Overview
Project management is sold for risk control, and the schedule, the cost report, and the risk register are the deliverables
Project managers are paid to keep a project on time, on budget, and on quality. The customer (a developer, a corporate property team, a homeowner with a big build, a charitable trust) is buying expertise that prevents the project running late or over-budget. The PM doesn't pour the concrete; they coordinate the people who do. A flat 'project management, 10 percent of project value' quote without naming the deliverables (programme, cost report, risk register, change control process, stakeholder reporting) doesn't communicate what the PM actually does. The cheap quote often skips the cost reporting and the client wonders in month five why they don't know where the budget sits.
QuoteGenio gives project managers a quoting shape that surfaces the deliverables. Pre-construction services (briefing, procurement, tender management) as the first phase, construction phase services (programme management, cost control, change orders, risk register, stakeholder reporting) by month, on-site supervision hours, contract administration if part of the role, and post-completion services (snagging, defects, final account). Send via email or WhatsApp to the client or fund manager, take a deposit or first-month payment at appointment, raise monthly invoices through the project life, and the final invoice closes with a project review meeting and the lessons-learned document.
Who it is for
Who uses QuoteGenio
Built for every type of construction and property project management business.
The problem
The fee proposal headaches every PM knows
PM fees are abstract to clients. A clear retainer or percentage-of-project quote with defined deliverables wins the engagement every time.
Fee proposals take days
Word document, custom format, fee schedule table. Every new client gets a hand-built proposal that should take hours, not a week.
Clients cannot value PM work
Without a clear scope of services and fee structure, clients see PM fees as overhead and try to negotiate them down to nothing.
Scope creep on retainers
Without a clear retainer scope and out-of-scope rate, every extra meeting and report becomes free work that destroys your monthly margin.
The fix
QuoteGenio makes PM proposals fast
A structured workflow that lets you quote retainers, percentage fees, or hourly engagements with defined deliverables and clear out-of-scope rates.
The payoff
What you get with QuoteGenio
The everyday wins that add up across a year of quoting and invoicing.
Built for PM engagements
Line items for retainer fees, project value percentages, hourly out-of-scope rates, expenses, and disbursements. Everything a fee proposal needs.
Retainer or percentage fees
Quote a fixed monthly retainer or a percentage of project value. Both calculate cleanly with VAT and produce a recurring invoice schedule.
Proposal-grade PDFs
Cover page, scope of services, fee schedule, terms. Looks like the proposal a R83m project deserves, not a pricing email.
Recurring retainer invoices
Convert an accepted retainer into a monthly invoice schedule. Bill the same fee every month without rebuilding the line items.
Built for your trade
Quoting calibrated to how project managers actually work
Pick your trade in Settings and the entire quote flow switches to fit. Line item presets, compliance fields, on-the-quote calculators, and per-m² / after-hours pricing all change to match your industry.
Trade-specific line items
Quick add picker pre-fills the common items your trade quotes. Skip the blank rows.
Brand-specific catalogues
Pylontech, Hikvision, Canadian Solar, Sunsynk and others pre-named. Pick the brand, the description writes itself.
Compliance fields built in
IOPSA, ECASA, PIRB, PSIRA, NHBRC, SAQCC. Set once. Every quote prints them under FROM.
Registration expiry alerts
Dashboard notification 60 days before your PSIRA, CoC or any dated registration lapses.
Per-m² / hour / day billing
Unit selector on every line item: m², hr, linear m, days. Stop doing the maths externally.
After-hours and emergency
1.5× and 2× multipliers as a one-tap toggle. Customer sees the breakdown on the quote.
Quote-flow calculators
Solar size, battery backup, cable run cost. Compute on the spot, drop straight onto the quote.
Staged payments
Deposit on acceptance + balance on completion as two separate amounts on the quote PDF.
Scope-of-work checklist
Structured Included / Not included lists. Client acceptance = signing the scope.
Site-survey mode
Log a location per line item: camera positions, fixtures by room, sensors by zone.
Regional rate hints
Pricing ranges per item per currency shown as you quote.
Free on every plan
All of the above included on the free plan. Premium is for capacity, not the trade tooling.
Why QuoteGenio
Why Project Managers choose QuoteGenio
The tools that matter most when you are quoting on-site, under pressure, and between jobs.
Quote from your phone
Most Project Managers build and send quotes directly from the job site. No laptop, no office, no delays.
Win more jobs, faster
The first professional quote a client receives usually wins. Respond in minutes, not hours.
Quote to invoice in one click
When the job is accepted, convert to an invoice instantly. No retyping, no double entry.
Pricing guide
Typical Project Managers job pricing
A rough guide to what construction and fitout PMs charge for typical engagements. Pricing varies by project size, complexity, and whether the engagement is client-side or contractor-side. Use these ranges as a benchmark when building your own fee structure, not as fixed numbers.
