Engagement models
Three ways in. All of them priced before we start.
Fixed price per phase, agreed in writing, with a defined end. We do not bill hourly, because hourly billing pays a firm to take longer and you should not have to police that.
Diagnostic
From $9,000
2–6 weeks, fixed
A bounded piece of analysis that ends in a written recommendation. The usual entry point, and a complete deliverable on its own.
- Stakeholder interviews and systems review
- Written diagnostic with ranked constraints
- Costed options and a recommendation
- Working session with leadership
- No obligation to continue
Best forCompanies who need to know what the problem actually is before committing budget.
EnquireDelivery phase
Most commonFrom $40,000
6–10 weeks, fixed scope
Strategy and engineering against one defined outcome. The direction gets set and the system that carries it gets built by the same team.
- Everything in the diagnostic
- Technical specification and architecture
- Weekly deployed increments
- Production launch and monitoring
- Full handover package and source transfer
Best forCompanies with a decision made and a system that has to exist for it to matter.
EnquireRetained advisory
From $6,500/month
Monthly, 3-month minimum
Ongoing strategic and technical leadership: the fractional CTO seat, standing advisory, or continued delivery capacity.
- Standing weekly commitment
- Presence in leadership and architecture forums
- Hiring and vendor evaluation support
- Quarterly strategy review
- Written succession plan from day one
Best forCompanies who need senior judgment available continuously, not project by project.
Enquire
Figures are starting points, not quotes. The diagnostic exists so that the number you are given is based on the actual shape of the work rather than an average. If the engagement we would scope is not worth the spend, we will say so before you are invoiced for anything.
Commercial terms
The questions that come next.
How does pricing work?
Fixed price per phase, agreed in writing before work starts, invoiced on a schedule set in the statement of work. Retainers are monthly. We do not bill hourly, because hourly billing rewards the wrong thing.
What does an engagement cost?
Diagnostics start around $9,000 and run two to six weeks, with a full strategic diagnostic starting at $18,000. Fixed-scope delivery phases start around $40,000 and run six to ten weeks. Retained advisory starts at $6,500 a month and the fractional CTO seat at $9,000, both on a three-month minimum. These are starting points; the diagnostic exists so that the number you are given reflects the actual shape of the work.
Why do you not bill hourly?
Because hourly billing pays a firm to take longer, and it makes you responsible for policing that. Fixed scope puts the estimating risk on us, which is where it belongs, and it means a conversation about approach never has a meter running.
What if we want to stop partway through?
Phases are short and end at a decision point, so stopping is a normal outcome rather than a dispute. You pay for the phase in progress, you keep everything produced to that point, and the handover obligations still apply.
Do you offer guarantees?
We guarantee the scope in the statement of work at the price in the statement of work, and we guarantee that everything produced transfers to you. We do not guarantee business outcomes, because those depend on decisions and market conditions we do not control, and any firm promising otherwise is selling you something.
Do you sign NDAs and work under our contract paper?
Yes to NDAs, before any detailed discussion of your business. We are equally willing to work under your master services agreement or ours, whichever gets to signature faster.
Next step
Tell us what is actually in the way.
Send a short note about the business and the constraint you are hitting. You will get a considered reply within two business days: a real assessment, not a sales sequence.