FEES & CHARGES

DMC applies a fair hourly rate for all applied work, plus a reimbursement of agreed major expenses, such as travel and accommodation.
Just as, say, an accountant would apply bookkeeping rates for the service of bookkeeping, and a higher consultancy rate for items such as taxation advice, so DMC utilises the same professional principle.

Four different rates apply, depending on the type of work undertaken.
In any given assignment, charges utilising a mix of all four will be quite common.
The rates are defined as:

* Basic – this is the lowest rate applied to activities that may be delegated to office personnel, or not, depending on circumstances.
Just like the bookkeeping reference above, this rate reflects the actual market cost of service provision in the low specialty area. Report writing (hard copy or e-mail) and short bridging telephone conferences would be examples.
If these services are performed by a consultant, then the same low rate is applicable.

* Standard – this is the regular competitive rate charged for actual applied consulting hours. This rate is a function of the low overheads of the practice created by efficient management procedures.

* Specialist – this is the highest rate levied for specialty hours, generally involving the areas of advocacy and mediation.

* Intermediate – this is a rate applied to a cut-down version of consulting, called business coaching.
Business coaching can be provided at a much cheaper rate, because it embraces all areas of Information Technology for its provision.
In its simplest form, a one-hour appointment is structured at a regular time each week, and is focused to give support to management problems, that have evolved between appointments.
Decisions are validated, tactics are determined, and some time is devoted to the personal development of the manager.
Delivery is by telephone, or by telephone conference facility, if more than one person needs to be involved. Reports are delivered by e-mail, or by Word document via the Internet, using our secure document exchange system.
Accounts are rendered in the same manner.
Because travel, accommodation, postage and stationery etc. are not involved, the client benefits by not having to reimburse such costs.
DMC consultants also benefit, because they are able to fit more applied hours into the day, limiting time wastage (due to travel time loss and improved client setup preparation time) thus generating greater productivity and better time management.
Hourly rates are thus able to be discounted.

In any assignment, a mix of regular consultancy and business coaching at an optimum level, helps to keep the assignment on track.
Clients can pick their own ratio, and while site visits and face-to-face consultations cannot be initially avoided, business coaching hours can be expanded to drive scarce budget resources further.

More information is available on request, and a concise delineation of the different aspects of work undertaken, is clearly set out in each DMC invoice.