How pricing works
Not a price list. An explanation.
Technology work varies too much for a rate card to mean anything. What we can do is be clear about how we engage, how we scope, what drives cost, and what you're committing to — before you commit to anything.
Three ways to engage
Project, managed, or advisory.
Most relationships are one of these, or start as one and become another. They're not tiers — they're different shapes of work.
- 01
Project
Defined scope, defined end
A specific piece of work with a beginning and an end: a network rebuild, a cloud migration, a phone system, an AI deployment, a new location.
Typically included
- Written scope, deliverables, and sequence agreed up front
- Design and documentation as part of the deliverable, not an add-on
- Implementation, testing, and cutover by the people who designed it
- Handover: diagrams, configurations, credentials, and a walkthrough
- Post-project support for issues related to the work, as set out in the scope
How it’s priced
Usually a fixed price for the agreed scope. When the scope genuinely can't be pinned down in advance, an estimate with the assumptions written down. Either way it's in writing before work starts, and changes are agreed as changes.
- 02
Managed
Ongoing operation, flat monthly fee
We run the environment — or a defined part of it — on an ongoing basis. This is the managed IT relationship: monitoring, maintenance, support, and the steady stream of small decisions.
Typically included
- Monitoring, patching, and maintenance of the systems in scope
- User support and onboarding/offboarding
- Cloud tenant, network, firewall, and phone administration
- Documentation kept current as things change
- Regular reviews and a roadmap of what should change and why
- Vendor and ISP coordination on your behalf
How it’s priced
A flat monthly fee based on the size and complexity of what's in scope, with the scope written down. Work outside the scope — a new site, a major upgrade — is quoted as a project so nothing shows up as a surprise.
- 03
Advisory
Judgment without the build
You want senior technical judgment without handing over operations: an assessment, a second opinion, a roadmap, help choosing between vendors, or a fractional technology lead for a period.
Typically included
- Technology assessments and written findings
- Architecture and vendor selection guidance
- Roadmaps and budget planning support
- Review of proposals and quotes from other providers
- Standing time with someone who knows your environment
How it’s priced
Typically a fixed fee for a defined piece of work (an assessment, a roadmap) or a monthly arrangement for standing availability. Scope and cadence are agreed in advance.
How scoping works
Short call → assessment → written proposal.
Every engagement — including managed IT — starts the same way. Nobody gets a number before we understand what it's for.
A short call
Enough to understand what's going on and whether we're the right fit. If we're not, we'll say so and point you somewhere useful.
An assessment
For anything beyond a small, well-defined task, we look at the actual environment first. Sometimes that's an hour of questions; sometimes it's a proper on-site review. It's the difference between a guess and a plan.
A written proposal
What we'd do, in what order, what it includes, what it doesn't, and what it costs. Plain language. You can take it, change it, or walk away.
What drives cost
The honest variables.
Whatever the model, cost comes down to a handful of things. If a quote seems high or low, one of these is usually why.
- 01
Users
How many people rely on the systems day to day, and how much support they need.
- 02
Sites
Each location adds a network, connectivity, phones, and something physical to maintain.
- 03
Servers & services
On-premises servers, virtual machines, cloud tenants, and line-of-business applications — each is something to keep healthy.
- 04
Complexity
Integrations, compliance requirements, legacy systems, and anything custom. Complexity is where the engineering time goes.
- 05
Hours of coverage
Business hours only, extended hours, or around the clock — and how quickly you need someone to engage when something breaks.
- 06
How much is already documented
Environments that are understood are cheaper to run than environments that have to be reverse-engineered first.
What you're committing to
No lock-in beyond what's agreed.
Projects end when the work is done and handed over. Managed and advisory arrangements run for the term we agree in writing, and what happens at the end of that term is also in writing. There are no long-term lock-ins beyond what's agreed, and the documentation of your environment is yours to keep.
We'd rather earn the renewal by running your environment well than by making it hard to leave.
How we work
The same five steps, whatever the project.
Pricing follows the process: nothing is quoted before it's understood, and nothing is built before it's designed.
- 01
Listen
A short conversation about what's going on, what the business is trying to do, and what's getting in the way. We ask more than we talk.
- 02
Assess
We look at the actual environment — network, servers, cloud, phones, backups, vendors — and write down what's there, what's at risk, and what it depends on.
- 03
Design
A written plan with the trade-offs explained in plain language: what should change, in what order, and why. You see it before anything is built.
- 04
Build & document
We implement what we recommended, test it, and hand over diagrams, configurations, and runbooks. The environment shouldn't live in anyone's head.
- 05
Run & improve
Monitoring, maintenance, support, and regular reviews — so the environment stays healthy and small problems don't become emergencies.
Want a number? Start with a conversation.
Tell us what you have and what you're trying to do. We'll tell you which shape of engagement fits, what an assessment would involve, and what a proposal would look like — no obligation.