Engagement-based pricing protects the vendor, not the client. The incentive runs the wrong way: the longer it takes, the more they earn.

I quote the work, not the hours. Eight weeks, fixed scope, a number you can put in a budget. If I’m wrong about the estimate, that’s my problem to solve, not a line item on your invoice.

This only works because I write the code myself. There’s no team to staff, no margin to pad, no handoff where the estimate quietly doubles. You’re hiring the person doing the work.

Concrete beats abstract. A fixed number you can plan around beats a rate card and a hope.