How engagements are structured
Discovery
A fixed-fee engagement, typically about 30 days, that ends in a Findings & Opportunity Report ranking use cases by dollar impact. A portion of the Discovery fee can be credited toward a build signed within a set window.
Fixed-fee build phases
Each build phase has a defined scope, deliverables, schedule and a list of client dependencies. You approve one phase at a time. If a dependency on your side slips, the SOW says what happens to the schedule.
Change orders
Scope changes happen. When they do, we write them up: what changes, what it costs, what it does to the schedule. Nothing outside the agreed scope starts without your signature on a change order.
Managed services retainer
A monthly retainer for monitoring, tuning, fixes when connected systems change, user support, and new use cases. Scope and response expectations are written into the agreement.
MSA plus a statement of work for each phase
We sign one master services agreement that covers the terms that don't change: confidentiality, data handling, liability, payment terms and IP. Each phase of work then gets its own statement of work with scope, deliverables, schedule, fee and dependencies.
This keeps each new phase short to review. Your legal team reads the MSA once. After that, each SOW is a business document your operations lead can evaluate.
- Master services agreement: signed once, governs the relationship.
- Statement of work: one per Discovery, build phase or retainer.
- Change order: written amendment to an SOW when scope changes.
How IP is handled
IP ownership depends on the engagement type and is set out in the MSA and each SOW. We discuss this plainly before you sign, not after.
- Custom work: Work built only for you is handled differently from reusable components, connectors or frameworks we bring to many projects.
- Your data: One thing doesn't vary: your data is yours. Documents, records, outputs generated from your data, and anything we access in your systems remain your property.
Engagement FAQ
Why don't you publish prices?
Because scope drives cost. A connector to one system with a narrow use case is a different project from an agent that reads across your ERP, CRM and document store. We quote after Discovery or a scoping call, with a fixed fee.
Can we skip Discovery?
Sometimes. If you already know the use case, the systems and the data, we can scope a build phase directly. Discovery's main job is to rule out the wrong first project before you pay to build it.
Do we have to sign a retainer?
No. Operate is optional. You can take the system in-house after the build using the documentation we hand over.
What if we want to stop mid-build?
Termination terms are set in your agreement. Because work is broken into phases, the exposure at any point is limited to the current phase.