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Zenith Consulting Services

How a project works

A fixed price for each stage, agreed before it starts. No surprises.

October 2026

Download the PDF (1 page, 346 KB) Tell us about the problem

We build your software in stages called Milestones. You only ever commit to the next Milestone. Before each Milestone starts, you get a Milestone Quote with exactly what it delivers and its fixed price.

The journey at a glance

  1. Start

    Plan it together

    Proposal, workshop and prototype.

  2. Build

    One Milestone at a time

    1. Quote fixed price
    2. 50% on accepting
    3. Build you see progress
    4. Sign-Off you test it
    5. 50% on Sign-Off

    Working software after each Milestone. Pause or stop between any two.

  3. Launch

    Go live

    Each Milestone goes live, in your account or ours.

Step by step

  1. One off

    Sign the Proposal

    It includes a Fee Estimate for the whole build. That is our best estimate, not a commitment. Signing commits you to the next step only.

    You pay
    For the Discovery Workshop and Clickable Prototype, up front.
    You decide
    Whether to start planning with us.

  2. One off

    Workshop and prototype

    We map the work with your team, then build a clickable version of the key screens so you can see it before it is built. Together they become a written plan we both agree on (the Initial Scope of Work).

    You pay
    Nothing more at this step.
    You decide
    Sign-Off the Initial Scope of Work.

  3. Each Milestone

    Milestone Quote

    Before each Milestone, we send a Milestone Quote: exactly what it delivers and its fixed price. Work starts once the deposit is paid.

    You pay
    A Milestone Deposit of 50% when you accept.
    You decide
    Whether to go ahead, change it or stop.

  4. Each Milestone

    Build and Sign-Off

    We build it and you test it. Any defect in a Milestone is fixed within its fixed price, not charged by the hour.

    You pay
    The other 50%, the Completion Payment, on Sign-Off.
    You decide
    Sign-Off when it works as quoted.

  5. Each Milestone

    Repeat until done

    Steps 3 and 4 repeat for every Milestone, in the order that matters most to your business. You get working software after each one.

    You pay
    Only for the Milestones you accept.
    You decide
    What comes next, and when.

  6. Ongoing

    Launch and support

    Your software goes live. Support and small changes are billed by the hour, only as used. Anything bigger is a Variation, with its own Milestone Quote.

    You pay
    $250 an hour + GST, only for what you ask for.
    You decide
    What to change or add, and when.

Terms you will see in our contract

Fee Estimate
Our estimate of the whole build, in the first Proposal. A guide, not a commitment.
Milestone Quote
The fixed scope and fixed price of one Milestone. Nothing starts until you accept it.
Milestone Deposit
50% of a Milestone’s fixed price, paid when you accept its Milestone Quote.
Completion Payment
The other 50% of a Milestone’s fixed price, due when you Sign-Off the finished Milestone.
Sign-Off
Your written OK that a step is done and works as agreed.
Variation
New work or a change too big for support. It needs its own Milestone Quote, accepted before we start.

What you can count on

  • You own it. The code and your data are yours once each Milestone is paid.
  • Your account or ours. Larger systems run in your own cloud account (Amazon Web Services), so you see the hosting costs directly. Small apps can run in ours for a monthly hosting fee.
  • No hourly meter on the build. Each Milestone has a fixed price, agreed before it starts.

Questions? Call James on 0422 627 577.

Keep a copy, or send it to whoever else needs to see it.

Read our capability statement

Download the PDF (1 page, 346 KB) Tell us about the problem