Engagements
Retained engineering, or a build with an end
Fractional CTO with hands-on engineering. We don't just attend meetings, we ship the code. Every engagement starts with a Pre-Build Discovery, because we don't quote a build we haven't read.
Step one
A fifteen minute call
Free. We work out whether this is a fit, what shape the work is, and whether it has an end date. If it is not a fit we will say so on the call rather than send you a proposal.
Book the call (opens Calendly in a new tab)Step two
The Pre-Build Discovery
Most agencies quote blind and overrun. We read the codebase first, then tell you what the work actually is, and what it costs, before either of us commits to anything bigger.
It's a standalone product with its own deliverables, so it doesn't credit toward what follows. That keeps it honest rather than making it disguised sales.
One day to one week, depending on the size of the system.
Step three
Two ways to work
The question is whether the work has an end. A retainer is retained availability, a reserved slot and a guaranteed response, not a timesheet. Fixed scope is a defined piece of work with a date on it.
Both are quoted after the Pre-Build Discovery, against days we have agreed rather than an estimate made from the outside.
See how we shipThe commitment
What you get either way
The cards above are what you buy. These four are true of both, and they are the ones that matter when something does not go to plan.
01
You see it every week
Working software, not a status report. If something is going wrong you will know in week two, while it is still cheap to change, rather than at the end.
02
Discovery runs to the agreed time
We agree the length before we start, from a day to a week depending on the size of the system. If it runs over for reasons within our control, we don't bill you for the extra time.
03
You own everything we write
The code, the infrastructure and the documentation are yours, in your accounts and your repositories, from the first commit rather than handed over at the end.
04
What we ship, we support
If something we built breaks because of how we built it, fixing it is not a change request. That is the difference between a delivery date and a working product.
Next step
Tell us what you have
Email, phone, or a fifteen-minute call, whichever you prefer. We will tell you what we would do and what it would take.