Custom engineering firm software development
Appfront builds custom software for engineering and consultancy firms: time recording by project and phase, capacity planning for your engineers, project costing and final cost reconciliation, and document management with revision control. Tailored to the way you win work (often under De Nieuwe Regeling, DNR 2011) and to integration with your design software. For firms that manage by hours and capacity and want project records to be fully traceable.
What is engineering firm software?
Engineering firm software supports the work of technical consultants and engineers: recording hours per project and phase, planning the available capacity of engineers, costing and post-calculating assignments, and managing drawings and documents along with their revisions. An engineering firm mainly sells knowledge and hours, so control over hours, rates and capacity directly determines margin.
Many firms work with a timesheet package, loose planning in spreadsheets and documents on a network drive. That breaks down as soon as you work with sub-assignments, several disciplines and revision rounds. Custom software brings hours, planning, costing and document management together and matches the legal framework in which you take on assignments, such as De Nieuwe Regeling 2011 (DNR). See also our software for architecture firms.
This page is about custom business software for your engineering firm. If you want to use AI to automate engineering tasks, see AI automation for engineering firms. You can also read more about custom software.
Hours by project and phase
Engineers log hours by project, sub-assignment and phase, at the correct rates. This lets you see per assignment and per phase whether the work stays within budget, rather than only finding out at invoicing.
Capacity planning
You plan engineer deployment across ongoing and upcoming projects in advance, so you can spot peaks and shortfalls and commit to assignments realistically.
Documents with revisions
You manage drawings and documents with version and revision control, so it is always clear which revision is valid and who changed what.
How we build your engineering firm's software
We work step by step and involve your project leads and administration early on, from an assessment of your hours and project structure through to going live and maintenance.
We map out how you structure projects and phases, how you apply hours and rates, how you plan capacity, and which integrations (accounting, design software, document management) are needed.
We design the data structure, screens and integrations your engineering firm needs, and test them against your way of working before we build.
We build in short iterations with automated tests and interim demos, so you steer priorities and the software fits day-to-day practice.
Controlled go-live with data migration and a safety net, followed by ongoing management, monitoring and further development.
What engineering firm software actually does
We tailor every application to your disciplines, your project structure and the way you accept and invoice assignments. These are the features we most often deliver.
Project administration
Projects built from sub-assignments and phases, with budget, rates and status for each component, so the project file stays complete and up to date.
Time registration
Logging hours by project, phase and activity, with approval steps, as the basis for time-based invoicing, post-calculation and insight into utilisation.
Capacity and resource planning
Planning engineers across projects, with visibility of availability, specialism and peaks, so you can schedule assignments realistically.
Costing and quotation
Assignment costing based on hours, rates and costs, with quotes that match the terms you work under, such as DNR 2011.
Document management and revisions
Management of drawings and documents with version and revision control, status stamps and a traceable history, with links to BIM and CAD environments where relevant.
Invoicing and post-calculation
Invoicing based on hours, instalments or fixed price, with a post-calculation that sets actual effort against the costing per project and phase.
Who we build engineering firm software for
Engineering and consultancy firms differ greatly in discipline and size. For each we build software that suits their projects and way of working.
Building and infrastructure engineering firms
Firms that design and calculate structures, roads and civil works, with many sub-assignments, revisions and collaboration with other disciplines.
Installation and mechanical engineering consultancies
Firms in building services and mechanical engineering that deliver design and advice and need tight control of hours and capacity.
Advisory and engineering firms
Firms that provide technical advice, measurements and reporting under DNR 2011 and want to cost and account for their assignments traceably.
Multidisciplinary firms
Firms that combine several disciplines and need one system for hours, planning and document management across disciplines. See also our software for architectural firms.
Test your idea first: a working prototype in 1 day
With OneDayBuild, we turn your idea into something tangible in one day for €1,150, so you can see whether further development is worth the investment. Decide to go ahead with the full build? Then we credit the full cost.
Explore OneDayBuild →Technology and integrations
We build on a modern, maintainable web stack and integrate with the systems your firm already uses: your accounting for invoicing and hours, and where necessary your document management and design software, so data isn't entered twice.
If you want consultants to record hours and additional work straight away, take a look at our app for assignment administration.
If you want to build research reports from fixed building blocks and record review, take a look at our software for research reports.
For fieldwork that ends in a report in your own template, we have an app for research reports.
For project administration from quote to invoice, there is project administration software for consultancy firms.
Why choose Appfront for engineering firm software?
Appfront builds custom software and starts with your firm's hours and project structure. Software for an engineering firm needs to give you control over hours, rates and capacity, because that is where your margin lies.
We build a clear project structure with revision control and write documentation so your team can manage and extend the software. No black box, just transparent agreements on data and authorisation.
You work with a fixed point of contact who understands both the technology and your industry. That keeps communication short and speeds up decisions when choices need to be made during the build.
See also our software for architecture firms, AI automation for engineering firms and custom software. Questions about your situation? Get in touch with us.
- Hours by project, sub-assignment and phase
- Engineer capacity planning
- Costing aligned with DNR 2011
- Document management with revisions
- BIM and CAD interface where needed
- Integration with your accounting
- Post-calculation by project and phase
- Fixed point of contact and ongoing management
Security and privacy in engineering firm software
An engineering firm works with confidential client information, drawings and sometimes commercially sensitive designs. We build role-based access by project and discipline, with complete logging of viewing and changes, so confidential projects stay protected.
We secure documents and data with encryption in transit and at rest, and with version control that makes every revision traceable. More about our approach: our information security policy and responsible disclosure policy. Discuss your situation via our contact form.
- GDPR-compliant data processing and data minimisation
- Role-based access and least-privilege principles
- Encryption in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at rest
- Complete audit logging of access and changes
- Daily back-ups with tested restores
- Built to the OWASP security standards
- Clear documentation of data flows and authorisations
- Ongoing monitoring and alerting
Frequently asked questions about engineering firm software
Answers to the questions we receive most often about custom software for engineering firms.
Engineering firm software supports time recording by project and phase, engineer capacity planning, project costing and post-calculation, and document management with revisions. Custom software aligns with your disciplines, your project structure and the conditions under which you accept assignments.
Yes. Many engineering and consultancy firms accept assignments under De Nieuwe Regeling 2011 (DNR), the legal terms for advisory and engineering services. We set up costing, quotes and invoicing to match the form in which you accept and account for assignments.
In many cases, yes. We build a link to your document management system and, where it fits, to BIM and CAD environments via file formats such as IFC, so drawings and revisions stay findable within the project records. We determine how deep that integration goes based on your situation.
You plan the deployment of engineers across ongoing and upcoming projects, with visibility of availability and specialism. This way you spot peaks and shortages in time and can commit to assignments realistically without overloading your team.
This software is custom business software for hours, planning, costing and document management. If you also want to automate repetitive engineering or checking tasks with AI, that is a separate service; you can read more about it on our page on AI automation for engineering firms.
We build custom software. Agencies differ in discipline, project structure and the way they handle hours and rates. Bespoke software fits your actual process and grows along with your agency.
Yes. We regularly take over existing applications or timesheet systems. We assess the set-up, migrate the data carefully and build on from there, or modernise step by step.
Ready to build your engineering firm's software?
Tell us how your agency structures projects, hours and capacity and where you run into trouble: from calculation under DNR to document management with revisions. In a no-obligation conversation you will get a clear picture of the possibilities for bespoke software that suits your agency.