How are fee calculations becoming more transparent today?

From our practice it becomes clear: exactly where rigid models were less decisive, a data-based approach provides the better basis for discussion. For KeeValue this is particularly relevant because the model considers not only construction costs but also project type, complexity and the SIA service descriptions. Thus a pure calculation aid becomes a tool that provides planners and clients with more comparable grounds.

Why classic fee calculations reach their limits

Since Article 7 was removed from the SIA service and fee regulations, the Swiss planning practice lacked a modern, broadly accepted instrument for determining planning effort. The previous calculation models were increasingly deemed inadequate, not only legally but also in their explanatory power for a more complex planning reality. This is where the new approach steps in: it aims to close the gap between practical application, legal admissibility, and understandable evaluation.

How does the data-based effort calculator work?

The basis is more than 3,000 actually billed projects and a large survey of over 13,000 specialists. For the evaluation, statistically and scientifically recognized methods such as linear quantile regression and conformal prediction are used. The model is multidimensional and considers not only construction costs but also project type, complexity and the SIA LHO 102, 103, 105 and 108, so all planner categories are represented in the tool.

What does the boxplot representation show?

The result is visualized as a boxplot, not as a single benchmark but as a band of comparable projects. The median and percentiles are visible, making the spread of real efforts understandable and facilitating communication with clients. This creates a common basis grounded in understandable criteria rather than a schematic flat-rate assumption.

Why construction costs are not simply translated 1:1 into the fee

A frequent critique of earlier models was the direct link to construction costs, which risked misaligned incentives. The new model normalizes the cost-influencing amount with the Federal Statistical Office's Construction Price Index and thus accounts for construction price fluctuations separately. Contrary to the assumption that rising construction costs automatically lead to higher effort, this development is resolved mathematically.

What does this mean in practice for planners and clients?

For planners, the effort calculator offers a solid basis for offers and for the comprehensible presentation of effort to clients and funders. For public authorities, it becomes a uniform and reproducible instrument for plausibility checking of offers, budgeting and later evaluation. Because the data basis is continuously updated and validated, the model can also respond to new requirements such as sustainability or technical innovations.

Frequently asked questions

In practice, this means: fee calculations become not simpler in the sense of a flat rate, but clearer in the sense of being understandable. This exact combination of classical costing and modern data analysis makes KeeValue's approach capable of engaging with clients, planners and funders.

If you want to build fee calculations today in a reliable way, you need more than a rigid key. KeeValue's data-based approach shows how planning effort can be presented more transparently, comparably, and professionally justifiable.