How we work: fixed price or time and materials
Two ways to engage us, one way of working. Whichever you choose, the design work, code quality and communication stay the same: an architect leads the project, decisions are written down, and you see working software regularly.
Two engagement models
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Fixed scope
Fixed-price project
Best for well-defined work with a set budget and deadline
We fix scope, milestones and price before work starts. If something changes, we price the change and get your written approval first.
- One price for an agreed scope
- Milestones with working demos
- Acceptance criteria agreed up front
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Flexible scope
Time & materials
Best for ongoing development, or products still taking shape
The team works from your priorities, and you pay for the time spent at agreed rates. You can change direction without renegotiating the contract.
- Priorities you can change as you learn
- Roles you can add or remove as the work changes
- Time reported against tasks
In every project
- Direct contact with the engineers
- Architecture decisions in writing
- Code review on every change
- Regular demos and progress updates
From first call to a running system
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Assess
We study your product, expected load and any existing code, then agree on what the system must handle.
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Design
We design the architecture, data model and failure handling, and write each decision down for your review.
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Build
We build in short cycles, with load tests and demos of working software along the way.
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Launch and run
We launch with monitoring and runbooks in place, then support and extend the system, or hand it over to your team.
Common questions about working with us
Which technologies do you use?
We pick established technology that fits your load, your team and your budget. Our work covers distributed systems, event-driven design, message queues, caching, relational and NoSQL databases, containers, cloud infrastructure, observability and LLMs. If you already have a stack, we usually work within it.
Can you review or rescue an existing system?
Yes, including systems built by other teams. We usually start with an Architecture Review to find what makes the system slow or fragile, then give you a ranked plan. We can carry it out, or support your team while it does.
Can you work with our in-house team?
Yes. We can design the architecture and guide your engineers as they build, work inside your team, or own a clear part of the system from design to production. We write decisions down, so your team can carry on without us.
How do you work with remote clients?
We are remote-first and work with clients worldwide. At the start we agree on shared working hours, channels and an update schedule, so you know what is happening and who to ask.
How do you price projects?
Fixed-price projects have one price for an agreed scope, quoted once we understand the work. Time & materials work is billed for the time spent, at agreed rates. The Architecture Review is fixed in scope and quoted before we start.
Who owns the code?
You do. The code, infrastructure definitions and documentation we produce for you are yours. We can work in your repositories and cloud accounts from day one, or build in ours and hand everything over at the end, whichever suits you.
Do you offer support after launch?
Yes. We can stay on for support and further development under time & materials, or hand over to your team with documentation, runbooks and a walkthrough. Either way, monitoring and alerting are in place before launch.