Five models cover the work
| Model | What it covers | Duration | A fit when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic | Fixed scope and fixed fee, agreed in advance. A defined question about controls, fraud exposure, governance or readiness, answered with ranked findings and a fix plan. | Two to four weeks | You need an outside view before an audit, a raise, a sale or a board meeting |
| Project | Design and implementation work with defined deliverables, such as new approval limits, a policy manual, a speak-up program or a monitoring setup. | Six to sixteen weeks | You know what needs fixing and want it built and handed over |
| Monitoring subscription | Continuous controls monitoring, Integrity Center upkeep and quarterly reviews. | Monthly, after a setup period of about six weeks | You want controls tested on a schedule rather than once a year |
| Research commission | A defined research question, answered in a written report with its methodology. | Three to eight weeks | A board, funder, lender or association needs evidence on a specific question |
| Training cohort | Half-day sessions up to six-week cohorts, live or recorded, built on your own policies and data. | Half a day to six weeks | Your people need to run new controls or understand the numbers they approve |
Scoping comes before any price
Scoping is how we learn enough to quote honestly. It carries no fee and no obligation.
First conversation
A call of about 45 minutes with an engagement lead. We ask what prompted the inquiry, who needs the result, which systems hold the data and which dates matter. You can ask us anything about independence, staffing and fees.
The shape of the data
If the scope depends on volume or complexity, we may ask for summary information under a confidentiality agreement: a trial balance, a user listing, an entity chart. We do not need transaction data to quote.
Written proposal
You receive a proposal, typically within a week of the call. It states the scope, the fee and what we need from you, and every part of it is open to discussion.
Engagement letter and start
Once you accept, we sign an engagement letter that carries the scope, the fee and our policies on independence and data. Work starts on an agreed date, beginning with access requests.
Proposals you can hold us to
A proposal from Finance Ethics is meant to be specific enough that you could check our work against it line by line. If something you need is not in it, it is not in scope, and we would rather you notice that before you sign than after.
Every proposal contains the items listed here. Change requests during an engagement are written up against the same structure, so a change in scope always arrives with its effect on timing and fee, for you to approve first.
Every quote follows a scoping call
Here is how the number in your proposal is reached.
Diagnostics carry a fixed fee
The scope and fee are agreed in advance and do not move unless you agree a change in writing. The Controls Health Check is an example.Projects are quoted against deliverables
We quote for the deliverables named in the proposal. If the work needed to produce them changes materially, we tell you before doing more, not on the invoice.Subscriptions are billed monthly
Monitoring begins with a setup period of about six weeks, quoted on its own, and then runs monthly with a quarterly review.Research and training are quoted per commission
A research commission is quoted for the written report. Training is quoted per session or per cohort, including the work of building it on your own material.No contingent fees
No fee depends on what we find, what you save or how a transaction turns out. That would give us a stake in the answer.
Models combine in a sensible order
There is no obligation to move from one model to the next.
Diagnostic, then project
A diagnostic ranks the gaps. A project closes the ones your team cannot close alone.
Project, then monitoring
Once a control is built, a subscription tests it on a schedule, so drift shows up in weeks rather than at year-end.
Any model, then training
Training built on the findings helps the change outlast the engagement.
Research on its own
A research commission can stand alone, for a board, a funder, a lender or an association. Our benchmark work is one example.
Ask for a scoping call
Tell us what prompted the question and when you need an answer. We reply within two business days.