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Hourly PM consulting (early stage) | R1,240 - R2,479 |
| Monthly retainer (small project) | R46,276 - R107,426 |
| Monthly retainer (mid-size project) | R107,426 - R231,378 |
| % of project value (under $ 1m) | 4 % - 6 % |
| % of project value ($ 1m to $ 5m) | 3 % - 4.5 % |
| % of project value ($ 5m+) | 2 % - 3.5 % |
| Out-of-scope hourly rate | R1,983 - R3,636 |
Pricing converted from USD to ZAR at indicative rates. Rates vary significantly by country, region, currency, and market.
Call-out fees
A pre-engagement scoping fee covers your time to review the brief, walk the site, and draft the fee proposal itself. Most PMs charge R1,240 to R2,479 per hour for early-stage work, refundable against the retainer if the engagement is awarded. Show it on the proposal so clients see scoping is real work.
Hourly vs fixed pricing
Use a monthly retainer for projects with a defined programme and predictable workload. Use percentage of project value for projects where scope is still flexible. Use hourly rates for early-stage scoping or out-of-scope variations on a retainer engagement. Mix all three on the same proposal if it suits the engagement.
See it in action
Example quote breakdown
Here is what a clean PM fee proposal looks like for a 14-month commercial fitout. Notice how the retainer is staged by project phase, with explicit out-of-scope and disbursements lines. Clients accept this format because they can see exactly what they get each month and what triggers extra fees.
Try it yourself
Job size
Region
Sample quote
Project management retainer, 14-month commercial fitout
Pre-engagement scoping and proposal
Monthly PM retainer (months 1 to 4, design)
Monthly PM retainer (months 5 to 12, build)
Monthly PM retainer (months 13 to 14, handover)
Out-of-scope hourly allowance
Disbursements (travel, printing, parking)
| Description | Qty | Rate | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-engagement scoping and proposal | 1 | R39,665 | R39,665 |
| Monthly PM retainer (months 1 to 4, design) | 4 | R112,384 / mo | R449,534 |
| Monthly PM retainer (months 5 to 12, build) | 8 | R157,007 / mo | R1,256,052 |
| Monthly PM retainer (months 13 to 14, handover) | 2 | R85,940 / mo | R171,881 |
| Out-of-scope hourly allowance | 40 | R2,727 / hr | R109,078 |
| Disbursements (travel, printing, parking) | 1 | R52,886 | R52,886 |
| Subtotal | R2,079,097 | ||
| Tax (10%) | R207,910 | ||
| Total incl. tax | R2,287,006 | ||
Totals recalculate as you change the controls above. Tax rate inferred from the sample quote.
Items often forgotten
Pre-engagement scoping time, out-of-scope variation hours, travel and disbursements, printing and reporting, after-hours site cover during critical works, post-handover defects period meetings, and the close-out report. Add these to your retainer template once and never lose them again.
Peer snapshot
How Project Managers actually use QuoteGenio
Indicative activity for Project Managers on the platform. Use it as a benchmark for how often to quote and how fast to respond.
28
Quotes sent per month
56%
Average quote acceptance
4 min
Median time to send quote
R2,287,006
Typical quote value
Figures are indicative platform averages for this trade segment.
Start quoting Project Manager jobs like this, free
Build your first quote in under 2 minutes. No credit card, no setup fee, no contract.
Avoid these
Common quoting mistakes
We talk to a lot of project managers. The same fee proposal mistakes come up again and again. Fix these and you protect your monthly margin, avoid scope creep arguments, and close engagements faster.
Mistake: Quoting a flat monthly retainer with no scope
Better: List the deliverables included in the retainer (weekly site meeting, monthly progress report, etc). Without a defined scope every extra meeting becomes a free entitlement the client expects.
Mistake: No out-of-scope hourly rate
Better: State the hourly rate for anything outside the retainer scope on the proposal. Clients respect a clear R2,727 per hour line; they push back on a vague extra fees may apply sentence.
Mistake: Percentage fee with no value cap
Better: If you quote 4 percent of project value, state the cap (or floor) so a project value blowout does not surprise either party. A clear cap protects the client and gives you a contractual basis.
Mistake: Forgetting disbursements
Better: Travel, printing, parking, and software licence fees are real costs. List a disbursements line (either as a fixed allowance or at-cost recharge) so you stop absorbing them on the retainer.
Mistake: No phased fee structure
Better: PM workload changes by project phase: design is heavy, mid-build is steady, handover spikes again. Quote different monthly retainers per phase so the fee matches the workload.
Mistake: Vague payment terms on the proposal
Better: Specify the invoice cycle (e.g. monthly in advance, net 14) on the proposal. Ambiguous payment terms turn into 60-day payment cycles that strangle your cash flow.
