Engagement and scope

• What is the minimum engagement? Minimum engagement is typically around 10 billable hours of principal engineering time.

• Can hours be scheduled non‑consecutively? Yes. Hours may be scheduled across calendar days or weeks to match project cadence and client availability.

• What types of projects do you accept? Concept validation, system architecture, CAD for assemblies, full annotated drawings, prototype planning and oversight, tooling strategy, NPI support, vendor coordination, and DFx work. *Single‑file edits, homework, and micro tasks under 10 hours are not accepted.

 

Pricing, billing, and engagement formats

• What billing formats do you offer? Fixed‑price SOWs for well‑defined deliverables, hourly billing at $250/hour, and prepaid hour blocks with optional discounts for larger prepayments.

• What block discounts are available?  5% off labor for prepaid 160‑hour blocks; 10% off labor for prepaid 320‑hour blocks. Day block after initial work: $1,800/day (8 billable hours).

• What are payment terms?  A flat $500 deposit reserves a review slot, covers NDA/MSA and SOW prep, and schedules the project. Work begins after deposit receipt.

• Do quoted prices include materials or tooling? No. Quotes and fixed‑price SOWs cover labor only. Materials, prototype hardware, tooling, and vendor costs are estimated and billed separately as pass‑throughs.

 

Fixed bids versus hourly work

• When do you use fixed bids? Fixed bids are offered when scope and acceptance criteria can be tightly defined up front and client agrees to a scope freeze and milestone schedule.

• When is hourly billing used? Hourly billing is used for exploratory work, iterative prototypes, and projects where scope is expected to evolve; prepaid hour blocks are recommended for budget predictability.

 

Royalties and alternative compensation

• Do you accept royalties or backend compensation? Yes, under special circumstances. Royalties or revenue‑share arrangements are offered selectively for makers with proven sales traction and products I believe have strong upside.

• How are royalty deals are structured? Royalties are negotiated case by case and typically combine a reduced upfront payment with a time‑limited percentage of net sales or gross profit per unit. Royalty terms include a clear start date, reporting cadence, audit rights, and a cap or sunset clause.

• When will you consider royalties? Royalties are considered for makers with demonstrated market success (consistent sales, positive unit economics) and when I can complete due diligence that supports a positive risk/reward outcome.

 

Due diligence for royalty arrangements

• What due diligence is required? Basic due diligence includes review of sales history, unit economics, product photos/CAD, fulfillment process, key supplier relationships, and a high‑level business plan or P&L summary.

• What documentation will you request? Sales reports (platform or payment processor), sample invoices or fulfillment records, basic financial summary (revenue, COGS, gross margin), and IP status summary. NDAs executed prior to sensitive document exchange.

• What outcomes follow due diligence? A short term sheet outlining upfront fee, royalty rate, reporting requirements, audit rights, duration, and termination/cap provisions or a decision to decline the royalty model and propose a standard fixed or hourly engagement.

 

Deliverables and formats

• What file types will I receive? Delivered CAD exports (STEP, IGES), full drawing PDFs, BOM CSV, build notes, and an organized handoff ZIP.

• How many review cycles are included? Standard engagements include one formal review cycle. Additional cycles are quoted separately.

• What acceptance criteria are used? Deliverables and acceptance criteria are defined in the scoped SOW before work begins and referenced for the remedy window.

 

Change control and scope management

• How are changes handled after the project starts? Scope is frozen at project start. Change requests require written approval and are repriced either at hourly rate or as a fixed add‑on.

• Can a fixed‑price project convert to hourly or royalty later? Yes. Conversion is possible by mutual agreement and documented amendment to the SOW or a new agreement covering royalty mechanics and work handover.

 

Intellectual property and confidentiality

• Who owns the work product? Deliverables transfer to the client on payment unless otherwise negotiated. Retained consulting IP or background IP is listed in the SOW and licensed if needed.

• Do you sign NDAs? Yes. NDAs are executed before sensitive materials are exchanged.

 

Remedy, refunds, and disputes

• What if deliverables don’t meet expectations? A remedy window is defined in the agreement. If agreed deliverables are not met, we work to resolve issues; partial refunds are available only per contract terms.

• Do you offer warranties on the work? Work is provided as professional services with a correction period for defects related to deliverables; warranties on downstream manufacturing or vendor performance are not provided.

 

Materials, prototypes, and vendor costs

• Who buys prototypes and materials? Materials, prototype builds, tooling, and vendor services are purchased by the client or billed as pass‑throughs if coordinated by us with client approval.

• Will you coordinate vendors? Yes. Vendor coordination is available as part of Prototype Support or NPI engagements and billed as time plus pass‑through costs.

 

Scheduling, start dates, and lead time

• How quickly can you start? Start date depends on current schedule, deposit receipt, signed SOW, and required attachments.

• What is a typical turnaround? 10–50 hour sprints often resolve in days to a few weeks; larger NPI programs span months based on scoped hours and client procurement.

 

Qualification and intake

• What do you require to submit a request? Name, contact info, one‑sentence problem statement, estimated monthly revenue or units (range), primary sales channel, product category, and at least one attachment (CAD file, photo, or business plan).

• How do you triage leads? Submissions are auto‑qualified by revenue/unit thresholds or product readiness signals. Non‑qualified leads receive a resource packet or a paid discovery offer.

 

Exclusions and red flags

• What you will not do? Academic projects, micro‑tasks below 20 hours, one‑off minor CAD models or fixes, or projects that require contract manufacturing without client oversight or budget for tooling/materials.

• What are red flags that slow or stop engagement? Missing technical files, unrealistic timelines without budget for materials, refusal to provide basic revenue/volume context, or refusal to sign basic confidentiality/engagement terms.

 

Prototypes, testing, and production readiness

• What counts as prototype readiness? A prototype is “ready” when it meets agreed acceptance criteria in the SOW for fit/form/function and provides a repeatable method for building the next iteration or pilot lot.

• When should I consider tooling or royalty offers? Tooling is considered when unit economics, margin target, and forecasted monthly volume justify the capital cost. Royalty offers are considered when the inventor/maker shows sustained sales traction and the due diligence supports a backend revenue share structure.

 

Next steps and getting started

• How do I get started? Complete the intake form with the required attachment and submit. Qualified prospects receive an invitation for a complimentary 60‑minute intake.

• How do you price an engagement for my project? After intake we deliver a short SOW with an hours estimate and price (labor only), plus a list of anticipated material and vendor costs for client approval. Royalties or alternative compensation options are discussed only after preliminary due diligence and a signed NDA.