U.S. consulting firms raised fees 6% last year

A survey of architecture, engineering and environmental consulting firms in the U.S. found that hourly billing rates have increased an average of 16% over the past five years. The report by ZweigWhite, found that 6% of the increase has come in the past year.
The report also found that senior designers and planners increased their rates by as much as 35%.
The sector that had the lowest percentage increases in 2000 compared to their rates a year earlier were electrical engineers, mechanical engineers and senior scientists. Process engineers actually saw a decrease of 1% from the 2000 rates.
The 2004 Fee and Billing Survey of A/E/P & Environmental Consulting Firms is available for U.S. $345 from ZweigWhite. Visit www.zweigwhite.com