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Engagement

Project Fees

Also known as: Project pricing, Kickstart, Contract C

Project Fees Engagement Pricing AI Operations

Project Fees are contract C in the netzstrategen business model: modular fixed prices for clearly scoped work. They are the entry into the collaboration — before any long-term commitment. This entry explains the three types, the pricing logic, and the place of Project Fees in the customer journey.

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Contents

What are Project Fees?

Project Fees are fixed prices for clearly bounded projects. Each module has a defined scope, a defined outcome, and a fixed price. They are called contract C because they are one of three independent contracts.

The netzstrategen business model consists of three building blocks. Project Fees (contract C) are the entry point and the targeted expansion. The Service Retainer (contract A) carries the ongoing partnership. The Platform License (contract B) keeps the technology running.

Modular means: every project stands on its own. There is no bundling obligation and no hidden follow-up commitment. A module can stay the only one — or become the first step of many.

Exactly this independence makes Project Fees a low-risk format. The budget is known before the start. The outcome is defined before the start.

Three types: Kickstart, workshops, expansion sprints

Project Fees come in three types. Each type answers a different question in the lifecycle of AI Operations. All three run at a fixed price.

  • Kickstart: the entry format. A compact format that identifies the first quick wins and lays out the roadmap. The Kickstart is calculated as a modular fixed price and bookable online.
  • Workshops: the deep-dive format. Teams learn methods, test use cases, or build first workflows — focused on one topic.
  • Expansion sprints: the growth format. Existing AI Operations are extended to a new business function or use case in one bounded sprint.

Kickstart and workshops typically sit at the beginning. Expansion sprints come later, once the operation runs and needs to grow. They then complement the Service Retainer but do not replace it.

Three types thus cover the full arc: start, learn, expand. Always as a module, always at a fixed price.

Project Fees as the entry point

The mnemonic of the model is: C → entry, A → partnership, B → keeps running. Project Fees are the “entry” — the intended first contract. That is a deliberate architectural decision.

Nobody starts a partnership with a blank check. A fixed-price project allows the collaboration to be tested against a real result. Only after that does the question of retainer and license arise.

The typical sequence: a Kickstart delivers the first three to five quick wins. A follow-up project implements the most important one. Both steps run on Project Fees — without long-term commitment.

This logic protects both sides. The company risks only a defined budget. netzstrategen proves impact before a partnership begins.

Project Fees are the door into the model: defined outcome, fixed price, no subscription — the partnership only follows once the value is proven.

How they differ from retainer and license

Three contracts, three jobs. Project Fees differ from the other two contracts in rhythm, duration, and purpose. The overview makes it tangible.

  • Project Fees (contract C): one-off, bounded, fixed price. Purpose: enter and expand in targeted steps.
  • Service Retainer (contract A): monthly, ongoing, flat fee. Purpose: carry consulting and operations permanently.
  • Platform License (contract B): annual, technical, license-based. Purpose: secure platform, license, and updates.

The contracts are independent but combinable. An expansion sprint can run alongside an active retainer. A workshop can be booked without a license ever following.

What matters is the usual order: first C, then A and B. Project Fees prove the value. Retainer and license make it permanent.

Pricing logic: value, not day rates

Project Fees are not calculated from day rates. The price reflects the value of the outcome, not the effort of producing it. It is the same logic as the Service Retainer — applied at project level.

Day rates carry a built-in misincentive. The longer a project takes, the more the vendor earns. A fixed price flips the incentive: fast, clean delivery pays off for both sides.

For companies, this creates full predictability. The price is set before the first working day. There are no change orders because a workshop ran longer than planned.

The Kickstart takes this logic furthest: it is calculated as a fixed module and bookable directly online. No proposal, no negotiation, no procurement marathon. Book, pick a date, start.

Project Fees in the customer journey

The netzstrategen Customer Journey covers seven steps, from 0 to 6. The first three touchpoints — outreach & trust (step 0), self-checks (step 1), and the diagnostic call (step 2) — are free. Project Fees begin at step 3.

That is where the Kickstart sits, together with the first quick win. It is the first paid step of the journey and runs as a fixed-price module. Step 4, the project definition, then scopes the first larger project on top of it.

Only step 5 leads into the permanent structure: Service Retainer plus Platform License. In step 6 — expand & advocate — Project Fees return: expansion sprints extend the operation into new fields, guided by the Engagement Steps up to continuous expansion.

Project Fees thus frame the journey at two points: at the start as the entry, later as the growth engine. The best way to find the right starting point is free — via self-check or diagnostic call.

Frequently asked questions about Project Fees

Do Project Fees commit to a follow-up contract?

No. Every module stands on its own and ends with delivery. Retainer and license only follow if the result convinces — that is the core of the mnemonic C → entry.

What does a Kickstart cost?

The Kickstart is calculated as a fixed module and bookable online — the price is visible before booking. Exact conditions and the right scope can be clarified in the free diagnostic call. The rule holds: fixed price instead of day rate, outcome instead of effort.

When is an expansion sprint better than a new project?

When AI Operations are already running and a new use case should be added. The sprint uses the existing platform and the established Engagement Steps. A completely new project only makes sense without an existing base.

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