How We Work and What It Costs

This page is not a price list. Our work is scoped before it is priced, so the fee for an engagement is set out in a written proposal rather than published as a rate card. What follows is how the engagement is put together, how it is billed, and what the invoice looks like when it arrives.

1. How an engagement comes together

Conversation. We talk through the requirement, the constraints, and the result you are aiming at. There is no charge for this.
Written proposal. We set out what we understand the work to be, the approach, the deliverables, and the indicative effort.
Scope of work. The proposal is turned into a scope that names the deliverables, the schedule, the engagement model, the fees, and the assumptions the estimate depends on.
Written acceptance. Work begins once that scope is accepted in writing. Nothing is invoiced before this point.
Delivery and review. Work is delivered against the scope, with a regular point of contact and a review step at each milestone or each month.

Scope and fees are always confirmed in writing before work begins. Where a requirement changes along the way, the change is recorded in a short written note covering the revised deliverables, schedule, and fees, and it is agreed before the additional work starts. This is the whole reason we do not quote from a rate card: the number is only meaningful once the work is described.

2. The engagement models we offer

Project milestone

Best where the outcome can be described up front. A fixed scope is split into milestones, each with its own fee, and each milestone is invoiced when it is delivered and accepted.

Typical for software design and development, systems work, and defined trade or sourcing assignments.

Monthly retainer

Best where the need is continuous rather than a single deliverable. An agreed level of service each month at a fixed monthly fee, billed in advance, continuing month to month.

Typical for IT consultancy, ongoing system support, and advisory work. Either party can end it on 30 days written notice.

Time and materials

Best where the shape of the work is still being discovered, or where the requirement is genuinely open ended. Recorded hours at an agreed rate, invoiced in arrears with the time record attached.

An estimate and a not to exceed ceiling are agreed in the scope of work, so the exposure is known before the work starts.

Brokerage commission

For the introduction of buyers and sellers of goods, and support for the commercial terms of the trade. A commission earned on completion of the transaction it relates to.

The commission basis is agreed in writing before an introduction is made. This is trade brokerage on goods, not financial intermediation of any kind.

3. What a fee depends on

We do not publish starting points, because the same description of work can differ several times over in effort depending on the details underneath it. The factors that actually move a number are these:

The size and clarity of the scope, and how much discovery is needed before the work can be planned.
The seniority and mix of people the work calls for.
The schedule, and whether the delivery date requires work to be sequenced differently.
Integration with existing systems, and the state of the data and documentation we would be working from.
Third party licenses, hosting, subscriptions, or freight that the work depends on. These are passed through at cost and shown as separate line items.
For brokerage, the value and the complexity of the transaction being supported.

Fees are quoted per scope. Every proposal carries a specific number for a specific piece of work, with the assumptions it rests on written down alongside it, so it is clear what would change the figure.

4. Currency, payment methods, and invoice terms

Billing currency

Invoices are issued in the currency confirmed in the accepted proposal, which is usually United Arab Emirates dirhams (AED) or United States dollars (USD). The currency is shown on the invoice, and it does not change during an engagement without written agreement.

Accepted payment methods

Card payment, handled by our payment provider over a secure connection. Card details are not collected or stored by us.
Bank transfer to the account shown on the invoice.

Charges applied by a client's own bank or card issuer, including intermediary bank fees on international transfers, are generally borne by the client. We do not add a surcharge for paying by card.

Invoice terms

Invoices are payable within 14 days of the invoice date, which we refer to as net 14, unless a different period is agreed in writing. Each invoice names the engagement, the milestone or period it covers, and the payment methods available.

5. Value added tax

971 Global F.Z.E is not currently registered for value added tax in the United Arab Emirates. Its taxable supplies fall below the mandatory registration threshold. Invoices are therefore issued without VAT and do not carry a tax registration number.

Should registration become mandatory, invoices issued after the registration date would reflect VAT at the applicable rate, and clients with an active engagement would be told before that takes effect. Taxes or withholdings that apply in a client's own jurisdiction are generally the client's responsibility, and quoted fees are exclusive of them.

6. Cancellations and refunds

Retainers can be ended by either party on 30 days written notice. Money paid in advance for work that has not been performed is returned. Work that has been delivered and accepted is invoiced in full. The detail, including how to request a refund and the timescales we work to, is on the Refund and Cancellation Policy page.

7. Getting a quote

A short description of the requirement is enough to start. Write to hello@971global.com and we will come back with questions, then a proposal.

Billing and invoice questions on an existing engagement go to pay@971global.com.

The commercial terms behind all of this are in our Terms of Service.

How we work and what it costs