Business School of Architecture | Financial Toolkit
Live webinar (available on-demand following the live session)
1 PM, AEST
Thursday, 30 July 2026
1 Formal CPD Point
1 PM – Melbourne, Sydney
1 PM – Brisbane
12:30 PM – Adelaide
11 AM – Perth
12:30 – Darwin
Overview
Architects are trained to solve complex design problems — but many of us are expected to understand fees, forecasting, utilisation and profitability with little formal guidance. This session is designed for professionals who want practical skills and a clearer line of sight between great work and sustainable remuneration.
Presented by Ross Donaldson, Chapter President and former CEO of Woods Bagot, this forum will walk through the building blocks that support stronger financial performance in practice — from setting charge rates and understanding internal pricing, to forecasting revenue and tracking project profitability. The goal is simple: help you make confident, informed decisions about how time is priced, how fees are built, and how projects stay financially healthy from start to finish.
What we'll cover:
- How to calculate charge rates (internal pricing)
- Forecasting revenue and understanding fee capacity
- Utilisation: what it means and how it affects profitability
- Project profitability margin and cost control
- Forecast-to-complete: staying on top of resourcing and remaining fee
- Fee calculation: building and testing a fee
- Invoicing and payment terms: reducing risk and improving cashflow
NSCA 2021 Performance Criteria
PROJECT INITIATION AND CONCEPTUAL DESIGN
- PC33: Be able to investigate, coordinate and integrate sustainable environmental systems – including water, thermal, lighting and acoustics – in response to consultants’ advice.
- PC34: Communicate conceptual design proposals and associated information to client, stakeholders and communities using appropriate and culturally responsive methods appropriate to different audiences.
- PC35: Be able to assess operational and embodied carbon implications of materials, components, construction systems and supply chains (including transport) to achieve net zero whole life carbon when developing design concepts. This includes integrating relevant consultant expertise and advising on the impact of chosen materials, components and systems on carbon outcomes.
DETAILED DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTATION
- PC36: Be able to apply creative imagination, design precedents, emergent knowledge, critical evaluation and continued engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to produce a coherent project design. This should be resolved in terms of supporting health and wellbeing outcomes for Country, site planning, formal composition, spatial planning and circulation as appropriate to the project brief and all other factors affecting the project.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Understand calculations of cost rates for staff time
- Calculate “Fee Capacity” and manage the balance between forecast revenue and resourcing
- Drive productivity through month-end reviews of project profitability and cost control
- Apply an understanding of methods to calculate fees, negotiate and communicate value
- Explain important concepts related to invoicing and payment agreements
Speaker
Ross Donaldson | National President Elect
Ross Donaldson was CEO and Chairman of Woods Bagot from 2006-2016. Living in Hong Kong for ten years, he led the firm through its global growth to becoming the 6th largest firm in the world and in 2016, named the 7th most admired in the WA100 survey of 2000 international practices.
Prior to Woods Bagot he had his own small firm in Perth and taught at UWA for 17 years.
Since returning to Perth, he has become deeply involved in the decarbonisation of the construction industry and has prepared two series of lectures for the profession on designing out carbon. He continues to teach at the Schools of Architecture, mentors mid-career Architects and provides strategic consulting to a number of national architectural firms.
Price
Members: $20
Student members: FREE
Non-members: $120
FAQs
What Do I Do Next?
- You will receive an automated registration email upon purchase. Follow the link in this email to take you to the course.
- Accept the T&Cs if it is your first time on the online platform and hit “my dashboard” to find your purchased course.
Cancellations and Refunds
Generally, the Institute will not agree to a refund if the request is received less than 14 days before the event starts, unless otherwise stated in the cancellations and refunds policy.