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Entidex
Guide · Consultancy

Fixed-scope consulting: buying one process fix without a retainer

Most small businesses need one thing fixed: an old system mapped before a server moves, data got out of an ageing database, a phone system checked before lines are switched off. A retainer is a poor fit for that. A fixed-scope engagement is the alternative: one outcome, one price, agreed up front. This page explains how ours work, so you can judge any consultant the same way.

What is agreed before you pay

  • The outcome. One sentence on what will exist at the end: a written report, an export, a result you can show someone.
  • The price. A figure on the page, not a day-rate estimate. Where a price is "from", the page says why.
  • What is out of scope. Stated, so a larger job is raised and quoted before work begins.
  • Who runs what. Anything that touches your machines is run by your IT team, read-only where possible.

How a remote engagement runs

  1. You order online and get a numbered pro-forma by email.
  2. We send intake questions. Your team answers them.
  3. Your IT runs the scripts we send, when it suits them, and reads the output before anything leaves your site.
  4. You send us what you are happy to share.
  5. We deliver the written result and walk your team through it on a call.

No site visit, and no remote access to your systems is needed.

What you have at the end

A document or file you keep and can hand to someone else: it does not depend on us being around. A good fixed-scope result names what it could not see, lists open questions and says who should confirm each finding. If a report only works while the consultant is on the call, it was not a deliverable.

Examples with the price shown

These are Entidex offers that follow the pattern above. Each has a fixed price and a remote delivery path.

  • Legacy App Readiness

    £495 per app

    A readiness review for an app still on Windows Server or SQL Server 2016.

    Delivered remotely, by video call and a read-only script your IT team runs.

  • Legacy estate survey (Visual FoxPro)

    from £750

    A read-only map of your FoxPro apps, tables, dependencies and risks.

    Delivered remotely, by video call and a read-only script your IT team runs.

  • Legacy data export (Visual FoxPro)

    from £495

    Your FoxPro data in SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite or CSV. Pick the target on the order form.

    Delivered remotely, by video call and a read-only script your IT team runs.

  • Phone system survey

    £495 up to 50 extensions · £895 up to 200

    An assisted survey of an older phone system before the analogue lines are switched off.

    Delivered remotely, by video call and a read-only script your IT team runs.

  • PHP2Shell Emergency Fix

    £89 per server · £179 on PHP 8.1 or older

    One command checks your server, patches PHP once you approve, checks your sites still load and sends a signed, dated result.

    You or your IT person run one command on the server. Control-panel servers are patched by hand.

We email a numbered pro-forma invoice. Pay it by bank transfer to our Tide account using the reference on it, or by card or Pay by Bank from the payment link on the invoice. We start once the money arrives.

Questions to ask any consultant before you pay

  • What will I hold at the end that I can give to someone else?
  • What is not included, and what happens if the job is bigger than you thought?
  • What will you need access to, and can my own people run it instead?
  • Who confirms each finding, and what could you not see?
See the fixed-price offers

Frequently asked questions

What is a fixed-scope consulting engagement?

One outcome, one price, agreed before any work starts. The written scope says what will be looked at, what you will receive and what is out of scope. There is no monthly retainer and no open-ended hours.

Do you need to come to our premises, or log in to our systems?

No. The engagements on this page are delivered remotely, by video call and read-only scripts that your own IT team runs, so your people stay in charge of what runs on your machines. Anything that does not fit that way is quoted separately.

What if the job turns out bigger than the scope?

The scope says what is included. If the intake shows the work is larger, such as many applications or sites, that is raised before you pay and quoted separately. You are not billed for extra hours afterwards.

Is the price on the page the price I pay?

Yes. Prices are plain: Entidex Ltd is not VAT-registered, so no VAT is added. Some offers are shown as "from" because very large estates are quoted after the intake questions.