We scope before we build.
You own what we produce.
Custom software without a paid discovery phase is a guess dressed up as a proposal. Here is the exact path from first conversation to production system — with no ambiguity about what you pay, when you pay it, and what you receive.
Preliminary conversation
A direct fit check — not discovery. We learn your problem, assess budget and timeline, and explain the engagement model. If there is no fit, we say so immediately. If there is, we propose a Discovery Sprint.
Stage terms
- ·Decision-maker must attend — not a proxy or EA
- ·Budget alignment: typical v1 starts at $25,000
- ·Active problem, not an exploratory fishing trip
What you receive
- Honest fit assessment — we tell you if we are the wrong answer
- Clear explanation of engagement model and pricing ranges
- Discovery Sprint proposal (if fit is confirmed)
Discovery Sprint
A paid, time-boxed engagement where we map your workflows, audit your stack, and produce a fixed-price build proposal. You own every deliverable regardless of whether you proceed. This is where scope becomes real.
Stage terms
- ·Offered only after preliminary conversation confirms fit
- ·100% upfront — no exceptions
- ·Fee credited in full if you proceed to build
What you receive
- Workflow audit and integration dependency map
- Technical architecture and component spec
- Wireframes or flow diagrams for key surfaces
- Fixed-price build proposal with milestone payment schedule
- All documents and IP — yours to keep
Fixed-scope build
Production delivery against the scope defined in Discovery. Senior engineers and architects — not offshore juniors — on weekly demos, milestone sign-offs, and payment tied to tangible deliverables. No scope creep without a signed change order.
Stage terms
- ·Workflow Builder from $25K · Business Platform from $60K · Product / SaaS from $120K+
- ·Scope changes require written change order — no verbal additions
- ·You own 100% of the code and IP
What you receive
- Weekly demo and written progress update
- Milestone-gated payments: 30% kickoff, 40% mid, 30% delivery
- Staging environment from week two onward
- Full source code, deployment configs, and documentation
- Handoff session and 30-day support window post-launch
Post-launch retainer
Ongoing iteration, support, and roadmap delivery. Maintenance is a mandatory planning assumption — not an optional add-on. Budget 15–25% of initial build cost annually, or move to an active retainer for continuous shipping.
Retainer terms
- ·SMB support tier: $2K–$8K/mo
- ·Active product development: $8K–$25K/mo
- ·Minimum 3-month commitment; month-to-month after
What you receive
- Monthly ROI review and backlog prioritization
- Security patches, dependency updates, and SLA monitoring
- New feature delivery against a rolling roadmap
- Direct access to the engineers who built the system
Honest qualification
When we are
not the right answer
We would rather lose a deal in the first five minutes than misalign on scope and disappoint you six months later. These are the signals that mean we are the wrong fit.
- You have not budgeted $25,000+ for a v1 — off-the-shelf tools are the right answer below this
- You want a quote without a paid Discovery Sprint first
- The decision-maker is not available until "later in the process"
- You need a feature shipped in under 3 weeks
- Your primary metric is hourly rate rather than outcome
What we build
Four capability pillars
Most engagements scope against one or more of these lanes. Review each before your preliminary conversation — it makes the first 20 minutes far more productive.
Ready for the first 20 minutes?
The preliminary conversation is direct and time-boxed. Come with your problem, your rough budget, and a decision-maker in the room. We will tell you immediately if we are the right fit.
Discovery Sprint from $3,500 · Builds from $25K · You own 100% of the code