should clearly outline the project scope, deliverables, timelines, and pricing structure. It should also define what’s included and excluded, establish payment terms, and include a clear call to action so the client knows how to move forward.
How do you write a winning proposal as an architect or interior designer?
What’s the difference between a proposal and a contract?
How do I present pricing in a proposal without scaring clients away?
Can I use a template for my architecture fee proposals?
How do I stop clients from negotiating my fee proposal?
