Pricing
Hourly. Estimated up front. Reported weekly.
You should be able to tell whether this is affordable before you book a call. So here are the numbers.
Consulting rate
$150–$225/ hour
Where you land in the range depends on the work, not on who you are. Project coordination and documentation sit toward the lower end; security, compliance and architecture work toward the upper.
- Written estimate before anything starts
- Weekly hours reported against that estimate
- No retainer, no minimum term, no auto-renewal
Technology assessment
from $1,500flat fee
Scope is well-defined enough to quote firmly. Fixed price for businesses up to roughly 50 users, agreed in writing before it starts.
What's included →First conversation
Free
15 minutes, no pitch. Scoping conversations and the written estimate that follows are also free — billing starts when you approve the work.
Book a time →Worked examples
What real engagements have looked like
Representative shapes of work rather than quotes — your estimate depends on your environment. They are here so the hourly rate means something concrete.
Microsoft 365 migration
18 users, one file server retired
- Effort
- 40–55 hours
- Typical range
- $6,000–$12,375
Discovery and inventory, licensing review, pilot group, cutover weekend, two weeks of post-migration support, full documentation.
Security assessment
25 users, one regulated data type
- Effort
- 20–30 hours
- Typical range
- $3,000–$6,750
Identity and access review, backup and recovery testing, email security configuration, written findings and a 30/60/90-day remediation plan.
Project oversight
Phone system replacement, 9 weeks
- Effort
- 5–8 hours/week
- Typical range
- $750–$1,800 per week
Scope and schedule, vendor coordination and escalation, weekly written status, cutover runbook with rollback, closeout documentation.
No line items for
What you are not paying for.
Most of what makes IT consulting expensive is not the consulting.
- A monthly retainer
- There is no minimum term and nothing to cancel. You pay for hours worked, and when the project ends the billing ends.
- Vendor commissions
- I have no reseller agreements. Hardware, software and licensing are bought directly by you at your price, with no markup passing through me.
- Travel inside the greater Denver metro area
- On-site visits within the regular service area are not billed as travel. Anything further is agreed in writing beforehand.
- The estimate itself
- Scoping conversations and the written estimate are free. Billing starts when you approve the work, not before.
- Project management overhead
- Status updates, weekly reporting and closeout documentation are part of the work, not a separate line item.
- Being locked in
- You own every artifact produced. If you want to take the documentation to another provider, it is written so that you can.
Common questions
Why hourly instead of a fixed project price?
Fixed prices for IT work carry a risk premium — the vendor pads the number to cover what discovery might turn up. Hourly with a written estimate and weekly reporting means you pay for the work that actually happens. Where scope is genuinely well-defined, a technology assessment for example, I do quote a flat fee.
What if the work runs over the estimate?
You hear about it at the point I can see it coming, with the reason and a revised range, and you decide whether to continue. I do not exceed an approved estimate without your say-so.
Do you require a deposit?
For larger engagements, a deposit against the first block of hours is typical. It is credited against the first invoice, not additional to it. Smaller pieces of work are invoiced in arrears.
How and when do you invoice?
Monthly for ongoing work, or at completion for shorter engagements. Every invoice itemises hours by date and task, so the weekly updates and the invoice always reconcile.
Is the 15-minute consult really free?
Yes, and there is no pitch attached. Its purpose is to establish whether I can help. If I cannot, I will usually be able to point you toward someone who can.
Want a number for your specific project?
Describe it on a 15-minute call and you'll get a written estimate — scope, assumptions and an hour range — at no cost.
Or email ryan@rmitcs.com