Odoo Projects Consultant in Switzerland

Fee models used by Swiss engineering and IT firms

Swiss service firms combine several fee models. Engineers and architects often price work by phases, sometimes following the fee structures of their professional association, while IT consultancies sell fixed-scope projects, hourly support and retainers. In Odoo, the service product on each sales order line decides how it is invoiced: on milestones, on delivered hours from timesheets, or on ordered quantity.

What I map for each contract type:

• Phase fees. Each phase a milestone, invoiced when reached and accepted, with the fee calculation done in your own tool or spreadsheet where professional rules are complex.
• Hourly work. Rates per role or per client, with approved timesheets turning into invoice lines.
• Retainers. A fixed monthly amount covering a block of hours, with overruns billed separately.
• Expenses. Travel and third-party costs rebilled as the contract allows.

For each model I prepare a worked example and run it in a test database, from signed offer to invoice. That reveals early whether Odoo standard behavior fits or whether a rule needs a different setup.

Product-level background is on my Odoo Projects consultant page.

Francs, euros and clients abroad

A Swiss consultancy may invoice a Basel client in francs, a Munich client in euros and a London client in pounds. Odoo supports sales orders and invoices in foreign currencies, with price lists per currency and conversion to francs for the ledger and reporting.

Points I settle with finance and the fiduciary:

• Contract currency. Set on the order, so timesheet billing uses the right rate table.
• Rates per currency. Separate hourly rates in euros, or rates converted from francs; the first is predictable for clients, the second easier to maintain.
• VAT on services. Swiss VAT applies differently depending on where the client is and what service is supplied. Your fiduciary defines the treatment; I configure fiscal positions so Odoo applies it automatically.
• Exchange differences. Booked when euro invoices are paid, as accounting defines.

Where a Swiss firm also has an EU entity that contracts with EU clients, projects can be run in that company within the same Odoo database, with staff time charged between entities. That intercompany setup is designed with the advisors of both companies. The ledger side is covered on Odoo Accounting Switzerland, and multi-currency design generally on ERP for multi-currency.

Invoices with QR-bills, deposits and final settlement

Swiss clients expect invoices with a QR-bill payment part, which lets them pay by scanning and lets your bank report the payment with a reference Odoo can match. The Swiss localization has included QR-bill features; confirm for your version and edition with Odoo or the partner, and test sample invoices with real banking apps.

Project-specific invoicing questions I resolve:

• Deposits. Advance invoices at contract signature, deducted from later invoices through Odoo's down payment feature.
• Phase invoices. Each accepted phase invoiced with a reference the client can match to its own order.
• Final invoice. A clear statement of the total, deposits and phase invoices already paid.
• Public clients. Some public bodies require electronic invoices through specific channels; I record the requirement and confirm with Odoo or the partner how your setup supports it.

Invoice texts in German, French or Italian are written or checked by native-speaking staff, and the fiduciary confirms that VAT information on project invoices is correct.

Matching incoming QR payments to invoices belongs to accounting. Here I make sure each project invoice carries the data needed so that matching works without manual intervention.

Timesheets, technicians and service agreements

Billing by the hour only works when timesheets are complete. Odoo offers timers, mobile entry, weekly validation and reminders. With your managers I agree what is recorded, at which level of detail, who validates, and how non-billable work is tracked. Swiss employment rules include expectations on recording working time; the HR lead or employment lawyer determines the obligation, and whether project timesheets or a separate attendance record serves that purpose. I document what each Odoo app records.

Technical service companies have a second flow: technicians installing, inspecting or repairing equipment at client sites. The Field Service app, which Odoo has generally sold with Enterprise, provides intervention tasks with worksheets, parts used, time and client signature, passing the result to invoicing. I design:

• intervention types and their worksheets, written in the technicians' language by your service lead
• van or site stock for parts, so inventory stays correct
• billing rules per intervention or under a service agreement

Service agreements with periodic invoicing can run on Odoo's recurring billing, likewise an Enterprise feature in past releases; get both confirmed for your version. My broader thinking on technician work sits under ERP for field service.

Project margins and where Odoo Projects stops

Each Odoo project collects costs and revenue through an analytic account: timesheet cost at internal rates, purchases, subcontractor invoices and expenses on one side, invoiced and uninvoiced revenue on the other. Swiss firms using freelancers or partner offices can link their invoices to the project, so margins reflect the full cost.

Finance decisions I record:

• internal cost rates per role or person, and who maintains them
• how work in progress is treated at year end, as the fiduciary decides
• which analytic plans exist beyond projects, such as departments or service lines
• how foreign currency projects are reported in francs

Odoo Projects has limits. Large infrastructure or engineering programs needing earned value, risk registers and complex resource levelling usually need a dedicated project management tool linked to the ERP. Architecture practices following detailed professional fee calculations may keep those calculations outside Odoo. Simple agencies with straightforward hourly billing could be better served by Zoho Projects in Switzerland.

Platform choice is discussed on Odoo consultant Switzerland; for project costing, ERP for project costing. The Switzerland hub describes remote collaboration with Swiss teams.