A senior engineer in our corner, a few hours a month
For products I've worked on or assessed: a capped block of engineering hours every month, next-business-day written response, monthly statement, no surprises. AUD 1,250 for 5 h, 2,500 for 10 h, 4,500 for 20 h.
Where you are
You have a shipped product and no engineer who knows it. Field issues need looking at, a component went end-of-life, the contract manufacturer has a question, a customer has an odd bug, a release is due every few months. You don’t need someone full-time. You need someone who already knows the product, answers in writing, and doesn’t disappear.
I take retainers for products I’ve already worked on or assessed, because support without knowing the code is guesswork billed by the hour. If I haven’t seen yours yet, the diagnostic week (AUD 6,000) is how I get to know it, and the retainer can start the week after the report. Retainers also cover the fractional hardware lead role: running your design reviews, sitting in on the CM calls, mentoring a junior engineer.
Tiers
| 5 hours | 10 hours | 20 hours | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price per month | AUD 1,250 | AUD 2,500 | AUD 4,500 |
| Response | Next business day, in writing | Next business day, in writing | Same business day where I can; next business day guaranteed |
| Scheduled call | Monthly, 30 min | Fortnightly, 30 min | Fortnightly, 30 min |
| Overage | AUD 250/h, agreed first | AUD 250/h, agreed first | AUD 250/h, agreed first |
Hours cover investigation, fixes, releases, code and design review, CM and supplier questions, and answering your engineers’ questions. They expire at month end: the point is a predictable slot in my calendar, not a bank.
What’s not included
- Products I haven’t worked on or assessed. Start with the diagnostic week.
- Anything faster than the response in the table. A four-hour SLA is a separate agreement at a separate price.
- Phone or unscheduled on-site support. Everything is in writing, plus the scheduled call; on-site days are quoted.
- Work bigger than the month’s hours without agreeing it first — a new feature or a respin becomes a scoped sprint.
- Unused hours. They expire at month end.
The terms in one paragraph
Six-month minimum, then 30 days’ notice either way; leave earlier and one month’s fee is payable in lieu. Monthly in advance by direct debit. A monthly statement of hours. If a debit fails and isn’t fixed in 14 days, work pauses; the term and fee keep running. If I miss the response time in a month, that month’s fee is reduced by a quarter. Full terms are on the terms page.
How to start one
If I’ve worked on your product, say which tier on the intake form. If I haven’t, start with the diagnostic week — after that we both know what supporting it involves.