How Actif prices consulting work
We lead with project and retainer pricing, and we charge premium hourly rates where they make sense. Here's the thinking behind both.
By Justin Miles
Pricing is a trust document before it's anything else. It tells the client what you value, how you work, and what to expect. We think about it seriously.
Most consulting work at Actif is priced one of three ways: project-based, retainer, or hourly. Each one exists because certain kinds of engagements genuinely fit it best. Here's how we think about when to use which.
Project-based (our default for defined work)
When the scope is clear, a fixed project price is almost always better for both sides. The client knows exactly what they're paying and what they're getting, with a firm timeline and a defined list of deliverables. We know where the finish line is. Scope creep becomes a real conversation rather than a silent meter running.
Project pricing also aligns incentives around outcomes, not hours. If we find a better or faster path during the work, neither side gets penalized for it.
Retainer (for ongoing relationships)
A retainer makes sense when the work is continuous: managed IT, a standing financial-operations partner, ongoing advisory. You get priority response, a dedicated lead, and a clear monthly commitment. It also means we're paid to anticipate problems, not just respond to them, which matters for work where prevention is cheaper than reaction.
Pricing is a trust document before it's anything else.
Hourly (premium rates, specific situations)
Some engagements genuinely belong on an hourly rate. Deep investigations where the scope can't be cleanly defined up front. Advisory conversations where the conversation itself is the deliverable. Open-ended discovery and assessment work.
For those, our hourly rates run from $175/hr to $275/hrdepending on the discipline and depth of expertise. Those rates reflect the kind of cross-functional seniority that solves the problem at hand: a finance engagement doesn't just get an accountant, it gets a team with accounting, technology, and operations depth all in the room.
We don't pick one model and force every engagement into it. We pick the model that best aligns the work, the outcome, and the client's certainty about what they're paying for.
The proposal you receive from Actif will always tell you clearly which pricing model we're recommending and why. If it feels like the wrong fit, say so. That's part of the conversation too.
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