Set the fee. Work backwards.

Consultancies often price from habit — 2%, 2.5%, 3%, 4% — without a clear view of whether that fee can carry the team, the programme, and a sustainable margin. Guessing feels professional until the job runs hot.

Tockly's predictive fee analysis starts from the proposed fee and works backwards: what staffing and effort the job can afford, at what level, and what profit remains if the plan holds.

Use it at bid time, not only at post-mortem. The goal is fewer projects that look “won” on fee and lost on cost.