Trust Engagement
Four engagement models, documented commercial terms, no surprise contracts. The model below is the model we ship under, in writing, every time.
Different projects need different commercial structures. The four models below cover everything from a one-week audit to a multi-year retainer with embedded engineers. Pick the one that matches your operational reality.
The four models
Pay-as-you-go is the default. 20 hours upfront, then additional blocks in whatever size fits your velocity (15, 40, or 60 hours are typical, you decide). Every hour tracked. Fixed-price is for clearly-scoped projects after discovery. Retainer is for ongoing capacity. Embedded is for augmented teams.
01
20 hours of engineering paid upfront. We start the same week. Once the upfront block is consumed, we send a status report and you authorize the next block in whatever size fits, or pause. Every hour goes through Basecamp with a written summary. No "all-in" lump quote, no scope-creep surprises.
Easiest to start, easiest to pause, hardest to surprise. Most projects start here.
02
Defined scope, fixed price, fixed timeline. Used when the requirements are clear and the unknowns are bounded. Discovery is the first step and the price comes after the discovery, never before.
Predictable cost, predictable delivery date.
03
Reserved engineering capacity per month. Hours roll over within the quarter. Same engineer or pod assigned long-term. Direct Slack channel, response within four business hours.
Same team, every month, no re-onboarding cost.
04
One or more engineers embedded in your team for a defined period. Attend your standups, use your tooling, follow your code review process. Customer manages the day-to-day, we manage the engineer.
Augmented capacity without permanent hiring.
Standard mutual NDA available on request. Two-year term, mutual obligations, standard exclusions for publicly available information and independent development. Most enterprise procurement teams are familiar with the template and sign-off takes a few business days.
If your legal team prefers your own NDA, we sign it. Negotiated NDAs add time to the timeline but we do not block engagements over NDA language.
Every project starts with a fixed-price discovery. Two weeks, defined deliverable, fixed price. Output is a documented scope and a fixed-price quote for implementation. The discovery is yours to keep whether or not you proceed with implementation.
Pay-as-you-go: 20 hours upfront before kickoff, then additional blocks (15, 40, or 60 hours are typical, you decide) paid before each new block starts. Fixed-price projects: typically 50 percent at kickoff, 50 percent at delivery. Larger fixed-price projects bill in milestones. Retainer bills monthly in advance.
Net 30 for retainer and enterprise. Wire, ACH, credit card accepted. USD by default, EUR and GBP available for European clients.
No equity arrangements. No revenue-share deals. No deferred payment structures. We bill in cash on standard terms because that is the arrangement that works for both sides.
Common questions
Yes. Standard mutual NDA available on request and we sign before any technical conversation. We will also sign your NDA if your legal team has standard terms. Negotiated NDAs add a few business days to the timeline but we do them.
No. We bill in cash on standard terms. Equity and revenue-share arrangements complicate the relationship and we have not seen them work well for either side.
Pay-as-you-go: 20 hours upfront before kickoff, then additional blocks paid before each new block. Fixed-price projects: 50 percent at kickoff, 50 percent at delivery. Net 30 for retainer and enterprise. We accept wire, ACH, and credit card. Currency is USD by default with EUR and GBP available for European clients.
Yes. Discovery is a fixed-price two-week engagement. Output is a documented scope and a fixed-price quote for the implementation. If you do not move forward with implementation, you keep the discovery output.
Standard projects can be paused or cancelled with two weeks notice. Retainer engagements run on monthly cycles and require 30 days notice to cancel. Enterprise contracts have negotiated cancellation terms. We do not charge cancellation fees.
Ready to start a conversation?
Mutual NDA available within four business hours. Discovery kicks off the same week the contract signs.
