How we work
Rates, models, and what we commit to
Most agencies make you ask for this. Here it is up front, the ways you can buy, roughly what they cost, and the things we put in writing.
The process
Five steps, and you can stop after any of them
01 · 30–45 minutes, free
Conversation
You tell us what is broken. We tell you honestly whether it is something we should be doing, and roughly what it costs. Sometimes the answer is that you do not need us.
02 · 1–3 weeks, paid
Discovery
We look at your systems, data and processes properly, and write down a scope with a real number against it. You own that document whether or not you continue with us.
03 · Two-week sprints
Build
You see working software every fortnight, not a status report. Weekly burn against budget, so an invoice is never a surprise.
04 · At every release
Handover
Documentation, credentials and a walkthrough with your team. You should be able to replace us. Most clients keep us anyway, which is the point.
05 · Ongoing, optional
Run
Monitoring, support under SLA, and the steady stream of small changes that every live system needs.
Commercial models
Nine ways to buy. Hourly is only one.
Most engagements run three of these at once: fixed price to start, time and materials to build, a retainer to keep it alive.
Time & materials
An hourly or daily rate, invoiced monthly against tracked time.
Use it when
Scope will evolve, which is most real development work.
What we commit to
Ask us for a weekly burn report. Any supplier who resists that is one to worry about.
Capacity retainer
You reserve a number of hours each month at a reduced rate.
Use it when
Ongoing product work where we are effectively part of your team.
What we commit to
Rollover and notice period are written down before we start, not argued about later.
Prepaid hour bank
You buy 100, 200 or 500 hours up front and draw them down.
Use it when
Smaller companies with real but unpredictable needs.
What we commit to
Hours carry a twelve-month expiry, so the balance stays meaningful.
Fixed price
One number, for a written and frozen scope.
Use it when
Tenders, public sector, and first projects where certainty matters most.
What we commit to
We will not quote fixed without a paid discovery first. A number without a scope is a guess.
Sprint / milestone
A fixed price per two-week sprint or per deliverable.
Use it when
The middle ground, and the right shape for grant-funded work needing deliverable proofs.
What we commit to
Acceptance criteria are agreed before the sprint starts.
Staff augmentation
A monthly rate per person, embedded in your team under your management.
Use it when
You have a product manager and a process; you are short of hands.
What we commit to
Thirty days notice. If you hire someone permanent, we hand over and leave.
Managed service / SLA
A monthly fee for running and supporting what exists.
Use it when
Anything live that somebody needs to be responsible for.
What we commit to
Response times are in the contract, with what counts as an incident.
Subcontracting
We deliver under your name, to your delivery manager.
Use it when
Agencies and integrators who are over-sold and under-staffed.
What we commit to
We do not approach your client. Ever, and it is in writing.
Outcome / value-linked
Partly tied to a measurable result, such as a share of verified cost savings.
Use it when
Narrow, measurable work. Cloud cost reduction is the clean example.
What we commit to
Only works where the measurement is genuinely unambiguous. We will say if it is not.
Retainers
The ladder
Most companies start at 40 hours and grow. If you are considering 160 hours a month, you are comparing us against a hire, and at that point we will tell you honestly which is the better deal, because it is often the hire.
| Commitment | Shape | Monthly | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 h / month | On call | €1.2–1.8k | Small changes, questions answered, nothing rots. |
| 40 h / month | Steady | €2.4–3.4k | Where most engagements start. A day a week. |
| 80 h / month | Half a person | €4.5–6.5k | Continuous product work with real momentum. |
| 160 h / month | Embedded engineer | €8–12.5k | A full-time engineer, without the hire. |
| 320 h+ / month | Team | on scope | Two or more people, planned quarters ahead. |
Indicative EU rates. The real number depends on seniority and stack, and we will put it in writing before you commit to anything.
The fine print, in plain words
What we put in every contract
You own the code
Full IP assignment on payment. Your repositories, your cloud accounts, your domain registrar. We work in your infrastructure, not ours.
Thirty days notice
On any retainer, either direction. No annual lock-in, no termination fee. If we are not worth the money you should be able to stop.
Weekly burn reports
On time and materials you get hours spent against budget every week. An invoice should never be the first time you learn what something cost.
No discovery, no fixed quote
We will not put a number on a scope nobody has examined. A cheap guess that doubles later is worse for you than an honest range now.
We will say no
If the work is outside what we are good at, or you do not need it, we would rather refer you on. A bad project costs us more in reputation than it earns.
Subcontracting stays confidential
Delivering under another agency's name? We never approach your client, during or after. In writing, before we start.
Want a number for your situation?
Describe the problem and we will come back with a range and the model that fits it.