# How we price engagements.

Source: https://customlabs.io/pricing/
Updated: 2026-09-12

Pricing

# How we price engagements.

Every engagement starts with a fixed-fee diagnostic: what it buys is below. The fee itself is confirmed on a first conversation, scoped to your problem, not a rate card.

[Book a Ship Audit →](https://customlabs.io/diagnostic/ship-audit/)

Engagement path

## Diagnostic. Build. Retain.

One motion, three stages: each priced differently because each buys something different.

- Stage 01

### Fixed-fee diagnostic

A scoped, fixed-fee assessment before you commit budget to a build. The fee is confirmed on a first conversation, not published upfront.

#### AI Readiness / Ship Audit

A fixed-scope, fixed-fee read on whether you’re actually ready to ship AI. A written readiness report
- A risk register with severity and mitigations
- A scoped pilot plan

Fixed fee, confirmed after first contact · 2–4 weeks, fixed scope

[Learn more →](https://customlabs.io/diagnostic/ship-audit/)

#### AI Technical Diligence

An investor-grade read on a target’s AI claims, before you commit capital.

- A written diligence report suitable for an investment committee
- A risk register with severity and mitigations
- A go / no-go recommendation

Premium fee, confirmed after first contact · Time-boxed to your deal calendar, typically 1–2 weeks

[Learn more →](https://customlabs.io/diagnostic/technical-diligence/)

- Stage 02

### Phased build

MVP to production, value/outcome-priced and scoped per phase, not time-and-materials. Sequenced off the diagnostic roadmap, in priority order, and handed over in full: you own every line. [See how we build →](https://customlabs.io/services/)
- Stage 03

### Evals & roadmap retainer

Continuous eval coverage and a maintained roadmap once something real is in production. Fixed monthly fee, scope reviewed each quarter, no lock-in. [See our eval methodology →](https://customlabs.io/capabilities/#evals)

How we price

## What drives the cost.

The diagnostic is fixed scope, fixed fee, because its job is narrow: tell you, in writing, whether you’re actually ready to ship, not to scope a hypothetical build. The fee is confirmed on a first conversation, before any work starts. We never quote a number before we understand your problem.

Once the diagnostic roadmap is agreed, we price the build phase by phase, by value and outcome, not by the hour. Time-and-materials rewards slow work; outcome pricing doesn’t.

Diagnostic-first isn’t a sales gate: it’s how we self-qualify a real fit before either side commits real budget. Everything after the diagnostic is priced against something we’ve actually assessed, not a guess from a free scoping call.

### You own every line.

Explicit handover terms, not fine print — this is what transfers to you when we're done.

- All source code transfers to you at handover.
- Infrastructure-as-code for the whole system transfers to you.
- The [eval suite](https://customlabs.io/glossary/eval-suite/) and tests transfer to you.
- Credentials and accounts we provision transfer to you.

Questions

## Pricing, answered plainly.

The questions that come up most before an engagement starts.

01 Why do you charge for the diagnostic? +

It’s real work: a written, board-ready assessment, not a sales call in disguise. Charging for it is also a filter, separating buyers who are serious about shipping from ones fishing for a free scoping session.

02 Can we skip it and just build? +

No. Every engagement starts with the diagnostic. It’s the only reliable way to establish where you’re actually starting from before we scope and price a build, and it protects you from paying for a build against an untested plan.

03 Do we own the code? +

Yes. Every line, every credential, every runbook transfers to you at handover. No retainer is required to keep the system running, and there’s no vendor lock-in.

04 Why isn’t there a fixed build price? +

Builds vary too much by scope to price honestly upfront. We price the phased build by value and outcome once the diagnostic roadmap is agreed. We sequence it to match the roadmap’s priorities, not a number quoted before we know what we’re building.

05 How fast do engagements move? +

The diagnostic runs on a fixed, short timeline. A phased build is sequenced in priority order off the diagnostic roadmap. The retainer, once you’re in production, runs monthly with scope reviewed each quarter. There are no open-ended timelines at any stage.