Price
Fees and Retainer Structures
When it comes to professional consulting services, the service you are paying for is our time. Whether the arrangement is based on a retainer, hourly rate, daily rate, fixed project fee, or another agreed structure, the fee reflects the time, expertise, and resources we dedicate to the agreed consulting services.
Time is one of the most valuable resources a person has.
Once a moment has passed, it cannot be recovered, replaced, or recreated. Money can be earned again, and equipment can be replaced, but lost time is gone permanently.
That is why our professional fees are directly linked to the time and resources required to provide the agreed service.
You are not paying for a physical product or a piece of equipment. You are paying for the time we set aside to work on your instructions, together with the knowledge, experience, professional judgement, and effort we bring to the matter.
Put simply, our time is part of the service, and our fee reflects the time committed to providing it.
Professional fees are established in the approved proposal or quotation and may be structured on an hourly, daily, fixed-project, or recurring retainer basis, depending on the nature of the work and the client’s requirements.
1 Hourly Retainer Structure
The starting price for our consultancy services is five hours.
As the consultancy proceeds, we track the time spent on the client’s matter against the agreed hourly rate, deducting the applicable charges from the prepaid retainer. Where a complete hour is not worked, time is billed in fifteen-minute increments. The initial five-hour deposit also serves as the minimum fee for the service.
Should the assignment require additional time beyond the initial allocation, we will contact the client first to obtain approval before undertaking further work. Any additional time must be paid for in advance.
An hourly retainer provides the client with flexible, on-demand access to professional consultancy services.
The client is charged for the actual specialist time used at the agreed rate. This may include consultations, meetings, document reviews, research, follow-up work, advice, and other related services agreed between the parties.
The proposal will define the applicable hourly rate, minimum billable period, retainer term, payment requirements, and any conditions relating to unused time.
Unless specifically agreed otherwise in writing, unused hours expire at the end of the applicable billing cycle and do not entitle the client to a refund or financial credit.
Andre’s Expertise
With over 30 years of investigative experience and a deep understanding of security profiling and communication, Andre seamlessly integrates all security aspects to provide tailored solutions.
2 Twelve-Month Retainer Structure
A twelve-month retainer provides the client with ongoing access to professional consultancy services throughout a defined twelve-month period.
Retainer fees are invoiced on a predictable monthly basis. The accepted proposal will define the agreed monthly allocation, scheduled consultations or meetings, document review allowances, deliverables, service boundaries, response arrangements, and any additional charges that may apply when the agreed allocation is exceeded.
A twelve-month retainer can be particularly useful for organisations or estates that require continuing professional advice rather than assistance with a single project or isolated matter. It provides an agreed structure for accessing specialist services throughout the year while allowing the scope of the engagement to be clearly defined from the outset.
The purpose of a retainer is not simply to purchase a number of hours.
It establishes an ongoing professional relationship in which time is reserved for the client and used according to the services and conditions agreed in the proposal.