Project Pricing Calculator
Turn estimated hours, complexity, management, contingency and margin into a fixed-price quote. For freelancers and agencies that charge per project.
Why a flat quote underestimates the project
If you multiply estimated hours by your hourly rate and send that to the client, you absorb four invisible costs: meeting and coordination hours, the revisions that always show up, the complexity you discover halfway through, and the risk that the scope moves. This calculator adds each block separately so you can justify it if the client haggles.
How to choose the complexity
- Low: a repeat client, a scope identical to other projects, no new technical parts. Factor 1.05.
- Medium: a known client but a scope with some “we’ll see”, or a new client with a clear brief. Factor 1.15.
- High: open scope, several stakeholders, technical parts you don’t control, or a client with no experience buying this service. Factor 1.3.
Holding your ground when clients haggle
When the client asks for a lower price, don’t touch the margin or the contingency: touch the scope. “I can take €X off if we drop this section” protects your profitability and teaches the client what each thing costs. Lowering the price without changing the scope trains the client to always ask for it.
Keep going
- → True cost per asset: estimate the operating cost before you lock the scope.
- → Brief template: a good brief lowers both complexity and price.