ᐅ Structural engineer according to HOAI or fixed-price offer?

Good evening, we are about to commission a structural engineer for the following project:
New construction of a semi-detached house hälfte (--> half!), without a basement, 140 sqm (1507 sq ft). Structurally "not quite simple," according to the architects.

We have now received an offer from the structural engineer for 28,000 EUR for service phases 1–6. According to the HOAI calculator, this corresponds appropriately to the eligible costs.

Nevertheless, this fee is quite high – two questions:
a) Should we look for a fixed-price offer (possibly from another structural engineer)?
b) Does a “more expensive” structural engineer ideally provide smarter solutions, for example by avoiding the need to fill the entire ground floor with support columns?

Thank you!

We also need a very good structural engineer for our house and have received two quotes, both based on HOAI. We found the architect’s recommendation and the meeting before finalizing the contract particularly important. During that meeting, the architect made it clear, among other things, that there would be no support columns and explained his expectations. In the end, after negotiations, both agreed on a fixed price.

In my opinion, significantly overpriced.

Are you sure that the chargeable costs are calculated correctly (only the shell construction, only proportionally, etc.)?

As a rule, fixed prices are considerably below HOAI rates. If you are actually building something structurally complex (which I can hardly imagine for a semi-detached house), HOAI would be the upper limit. However, I would definitely ask others for a fixed price.

As you can see, the market is declining, so why not check which firm (including small offices with 1–2 people) has capacity at the desired time?

(as always, just a layperson’s opinion!)
No matter how you look at it, even after deducting costs for software, insurance, and taxes, a self-employed structural engineer can expect to spend about 2 months on it. In my opinion, that is too much (significantly too much). I would try to negotiate a fixed price of maximum 5-6K.
We received structural calculations for a semi-detached house, foundation slab, and stairs/balconies.

schoenerwohn schrieb:

Good evening, we are about to hire a structural engineer for the following project:
New construction of a semi-detached house (half), without a basement, 140sqm (1507 sq ft). According to the architects, the structural design is "not exactly straightforward."

We have received a quote from the structural engineer for 28,000 EUR (about USD) covering design phases 1-6. According to the HOAI calculator, this is reasonable relative to the eligible costs.

Nevertheless, this is quite a high fee—two questions:
a) Should we look for a fixed-price offer (possibly from another engineer)?
b) Does a more expensive structural engineer ideally provide smarter solutions, for example, by avoiding the need to fill the entire ground floor with support columns?

Thanks!

Could you provide any details on what makes the structural design challenging? (For example, huge corner glazing, spans beyond... (well, hard to imagine for 140sqm), very difficult soil conditions, etc.)

Maybe you could also share the plot details and floor plans?

i_b_n_a_n schrieb:

Could you please specify what structural challenges you expect? (For example, large corner glass panels, spans beyond... (well, hard to imagine with 140m² (1507 sq ft)), very difficult soil conditions, or similar.)

Exactly these points, or the absence of walls stacked on top of each other, are the main cost drivers…