The terms
A published price has to assume your systems are a mess. The mechanism is fairer: pick the shape that matches how well the work is understood. One filter so nobody wastes an afternoon: minimum engagement €5,000 — regardless of duration.
Every figure arrives with its rule, its input and its replay. The auditor’s question is already answered.
A new filing type or tariff year is a rule set plus hand-derived tests — not a rewrite of the engine.
Cheapest method first: native text read as text, known layouts matched as templates. Models handle the leftovers only.
Runbooks, reasoning, and a working setup on someone else’s machine before I stop. Replaceable by design.
When the work is understood. Scope written down, price fixed against it, changes priced separately.
When it isn’t. An agreed maximum you will not be billed past. Right for discovery and unmapped systems.
When it doesn’t end. Retainers, embedded work, salaried roles — negotiated directly, outside the calendar.
I’d rather be replaceable than necessary. Every system is documented to the point where someone else can extend it without me.