Mistake: No proposal validity period
Better: Set a 30 to 60 day validity on every proposal. Project programmes slip, and you do not want to honour a fee from six months ago when the project finally kicks off.
Mistake: No follow-up after sending the quote
Better: Most quotes that don't close, don't close because nobody followed up. Send a polite check-in 48 hours after the quote lands, and a second nudge at day 7. Two of every three accepted quotes get there because someone followed up.
Step by step
How to quote project management fee proposals
Before you price anything, walk the project brief with the client in person, not over email. Read the design brief, the programme, and the cost plan, then visit the site and meet the client representative who will sign your timesheets. Clarify the construction budget, the target dates for design freeze, tender, and practical completion, and who else on the client side is involved (legal, facilities, procurement). Ask specifically whether the client wants a client-side PM managing contractors or a contractor-side PM coordinating trades, because the fee structure and workload differ significantly. Count up the number of stakeholder meetings, monthly reports, and site visits the engagement will realistically need, because those inputs drive whether a flat retainer or a phased retainer fits the brief.
Itemise the proposal by phase and deliverable, not as a single monthly figure. List a pre-engagement scoping line at $ 75 to $ 150 per hour (refundable against the retainer if awarded), then stage the retainer by project phase with different monthly rates for design, build, and handover because workload changes by 40 to 60 percent between phases. Add an out-of-scope hourly line at $ 120 to $ 220 with a clear definition of what triggers it (extra stakeholder meetings, design changes after freeze, contract variations). Quote disbursements as a fixed monthly allowance covering travel, printing, parking, and software licence recharges, and include a value cap on percentage-of-project-value engagements so a budget blowout does not silently balloon your fee.
Set a 30 to 60 day validity on every proposal, because construction programmes slip and you do not want to honour a fee from six months ago when the project finally kicks off on a different budget. State the invoice cycle clearly (monthly in advance, net 14) on the proposal itself, because ambiguous payment terms turn into 60-day payment cycles that destroy your cash flow. Build a CPI-linked annual review clause on retainers running longer than 12 months. For percentage-of-project-value engagements, state the reference construction value and the re-measure clause so a client-led budget change triggers a clean fee adjustment rather than a dispute at month six.
Send the proposal as a branded PDF within 48 hours of the scoping meeting while the brief is still fresh in the client's mind. Email it to the client representative and the finance contact on the same thread so the commercial and operational stakeholders see the fee simultaneously. Follow up after five working days with a short call offering to walk through the scope-of-services section, because clients accept a clear retainer scope faster when they have been through the deliverables list in conversation. Once the engagement is live, issue variation fee notes against the out-of-scope hourly line using the same proposal format, get written acceptance before doing the extra work, and invoice them monthly alongside the retainer so scope creep becomes billable, not absorbed.
FAQ
Common questions from project managers
Everything you need to know before getting started.
Yes. Add a line item with a monthly rate and quantity equal to the number of months. Convert the accepted proposal into a recurring monthly invoice schedule so you bill the same fee every month without rebuilding it.
Yes. Add a line item with the project value as the rate and the percentage as a calculated amount, or just enter the calculated fee as a single line. Add a note explaining the percentage basis so the client understands the math.
Yes. Every quote becomes a clean branded PDF with your logo, terms, and section headings. Download it and attach it to your proposal email, or send the public link directly to the client.
Yes. Every quote has a unique public link. Your client opens it on their phone or laptop and accepts online. No signup required.
Yes. Convert the accepted proposal into a monthly invoice schedule. All line items carry over so you bill the same retainer every month without re-entering anything.
Yes. The free plan gives you 5 quotes and 2 invoices per month with no credit card required. Upgrade to Premium for unlimited quotes, invoices, statements, and reports.
Use a monthly retainer for engagements with a defined programme and predictable workload. Use percentage of project value for engagements where scope is still flexible or the construction value drives the workload. On large projects, a phased retainer aligned to design, build, and handover usually beats a flat percentage because it matches your actual effort to the fee.
State the retainer scope clearly (weekly site meeting, monthly progress report, document control, etc.) and quote a separate hourly rate for anything outside that scope. Bill out-of-scope hours monthly alongside the retainer with a brief description of the variation work. Without this structure, scope creep silently destroys your margin.
PM fees typically range from 2 to 6 percent of project value, with smaller projects (under R17m) at the higher end and larger projects (R83m+) at the lower end because the fixed effort scales sublinearly. Always quote the fee with a defined project value reference and a re-measure clause so a project value change does not become a fee dispute.
Yes. List disbursements (travel, parking, printing, software licences, third-party reports) as either a fixed allowance or an at-cost recharge with a percentage uplift for handling. Hiding disbursements in the retainer means you absorb them; clients respect a transparent line and rarely push back on it.
Still have questions? We would rather answer them now than after you have signed up.
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Guides
Guides for Project Managers
Practical advice to help you quote better, get paid faster, and grow your business.
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