Why we quote a fixed scope, and what happens when the deal changes

Hourly billing rewards the slow deal. A fixed scope rewards the closed one. How we price a transaction, and what we do when it grows.

Every new client asks the same two questions: what will it cost, and what happens if it takes longer. We answer both in writing within 24 hours of the first call, and this note explains how we arrive at the number.

The scope is a list, not a guess

The quote names the documents we will draft, the meetings we will attend and the date we will close. If it is on the list, it is in the price. If it is not, we say so.

When the deal changes, we requote

A second bidder, a lender joining late or a restructuring before sale all change the scope. We stop, write a one-page requote, and carry on only when you have agreed it.

What you never pay for

The first call, the quote itself, and our own mistakes. If we underestimated the work in a fixed scope, that is our cost, not yours.

Oliver Grant, Partner, Tax & Structuring: man in his thirties

Oliver Grant

Partner, Tax & Structuring