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Pricing

How engagements are priced.

Most firms will not tell you how they price until you are on a call. We think that wastes your time and ours. Here is the model, what moves the number, and what to expect.

The model

Two ways we charge, and no hourly billing.

Project work is a fixed fee, agreed in writing before we start. Ongoing work is a monthly retainer priced by function and standard. We never bill by the hour, because that rewards us for taking longer on work whose entire purpose is to make things faster.

Fixed fee

Design, build and hand over

Priced per project by headcount, number of functions in scope, and process complexity. Staged against milestones. Unchanged unless the scope changes in writing.

Monthly retainer

We operate it for you

Priced per function and service level on a six or twelve month term, with scope and response times defined in the contract. Always preceded by a paid documentation phase.

Systems Audit

Published, banded by size.

This is where most engagements start, so we publish it in full. The fee is credited against any engagement you begin within ninety days of the report.

BandOrganisationDurationFee
AUp to 25 people, 1 to 2 functions2 to 3 weeksFrom KES 280,000approx. USD 2,200
B25 to 100 people, 3 to 4 functions3 weeksKES 525,000 to 630,000approx. USD 4,000 to 4,850
C100+ people, multi-site or multi-entity4 to 6 weeksFrom KES 875,000approx. USD 6,700
Everything else

What drives the number.

Build projects and monthly retainers are scoped individually, because a documentation project for a forty person NGO is genuinely different work from the same project across three countries. These are the factors that move the price, so you can see how it is arrived at before you speak to anyone.

EngagementTypical durationWhat moves the price
Systems & Operations Design6 to 12 weeksNumber of processes and functions, complexity, how much documentation already exists
Executive & Business Administration6 or 12 month termNumber of people supported, volume, coverage hours, service levels
Data & Decision Intelligence4 to 10 weeksNumber of data sources, dashboards required, current data quality
AI Systems & Automation4 to 10 weeksNumber of workflows, systems to integrate, whether the process is documented
Documentation sprint2 to 4 weeksRequired before any retainer. Billed separately and delivered to you regardless of what happens next

You receive a fixed written figure before committing to anything. All fees exclusive of VAT. International clients can contract and be invoiced in USD or GBP.

Principles

Six things about how we price.

01

Never by the hour

Hourly billing rewards us for taking longer. We price the function and the standard, and carry the risk if it takes us more time than expected.

02

Never per person

Per assistant pricing makes the unit of value somebody's availability rather than a working business function. It caps what the service can ever be.

03

Documentation comes first

We will not operate a process we have not written down. That phase is billed separately and delivered to you whatever happens next.

04

The audit fee is credited back

Start any engagement within ninety days of your report and the full audit fee comes off the price.

05

Scope changes are agreed before work happens

No surprise invoices. If something falls outside scope we tell you, price it, and wait for a yes.

06

We will tell you when not to buy

If the honest answer is that you need to hire someone, or that you need three processes written down rather than a full engagement, we will say so on the call.

The comparison that matters

Buying a function against building one.

Retainers look expensive next to a salary and inexpensive next to the true cost of a function. This is the calculation worth doing before you decide.

Cost elementHiring internallyWorking with us
SalaryFull, plus annual increasesIncluded in the retainer
Statutory contributions and benefitsAdditional on topIncluded
RecruitmentAgency fees, or your own timeNone
Tooling and licencesPurchased and maintained by youAdvised, often already in place
Management timeSomeone senior supervises the roleManaged by us
Time to productiveThree to nine monthsThirty day transition after documentation
Cover for leave and illnessThe work waitsCovered, because the process is documented
Turnover riskYours, including the knowledge that leavesOurs. The documentation stays with you
Process designYou still have to do itIncluded, and documented

To be fair about it

Hiring internally wins in several situations. When the function is genuinely core to your competitive advantage. When you need someone in the room every day. When volumes are high enough that a full time person is fully occupied and the work is already well defined. We would rather help you see that clearly than sell you a retainer you should not buy.

Common questions

On money.

Why is only the audit price published?

Because the audit is a defined piece of work with a defined length, so we can price it honestly in advance. Build projects and retainers genuinely vary with scope. What we can publish, and have, is the model, the drivers and the durations. You get a firm number in writing before committing to anything.

What are the payment terms?

Projects are staged against milestones, typically an initial payment at kickoff and the balance across defined delivery points. Retainers are billed monthly in advance. Invoices are due within fourteen days.

Can we pay in USD?

Yes. International clients can contract and be invoiced in USD or GBP at the prevailing rate.

Is there a minimum engagement?

The Systems Audit is the smallest sensible starting point for project work. For ongoing support, six months on a single function. Shorter than that and the transition period consumes most of the value.

What happens if we want to stop?

Retainer contracts carry a defined notice period and a handover plan we maintain throughout the engagement rather than writing at the end. When you give notice, the handover process starts immediately.

Do you offer anything for early stage organisations?

The assessment is free and always will be. The books are inexpensive and contain the methodology. If you are under about fifteen people, those two things will genuinely get you further than an engagement would.

Tell us the scope and we will send you a number.

A short call is usually enough. You will have a written proposal with a fixed fee or a monthly figure within five working days.

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