Fixed-fee or retainer. No hourly billing. No discounts. No hidden fees.
Numbers on this page self-qualify the right buyer. The right buyer reads them and recognises themselves.
The right number for your engagement depends on the scope, and the scope only becomes real after a qualifying call and a paid Discovery Sprint. The structure on this page covers what to expect at each stage.
Pricing reflects the structure of the firm.
Transdatos is agent-led: the agent organisation is the throughput layer, senior humans come in for judgement on demand, not by the hour.
- We do not bill hourly. Hourly billing is the pricing model of a labour-pyramid; it is not the pricing model of an agent organisation.
- Margin is not coupled to headcount. We do not need to staff up to deliver, and we do not pad the proposal with hours we will not work.
- The day rate does not discount. Confidence in the rate is part of the brand; if the rate bends, the entire model bends with it.
- Outcomes are the unit of pricing — fixed-fee for projects, monthly retainer for ongoing operation.
Paid front door.
Every Custom AI-Native Application engagement starts here. Non-negotiable.
| ITEM | DETAIL |
|---|---|
| Length | 1–2 weeks |
| Price | $25–40k AUD, fixed fee |
| Payment | 100% upfront |
| Outputs | Solution architecture, data architecture, AI integration strategy, delivery plan with milestones, risks-and-assumptions document, fixed-fee build quote |
| Format | Day-1 kickoff workshop (½ day), structured analysis through days 2–8, readout in person or live video on days 9–10 |
Filter effect: buyers unwilling to pay $25–40k for a real scope are unwilling to pay $250k+ for a build. The Sprint qualifies budget readiness without a tense pricing conversation.
Optional for Data Foundation engagements (a free 60-minute scoping call is usually sufficient). Not applicable to Product Partnership or AI Strategy & Advisory engagements.
The four offers, priced.
Custom AI-Native Applications — the flagship build
- Typical
- Low-to-mid six figures AUD
- Model
- Paid Discovery Sprint → fixed-scope, fixed-fee build with milestones
- Length
- 6–22 weeks build, plus 1–2 weeks Discovery + 1–2 weeks UI prototype + 1–2 weeks handover
- Why fixed-fee
- Protects both sides from scope creep; buyers in this tier expect fixed-fee outcomes, not T&M
Product Partnership — long-term engineering and AI team
- Floor
- $30k AUD / month
- Typical
- $30–60k AUD / month
- Minimum
- 3 months, monthly thereafter
- Capacity
- Continuous agent-team operation plus ~10–15 days of senior judgement per month
- Model
- Monthly retainer, paid in advance
The Product Partnership is named in the Discovery Sprint output and seeded from day one — not a separate sales motion.
Data Foundation — agentic-AI-led data engineering
- Floor
- $30k AUD
- Typical
- $40–120k AUD
- Model
- Fixed-scope after a free 60-minute scoping call
A Discovery Sprint is optional for Data Foundation. Often a wedge into Custom Applications or Product Partnership within 6–12 months.
AI Strategy, Advisory & Enablement
One umbrella, four price bands.
| SUB-OFFER | PRICING |
|---|---|
| Advisory retainer / fractional AI leadership | $10–15k AUD / month, 3-month minimum |
| Strategy engagement (one-off, written strategy) | $15–40k AUD |
| Claude Code masterclass (1 day, up to 10) | $10k AUD |
| Data Architecture for AI workshop (2–3 days) | $25–35k AUD |
| Executive AI-readiness session (½ day) | $6–8k AUD |
Workshops are paid 100% upfront. Advisory retainers monthly in advance. Strategy engagements 50% upfront / 50% on delivery.
When you pay, and how much.
| ENGAGEMENT | TERMS |
|---|---|
| Discovery Sprint | 100% upfront |
| Custom Application build | 50% upfront / 25% midpoint / 25% on delivery |
| Data Foundation | 50% upfront / 25% midpoint / 25% on delivery |
| Product Partnership retainer | Monthly in advance |
| Advisory retainer | Monthly in advance |
| Strategy engagement | 50% upfront / 50% on delivery |
| Workshops | 100% upfront |
| State government clients | Net-30 with PO accepted, +5–10% premium on standard rates |
What we charge through, what we absorb.
| COST | TREATMENT |
|---|---|
| Hosting (Cloudflare, Azure, AWS) | Passed through at cost |
| Third-party AI APIs (Anthropic, OpenAI) | Passed through at cost |
| Other third-party APIs and data licenses | Passed through at cost |
| Sydney metro travel for state-government on-site | Absorbed |
| Interstate or regional travel | Passed through at cost + half-day rate for travel time |
| Out-of-hours support on retainer | +10% surcharge, or scoped as a separate carve-out |
No markup on pass-through costs. No rebates either — what the API or hosting provider invoices is what gets passed through.
The standing rules.
- Default Hold price, reduce scope. Phase the work. Phase 1 lands now; phase 2 lands next quarter. Forces real prioritisation, protects rate, often opens a longer relationship.
- Backstop Walk away. When the budget gap is too large or the buyer is fundamentally below tier, refer them on and exit cleanly.
- Never Discount the rate. Once the day rate bends, every future engagement pushes it. Confidence in the rate is part of the brand.
The line is the line.
- Quote hourly or time-and-materials.
- Bill hourly for what an agent team produces. Hourly billing is the pricing model of a labour-pyramid; it does not describe what we deliver.
- Run free pre-sales workshops, fill out RFPs with templated content, or compete in beauty parades.
- Build below the Custom Application floor — the quality bar is unviable below it.
- Take builds without a paid Discovery Sprint.
- Discount the day rate to win the work.