Fixed fees reward efficiency—but only when scope is visible. Friendly "small asks" accumulate into unpaid redesign weeks.
Define inclusions explicitly
Number of concepts, revision rounds, and site visits belong in the proposal, not footnotes.
Change order within forty-eight hours
When scope shifts, price and schedule update immediately. Delayed conversations become awkward and costly.
Decision windows
Client approvals close after agreed dates; reopening adds fee and time. Portals make this feel professional, not punitive.
Train the team to flag creep
Designers should tag out-of-scope requests in the system, not absorb them to be helpful.
Boundaries, communicated early, increase respect—not resentment.
