Compare like with like
Two jobs with the same fee may consume very different amounts of time. Start with completed work of a similar type. Record the quoted scope, actual delivery hours, direct expenses and the changes requested along the way. Separate unusual one-off problems from a repeated pattern.
Make the assumptions explicit
Illustration only: a £2,000 engagement with £800 of direct costs leaves £1,200 before overheads and other costs. If delivery takes 20 hours, that is £60 of contribution per delivery hour. At 40 hours it is £30. Neither figure is a salary rate or net profit. It is a lens for examining delivery effort.
Look beyond an average
An average can hide the work that repeatedly overruns. Compare a straightforward job with a demanding one. Ask whether the difference comes from unclear inputs, extra revisions, waiting for approvals or a genuinely different service. Price, scope and delivery design should be considered together.
Turn the finding into an agreement
Use what you learn to clarify what is included, which inputs are needed and how changes will be agreed. A useful pricing conversation may concern the scope and process as much as the headline fee. These are general commercial considerations, not a recommendation for a particular business.
Review three comparable completed jobs. Identify one scope assumption that should be clearer in your next proposal.
This perspective is original Tresswell editorial analysis. Worked examples are illustrative and do not describe client results.
External sources inform the points attributed to them. The practical application and examples are Tresswell’s interpretation. No endorsement is implied.
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