Guide · Hiring a consultant
Grant consultant fees in Portugal: how consultants charge and what to ask
Grant consultants in Portugal charge in one of three ways: a fixed fee for preparing the application, a success fee paid if the application is approved, or a smaller fixed fee plus a success fee. Most firms we have seen publish no prices. In the proposals we have seen, success fees run from single digits to a little over ten per cent of the approved grant, and fixed fees vary with the size and complexity of the project. Treat this as our impression of the market: nobody publishes a survey.
The percentage matters less than two lines of the contract: what the percentage is calculated on, and when it falls due. The same 8% costs more on the investment than on the approved grant: at a 50% grant, twice as much. Ask for both in writing before you compare proposals.
Last reviewed on 19 September 2026. We never promise approvals.
- Fee models
- Fixed fee, success fee, or a mix of the two
- Success fee base
- Should be the approved grant. Some contracts use the total investment, which costs more
- When it falls due
- Often at approval or when you sign the grant agreement, under payment terms set in the contract
- Published prices
- Rare. Expect a written proposal after a first analysis
- Red flag
- A promise of approval, or a quoted success rate. Nobody outside the programme controls the decision
The three fee models
| Model | How it works | What to weigh |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed fee | You pay an agreed amount for the application, whatever the result | You know the cost in advance. You pay it even if the application fails, and the consultant gains nothing from a higher approved amount |
| Success fee | You pay a percentage of the support, and only if the application is approved | The consultant earns when you do. Percentages tend to run higher, to cover the applications that fail, and not every firm offers this model |
| Mixed | A lower fixed fee covers the analysis and the preparation, and a moderate success fee follows approval | The fixed part filters out projects with no real chance. The success part keeps the consultant invested in the result |
Size changes the quote more than anything else. A Productive Innovation application with financial projections, supplier quotes and a scoring argument takes weeks of work. A hiring incentive application takes hours.
What the percentage is calculated on
A percentage of the total investment and a percentage of the approved grant produce different invoices. Take a project of EUR 100,000 approved at a 50% grant, and a success fee of 8%:
| Base of the fee | Amount of the base | Success fee at 8% |
|---|---|---|
| Total investment | EUR 100,000 | EUR 8,000 |
| Approved grant | EUR 50,000 | EUR 4,000 |
We consider the approved non-repayable grant the fair base. When the support includes a loan or a tax credit, ask how the contract values that part: a fee on a loan you have to repay is a different thing from a fee on money you keep.
When the success fee falls due
Contracts differ. Some make the fee due when the programme approves the application, others when you sign the grant agreement, others as each payment arrives. A fee due at approval comes months before the first refund reaches your account, so put it in your cash plan.
Read what happens when the approved amount changes. Programmes cut grants when a project spends less than planned or misses targets. A careful contract says whether the fee follows the grant down.
What to ask before you sign
- The base. Approved grant or total investment? Have it written.
- The due date. At approval, at signature, or as payments arrive?
- The scope. Eligibility analysis, writing, filing, answers to the programme during evaluation, payment claims, audits. Which are in the price and which cost extra?
- Rejection. Do you owe anything if the application fails? Will the firm reapply to the next call, and at what cost?
- The person. Do you talk to whoever will write the application, or to a salesperson?
- Eligible cost. Does this call accept any part of the fee as an eligible cost? The call answers that, and the consultant should show you where.
- Exclusivity and duration. How long does the contract bind you, and does it cover other applications you may file?
Red flags
- Guaranteed approval, or a quoted success rate. The managing authority decides. A serious firm guarantees the work it does.
- A rate with no call behind it. The call sets the rates, the eligible costs and the deadline. A consultant who quotes 60% before asking where you invest and how large the company is has skipped the analysis.
- Pressure to order equipment first. In most incentive systems, costs that start before the application is filed do not count.
- No written proposal. You need the fees, the scope and the terms on paper, before any work starts.
Three more questions if you are a foreign client
- Language. The application goes in Portuguese. In which language do you receive the drafts, the analysis and the contract?
- Group data. SME status depends on the whole group. Will the consultant check it before quoting a rate? See SME status when the parent is foreign.
- After approval. Payment claims and audits run in Portuguese for years. Who handles them, and at what price?
How we charge
We use the mixed model. The first eligibility analysis and the video call are free. The detailed analyses that follow are paid, at a fixed amount. The application carries a success fee, charged only on approval, as a percentage of the approved support. You receive the amounts and the terms in a written proposal before any paid work starts. The steps are in how we work.
Frequently asked questions
How much do grant consultants charge in Portugal?
Most firms we have seen publish no prices. In the proposals we have seen, success fees run from single digits to a little over ten per cent of the approved grant, and fixed fees depend on the project. That is our impression, and nobody publishes a survey. Ask each firm for a written proposal and compare the base of the fee, the due date and the scope.
What is a success fee calculated on?
It depends on the contract. The fair base is the approved non-repayable grant. Some contracts use the total investment, which can double the invoice for the same percentage.
Do I pay anything if the application is rejected?
With a pure success fee, no. With a fixed or mixed model you pay the fixed part, because it pays for work done. Ask what the firm does after a rejection, and whether the price includes a second application to the next call.
Can a consultant guarantee that my application is approved?
No. The managing authority scores the applications against published criteria and funds them from the top until the budget runs out. A consultant controls the quality of the application, and nothing else.
Do I need a consultant at all?
The law does not require one. The calls, the portal and the applications are in Portuguese, and the scoring criteria reward applications that answer them point by point. Companies with an in-house finance team and Portuguese speakers do apply alone.
Want a written proposal for your project?
Start with the free eligibility check. If there is a programme that fits, you receive our fees and terms in writing before any paid work starts.
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