Fixed scope

Time-and-materials engagements optimise for hours billed, not outcomes shipped. Fixed-scope build optimises for production by week twelve with agreed boundaries. That requires honest discovery — under-scoping creates painful change requests; over-scoping loses the deal. We price what we believe we can deliver and document assumptions explicitly.

What is in the box

The fixed-price proposal lists: the use case description, user groups, integrations by name, environments, governance controls, evaluation criteria for acceptance, training deliverables, hypercare period, and exclusions. Exclusions matter — nice-to-have integrations, additional languages, out-of-scope business units — so scope creep has a reference point.

Assumptions and dependencies

Every fixed price stands on assumptions: client provides access by date X, third-party API behaves as documented, sponsor decides Y by date Z. Dependencies appear in steering when they slip. We reforecast impact early — compress non-critical scope, move the date with agreement, or add fee for added scope — rather than absorb unlimited work and blame quality.

Change control

1. Request documented with business justification.
2. Impact assessment on timeline, cost and risk.
3. Sponsor approval before work starts.
4. Backlog reprioritisation if trade-offs required.

Small clarifications within original intent stay in scope. New integrations, new user populations, or new regulatory requirements are change requests. The process is lightweight but mandatory — no informal scope expansion through side channels.

Fixed scope encourages discipline on both sides

Clients benefit from decisive product ownership — a backlog that reflects priority, not a wish list. We benefit from engineering focus — no gold-plating, no experimental detours unconnected to acceptance criteria. Weekly demos make progress visible; steering makes trade-offs explicit.

Quality within bounds

Fixed scope is not fixed quality. Code review, testing, security findings, and evaluation thresholds are non-negotiable. If meeting the date requires scope reduction, we recommend reduction — not shortcuts on logging, security or evaluation.

Subsequent increments

After the first release, new capabilities are new fixed scopes or time-boxed enhancements under Run. The portfolio from discovery gives you line-of-sight to phase two pricing without restarting from zero — adapters, harnesses and architecture reuse reduce cost.

Commercial clarity

Build fee covers Engineer and Deliver through week twelve production. Run is priced separately if selected. Discovery fee credits against build when you proceed within sixty days. Payment milestones align to sprint boundaries or phase gates as you prefer — defined in the contract, not argued monthly.

Risk sharing honestly

Fixed scope shifts integration risk to us when discovery was accurate and dependencies met. It shifts to joint re-planning when your side or a third party slips access or decisions. We document that distinction without blame — steering notes name the blocker, the date it appeared, and options. Clients respect vendors who surface problems early more than vendors who absorb silently and miss the date.

Warranty on defects in delivered scope is standard for a defined period after hypercare. Enhancement requests are never disguised as warranty. The boundary keeps relationships clean.