Comparison
What does a management consultant cost?
Management consultants usually bill by day rate. According to the fee study by the BDU, the Federal Association of German Management Consultants, average day rates in the 2022 survey ranged from around €1,350 for junior consultants to around €2,550 for partners. What a project costs is decided by the number of days. The rate matters less.
Day rates
Day rates by seniority.
| Seniority | Average | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Junior consultant | 1.350 € | €750 to €2,200 |
| Project lead, manager | 1.950 € | €900 to €2,700 |
| Partner, management | 2.550 € | Range not reported |
BDU, Honorare im Consulting (consulting fees), 2022 survey, eight-hour working day. According to the excerpt of the 2025 study published by the BDU, two thirds of consultancies report falling achievable day rates.
Project
What a project costs.
A day rate says little. A team of a partner, a project lead and two consultants over eight weeks can quickly reach six figures. A single consultant for ten days costs a fraction of that. So ask: How many days, from whom, and what is on the table at the end?
Funding
Grants for small and medium-sized businesses.
The BAFA, Germany’s Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control, subsidises consulting for SMEs. Eligible consulting costs go up to €3,500 net per engagement. The grant covers 50%, or 80% in the eastern German states and in the Lüneburg and Trier regions. At most two engagements a year, and you apply before the consulting starts. The guideline runs until 31 December 2026. The authoritative source is bafa.de.
Price
What really decides the price.
The most expensive item is rarely the fee. What gets expensive is consulting that starts in the wrong place because the prior decision was missing: weeks spent on a concept that nobody implements afterwards.
Decision Architect
And what does a Decision Architect cost?
The price depends on what we look at, and we know that after twenty minutes. In the fit call we settle whether a Consultation is enough or a Forensic is needed, and what it costs. Then you decide.
Comparison
| Role | Delivers | Right when | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Management consulting | Analysis, concept, recommendation | a big change is coming and there are people to implement the concept | Implementation usually lands with you afterwards. |
| Decision Architect | a judgement before the measure, in writing, and then he leads the build | plans contradict each other or money is being lost and nobody knows where | He doesn’t build himself and doesn’t decide for you. |
A Decision Architect says beforehand whether you need a consultant, and for what.
Questions
Is a management consultant paid by the day or a fixed fee?
Usually by day rate. Fixed fees exist for clearly defined tasks.
Is a day rate quoted net?
The BDU study doesn’t say. Between businesses, day rates are usually quoted without VAT.
More comparisons: What does a management consultant do? · What does an interim manager do? · What is an advisory board? · What does a business coach do?