Four contracting models, and guidance on selecting between them.

The commercial model should follow the risk profile of the work. A fixed price set against an undefined scope protects neither party; it defers the dispute rather than removing it.

The four models

The four models in detail.

Fixed Scope

A defined outcome, an agreed price, a firm date. Best when the requirement is clear and you need budget certainty before you can get approval.

Detailed scope and acceptance criteria agreed up front
Milestone-based payments tied to demos
Change requests priced transparently
Fixed delivery date with agreed buffer

Best for: well-defined MVPs, migrations and integrations

Time & Materials

Pay for the capacity you use. Best when priorities will move — which, on most product work, they will.

Two-week sprints with re-prioritisation each cycle
Transparent timesheets and burn reporting
Scale the team up or down as the roadmap shifts
Stop or pause with 30 days' notice

Best for: evolving products and discovery-heavy work

Dedicated Team

A standing pod that works only on your product, in your ceremonies, with your tools — effectively an extension of your own engineering team.

You interview and approve every engineer
Fixed monthly cost per role, no hidden extras
Optional delivery lead, designer and QA in the pod
Team knowledge compounds instead of resetting

Best for: multi-quarter roadmaps and long-term ownership

CTO as a Service

Senior technical leadership without a full-time hire — architecture calls, vendor decisions, hiring support and a roadmap your board can read.

Fractional engagement, typically 2–5 days a month
Architecture and build-vs-buy decisions
Technical due diligence support
Hiring plans, interviews and team structure

Best for: funded startups and non-technical founders

Side by side

Comparing the four models.

Where two models appear equally suitable, the scope generally requires further definition before it can be priced.

Comparison of Flaxvin engagement models. Indicative figures are placeholders — replace with your own rate card.
Model	Best for	Pricing structure	Commitment	Ideal project size
Fixed Scope	Clear, stable requirements	Fixed price against a signed scope, milestone-linked	One-off, 6–16 weeks typical	Small to mid — [₹X–₹Y lakh] indicative
Time & Materials	Shifting priorities, discovery work	Monthly, based on actual effort	Rolling, 30 days' notice	Mid — sprint-based, scales with the team
Dedicated Team	Long-running product roadmaps	Fixed monthly rate per role	3 months minimum, then rolling	Mid to large — multi-quarter programmes
CTO as a Service	Leadership gap, no full-time CTO	Monthly retainer for agreed days	Rolling, 30 days' notice	Any — advisory, not delivery volume

Terms

The parts that do not change.

What is always included

Named engineers you meet and approve
Sprint demos and written fortnightly summaries
Code in your repositories from commit one
Unambiguous IP assignment in the contract
Documentation and handover materials as deliverables
A single point of contact who is a founder

What we will not do

Quote a fixed price on a scope nobody has defined
Staff the pitch with leads and the project with juniors
Hold your code, credentials or cloud accounts hostage
Bill for the time it takes us to fix our own defects
Let a project run silent for weeks between updates
Tell you that you need a rewrite when you do not

A note on pricing

Our commercial terms are quoted per engagement after a scoping call, because an honest number depends on scope, seniority mix and duration. Indian clients are invoiced in rupees; international clients are typically invoiced in USD, GBP or EUR at an agreed rate.

Indicative starting points, day rates and minimum engagement sizes go here: [₹X–₹Y lakh fixed scope][₹X per engineer / month][Payment terms: net XX days]

Require a recommendation?

Describe the project and how firm the requirements are. We will recommend a model, including the lower-revenue option where that is the correct one.

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