Payment & Billing Policy

Most engagements are quoted as a fixed fee for a defined scope. The fee is stated in the written proposal, in United States dollars, and covers exactly what the proposal lists.

Where the extent of the work cannot be known in advance, for example open-ended advisory work or remediation of a system we have not yet seen, the proposal states an hourly rate and an estimated range, and we report time as it is used.

The starting prices published on the website indicate where a type of work usually begins. They are not quotations and do not bind either side.

A deposit of fifty per cent of the agreed fee is payable before work begins. The remaining balance is invoiced on delivery of the final deliverables.

Engagements longer than six weeks are normally split into stages, with a portion invoiced at the completion of each. The stages and amounts are set out in the proposal so there are no unexpected invoices.

For hourly work, time is invoiced monthly in arrears with a statement of the hours used and what they were spent on.

Invoices are issued electronically and are payable within fourteen calendar days of the invoice date unless the proposal states otherwise.

Each invoice states the engagement, the stage or period covered, the amount due, the currency and the due date. If anything on an invoice looks wrong, tell us within seven days and we will check it before the due date rather than after.

We accept the following methods. The method used does not change the fee.

• Bank transfer — the preferred method for engagements over one thousand dollars.
• Debit and credit card — processed through a third party payment provider.
• Electronic payment services — where agreed in advance and confirmed in the proposal.

We do not store card numbers. Card payments are handled entirely by the payment provider, and we receive only confirmation that a payment succeeded or failed. Any bank charge applied at your end is your responsibility; the invoiced amount must be received in full.

Fees are quoted exclusive of taxes. Where sales tax or any other tax applies to the engagement, it is shown separately on the invoice and added to the amount due.

Where you are required to withhold tax from a payment under the law of your own jurisdiction, the amount received by us must still equal the invoiced sum, and the invoice will be adjusted accordingly.

Work pauses on an engagement where an invoice remains unpaid more than seven days past its due date. We tell you in writing before pausing rather than letting a project quietly stall.

Interest of one and a half per cent per month may be applied to overdue amounts, calculated daily from the due date until payment is received. Where an account remains unpaid after written reminder, we may end the engagement under the services terms and invoice for all work completed.

Deliverables are released once the engagement is paid in full. Rights in the final deliverables transfer on full payment, as set out in the Intellectual Property and Project Deliverables Policy.

Third party costs incurred specifically for your project, such as stock imagery, licensed fonts or paid testing services, are agreed with you in advance and recharged at cost with no mark-up.

Nothing chargeable is bought on your behalf without written approval first. Where a licence is bought in your name, it is yours and continues after the engagement ends.

A fee agreed in a signed proposal is fixed for that engagement and is not affected by later changes to published rates.

Rates for new engagements may change at any time. Where an engagement is paused for more than sixty days, remaining work may be re-quoted at current rates, and we tell you before resuming.

If we issue an invoice with an error, we correct it. Where you have been undercharged we may issue a corrected invoice, but only within thirty days of the original and never for work you did not agree to.

Where you have been overcharged, the excess is refunded to the original payment method within ten business days of the error being confirmed.

If you disagree with an invoice, raise it with us in writing first. Most disputes come from a difference of understanding about scope and are resolved by looking at what the proposal actually says.

Starting a chargeback before raising the matter with us prevents that conversation and incurs administrative cost. Where a chargeback is raised on an invoice for work delivered as agreed, we will provide the proposal, approvals and delivery record to the payment provider, and the engagement is suspended until the matter is resolved.

Invoices, proposals and payment records are retained for six years in line with accounting requirements. Copies of your own invoices are available on request at any time within that period.

How those records are handled as personal information is described in the Privacy Policy.

This policy may be updated as the practice changes. The date at the top records when the current version took effect.

A change does not alter the payment terms of an engagement already agreed. Those remain as stated in the accepted proposal.