How an engagement works, start to finish.

Sample

Services & Maintenance Agreement

One system, built right,
owned by you.

Between Your Business ("Client") and Eric Richers, Ulric, Eugene, Oregon ("Consultant").

01Scope and investment, phase by phase

All work is billed at $200/hour. Hours are itemized below and the rate never changes; only hours do, and only with written approval. The plan runs in phases, each with its own timeline. Every phase stands on its own: the Client may pause or stop after any completed phase and keep everything built to that point, owned outright. The build total is simply the phases added up; it is never due at once.

Work item	Type	Hours	Cost
Phase 1 · Foundations Weeks 1 to 3		12	$2,400
Brand audit and vision formationWhere the business is going, what the brand says today, and how the system should serve both	Strategy	4	$800
DesignA full design system, then every page and screen, desktop and phone	Design	8	$1,600
Phase 2 · The build Weeks 3 to 6		16	$3,200
Backend and CMSCustom content model, media library, inline editing, publishing workflow	Code	10	$2,000
Roles and dashboardMultiuser logins with owner, admin, and editor permissions, so help never means handing over passwords	Code	6	$1,200
Phase 3 · Intelligence and launch Weeks 6 to 8		12	$2,400
Custom trained assistantAn assistant trained on your own content and data, with guardrails you approve	Code	6	$1,200
Search and launchSEO, AEO, and GEO kit, analytics, security hardening, go-live	Code	4	$800
Training and handoffPlain-English walkthroughs, short videos, written docs	Training	2	$400
Build total (40 hours × $200/hr, across 3 phases)		40	$8,000

02Payment schedule

Each phase follows the same convention: 50% of that phase as a deposit before it starts, 50% when it is delivered and the Client has seen it working. A later phase begins only when its schedule is signed and its deposit received.

Phase	Timeline	Deposit	On completion	Phase total
Phase 1 · Foundations	Weeks 1 to 3	$1,200	$1,200	$2,400
Phase 2 · The build	Weeks 3 to 6	$1,600	$1,600	$3,200
Phase 3 · Intelligence and launch	Weeks 6 to 8	$1,200	$1,200	$2,400
All phases		$4,000	$4,000	$8,000

Overdue balances pause work and accrue 1.5% per month after 14 days.

03Terms

• Phases. Each phase runs under its own signed schedule with its own timeline and its own 50/50 payment. A later phase starts only when its schedule is signed and its deposit received. The Client may stop after any completed phase, keep everything built to that point, and owe nothing further beyond that phase's balance.
• Timeline. Working estimates per phase, not promises to the calendar. Client review time and third-party access can shift dates; they never shift prices.
• Revisions. Two rounds of revisions per deliverable are included. A round is one consolidated list of changes. Fixing anything broken in delivered work is always free and never counts as a revision.
• Scope changes. New work is welcome and billed at $200/hr, quoted in writing and approved by the Client before it starts.
• Ownership. On payment of each phase's balance, the Client owns that phase's deliverables outright: design files, code, copy, data, and accounts. The Consultant's pre-existing tools and the UlricCMS engine remain the Consultant's and are licensed to the Client perpetually, at no charge.
• Maintenance. Ongoing maintenance follows launch at no charge: 30 days on the Blitz, three months on the Sprint and Relay, six months on the Marathon. Updates, backups, uptime monitoring, and fixes. Optional monthly care plans after; either party may end them with 30 days written notice.
• Third-party costs. Hosting, domains, and usage fees stay on the Client's own accounts, at cost. Consultant recommends, Client approves, Client owns.
• Client materials. The Client warrants they have rights to all content they provide (photos, logos, copy, data), and agrees to deliver materials and feedback within agreed windows; long silences re-queue the project.
• Trained systems. Any assistant or automation ships with guardrails the Client approves: it identifies itself as automated, never trains public models on Client data, and hands sensitive moments to a human.
• Confidentiality. The Consultant keeps the Client's business data and numbers confidential, during and after the engagement.
• Cancellation. Either party may cancel in writing. The Client pays only for hours completed to date; any unearned deposit is refunded, any earned balance is due, and the Client keeps all completed work.
• Liability. The Consultant's total liability is capped at fees actually paid under this agreement.
• Good faith. Any dispute gets a phone call before anything else. Oregon law governs.

04Signatures