How an engagement is agreed

A plain-language summary of Zero Drift's fixed-scope, retainer and revenue-share commercial routes; the signed agreement governs each job.

This page is not the contract

We offer fixed-price commissioned work, named senior leadership by retainer or day rate, and selected product builds paid through revenue share. The public rate card describes the shape and starting prices. Before any work begins, the parties agree a written scope or statement of work, responsibilities, price, payment, acceptance, data handling and rights. That signed document, not this explanation, governs the engagement.

Fixed work and change

A fixed quote follows an agreed boundary: what the product or review must do, which evidence will prove it, who supplies decisions and access, what is delivered, and what remains outside scope. Our standard published payment shape is 50% at start and 50% on delivery. A new requirement is explained and approved as a change; we do not quietly reduce the agreed job to protect a quote. Prices exclude VAT.

Retainers name the days per month, the person or people involved, decision authority and the written outputs. They are billed monthly in advance. Unbounded recovery work can be agreed by day rate, but it still needs a written remit, reporting cadence and stop condition.

Ownership and operating knowledge

We distinguish the product-specific deliverables, data and design from our existing general-purpose tooling and know-how. The agreement must say who owns each part, what rights are assigned or licensed, and what the client needs to run the product or leave the supplier. We aim to leave source, tests, records and operating knowledge usable by the agreed owner; an implied right is not a substitute for written IP terms. The UK Intellectual Property Office explains why commissioned copyright does not automatically pass to the customer without an agreement.

Our after-launch operating model describes the three practical routes: client handover, continued operation together, or an agreed revenue-share engineering relationship. The signed engagement sets the actual account ownership, incident expectations, maintenance boundary, change route, export and termination terms.

For a revenue-share product, the founder’s distribution, product authority, customer relationship and ownership are defined alongside Zero Drift’s building and operating obligations. The revenue base, annual cap, lower tail, costs and exit route belong in the actual contract, not a handshake or a percentage on a web page. Read the qualification model.

If a procurement or legal team needs a template, current insurance evidence or security answers, contact us. Independent legal advice is appropriate before either side signs a consequential software or data arrangement.