Fixed project fee
One agreed price for a clearly defined deliverable, no matter how long it takes you.
Best for: Well-scoped projects you've delivered something similar to before.
Avoid when: The requirements are still vague, or the client hasn't decided what they actually want.
How it works
You scope the work in detail, price the whole thing, and quote one number. You take on the delivery risk; in exchange you keep the upside if you finish early. The scope document is doing the heavy lifting here — everything outside it is a change request.
What it looks like
A marketing site quoted at £6,000. Budget 60 hours and it's £100/hour of your time. Deliver it in 40 and it's £150 — same invoice.
Example project
A marketing site for a B2B SaaS
Eight pages, a CMS, and a blog, all signed off from a wireframe pack before you quote. £6,000 with two revision rounds and a written exclusion list, £2,400 upfront, delivered in three weeks. The three extra pages requested in week two become a £1,400 change request.
Where it wins
- Clients love the certainty of a single number.
- Efficiency pays you, rather than costing you.
- Breaks the link between your income and your hours.
Where it hurts
- Underestimate and you eat the difference.
- Demands genuinely rigorous scoping up front.
- Scope creep has to be managed actively, in writing.
Fixed project fee: frequently asked questions
How do I price a fixed-fee project?
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Scope it in detail, estimate the hours honestly, multiply by your target rate, then add 20 to 30% contingency for what you haven't thought of. Sense-check the total against what the outcome is worth to the client before you send it.
What happens if a fixed-fee project takes longer than expected?
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If the scope didn't change, you absorb it — that's the deal, and it's why the contingency exists. If the scope did change, it's a change request with its own price. The dividing line is your scope document, so write it carefully.
How do I stop scope creep on a fixed-fee project?
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Define the deliverables in writing, state what's excluded as explicitly as what's included, cap revision rounds, and price every addition as a change request. Say yes to the extra work and no to doing it for free.
Should I ask for a deposit on a fixed-fee project?
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Yes. 30 to 50% upfront is standard and it filters out clients who were never going to pay. For anything longer than a few weeks, split the balance across milestones rather than waiting until the end.
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