When a company hesitates between hiring an in-house planner or subcontracting the service, it almost always compares the employee's salary with the consultant's invoice. This is a misleading comparison: salary is only the tip of the iceberg. Beneath it are social security contributions, software, overhead and, what almost nobody calculates, the cost of the time when that planner has no workload.
All figures are indicative estimates and vary depending on region, experience, sector and negotiation. The objective is to provide a calculation framework, not a fixed budget.
The real cost of an in-house planner
1. Salary
The average salary of a planning engineer in Spain is around 38,000 euros gross per year, with a usual range between 29,000 and 55,000 euros, and the best-paid profiles above 60,000 euros. For a planner with real experience in construction or EPC projects, the profile that truly adds value, the reference rises: in large companies in the sector, the average salary is close to 59,000 euros per year.
Let us take an intermediate and realistic example: a planner with experience and a gross annual salary of 45,000 euros.
2. Social security contributions
On top of that salary, the company pays its employer social security contributions. In 2026, adding all items, common contingencies, unemployment, FOGASA, professional training, MEI and occupational contingencies, the employer contribution is around 31 percent of salary.
For the 45,000 euro example, this means around 14,000 additional euros per year only in social security contributions.
3. Software
A planner needs professional tools, and they are not cheap. The reference licence, Primavera P6, costs around 2,750 dollars per user as a perpetual licence plus around 600 dollars per year in maintenance, or around 2,500 dollars per year in its cloud version. Power BI, around 10 to 15 euros per user per month, Office or MS Project and other tools must be added. Overall, between 2,000 and 5,000 euros per year per position is a reasonable estimate.
4. Workstation and overhead
Computer equipment, continuous training, workspace, holidays, idle time and administrative management. It is difficult to quantify precisely, but it easily adds between 3,000 and 6,000 euros per year.
The total
| Concepto | Coste anual aproximado |
|---|---|
| Salario bruto | 45.000 € |
| Seguros sociales (~31 %) | 14.000 € |
| Software (P6, Power BI, Office/Project) | 2.000 – 5.000 € |
| Puesto, equipo, formación, overhead | 3.000 – 6.000 € |
| Coste total | ~63.000 – 67.000 €/año |
In other words, a planner with a salary of 45,000 euros actually costs between 63,000 and 67,000 euros per year. For a senior profile of 55,000 to 59,000 euros, the total cost easily exceeds 80,000 euros.
The hidden factor: utilisation
That cost is fixed, whether the planner is used at 100 percent or 40 percent. And that is the key that changes the whole comparison.
Based on around 1,700 productive hours per year, 65,000 euros are equivalent to about 38 euros per hour if the planner is fully occupied. But in companies with an irregular portfolio, which is normal in construction, energy and infrastructure, the actual planning workload often does not fill the working day. At 60 percent utilisation, that effective cost rises above 60 euros per productive hour: the company pays the same for less useful work.
The cost of subcontracting
When subcontracting a planning consultancy, the cost model is the opposite: variable. A daily or hourly rate, or a fixed price per project, is paid only for the work actually performed.
Rates vary depending on seniority and scope, but as an indicative reference a senior planning consultant is usually around 400 to 800 euros per day, about 45 to 90 euros per hour. That rate already includes senior experience, software and tools, and carries no fixed cost: there are no social security contributions, licences or idle time to pay for between workload peaks.
The comparison: where is the break-even point?
The right question is not which option is cheaper, but how much planner capacity do I need on a sustained basis?
The calculation is simple. An internal planner costs around 65,000 euros fixed per year. At an external rate of 400 euros per day, that same budget is equivalent to about 160 consultancy days per year, or around 14 days per month.
- If your company needs a planner for more than 14 days per month continuously and sustainably, hiring in-house will probably be cheaper per hour.
- If the need is lower or irregular, such as peaks, one-off projects or reinforcement, subcontracting is cheaper because you do not pay for the time when the planner would have no workload.
However, cost is not the only factor. Subcontracting also provides multi-sector experience, specialised capabilities such as forensic analysis, 4D or risk that do not justify a permanent position, independence and fast mobilisation without a recruitment process. Internalisation provides continuity and deep knowledge of the business. The final decision crosses cost with all these variables, something developed in the article on when to subcontract and when to internalise planning.