Transparency regarding software milestones and custom project retainers
Due to the bespoke nature of custom software engineering, web application development, and technical consulting, payments are linked directly to approved project milestones. Advance retainer fees cover preliminary architecture design, resource allocation, and environment setup and are non-refundable once work has officially commenced.
Projects proceed in phased stages (Discover, Plan, Design, Develop, Test, and Launch). Clients review and approve deliverables at each stage before subsequent milestone invoicing. Once a milestone is signed off and delivered to the client's staging or production environment, payments associated with that milestone are deemed fully earned.
If a client requests project termination before completion, billing will be calculated proportionally based on billable engineering hours and completed deliverables up to the official date of written cancellation notice. Any unearned balance from advance retainers will be refunded within 14 business days.
Monthly or quarterly ongoing maintenance retainers may be cancelled with 30 days prior written notice before the next renewal cycle.
