Project management fees in Costa Rica range between 3% and 7% of CAPEX, with most contracts falling in the 3.5%–5.5% band.
Main drivers: technical complexity (a hospital or data center demands more than a warehouse), duration (long projects dilute the fee), the director’s reputation and track record, and fee model (fixed, % of CAPEX, or hybrid with KPI bonus).
Two red flags when a fee looks suspiciously low: the director doesn’t take real responsibility (devolves into pure supervision), or recovers margin by selling internal change orders during construction.