Subscribe to GEN
Login to GEN
The slowest part of many IT initiatives is not the delivery, it is the contracting and administration around change. Our model is designed to remove that friction while keeping both sides protected.
We do not lock customers into rigid, multi-year arrangements where every adjustment becomes a renegotiation. We aim for clear terms, fast starts, and delivery that can adapt as reality changes. The framework defines how we trade; statements of work define what we deliver.
Our Framework Agreement sets the ground rules: confidentiality, security expectations, support, billing, liability boundaries and the practical rules of engagement. It is there for clarity and protection, not to slow delivery.
Once it is in place, you should not need to renegotiate the basics every time you need something done.
A Statement of Work (SoW) is what authorises delivery. It can be formal or lightweight; the point is a shared understanding. It can set out the objective, scope, assumptions, deliverables, timescales, responsibilities, dependencies and price, but it cannot change the contract terms, which stay in the framework.
For technical support through the HelpDesk, the statement of work is simply the ticket you raise.
You have a dedicated account manager: one person who takes the brief, coordinates the right people, keeps things moving and owns the outcome.
Our default is time and materials, because it is the fairest arrangement for both sides: you pay for the work actually done, at our published rates, and nobody has to guess a year in advance. We will always suggest it first.
If you would rather have a fixed price, you can. A fixed annual sum for support is converted into hours at our rates and added to your balance, so you get the certainty of a fixed budget without a contract written around exclusions. Maintenance for a hardware estate, such as a set number of servers, can be priced as a fixed annual fee. And a defined project can be delivered for a fixed price under its statement of work.
The framework sets the contractual foundation, and a statement of work defines what you have asked us to do. Our policies set out how we run services in practice: what we will do, what we will not do, and how we manage risk. Where relevant they are incorporated into the framework, and all of them are public.
Policies evolve as technology, threats and regulation change. Where practical, we notify customers of material updates through the HelpDesk or their registered contacts. Changes required urgently for legal, regulatory or security reasons may take effect immediately.
Many outsourcing models create certainty on paper and rigidity in practice. Change is inevitable, and a contract that makes change painful slows delivery and increases cost. In parts of the industry, deals are won with a low base price and a rigid definition of scope, and the commercial model then relies on change control and out of scope charges once the real world shifts. It is a well-known incentive problem, not a quirk of any one company.
We have watched it play out. An outsourcer wins on price and expects to recover its margin through change control. The customer refuses to play, so delivery drops to the contractual minimum, and both sides spend the term managing conflict instead of outcomes. It happens, and it hurts real companies where it matters. It is the same reason we tore up fixed-price multi-year support contracts in 2010.
Keep the relationship stable with a framework agreement.
Keep delivery flexible through clear statements of work.
Never treat change as a commercial weapon.
Keep an exit route, even on a fixed term. We would rather earn your business each year than rely on you feeling trapped.
We are not trying to be the cheapest provider. We focus on reliability, responsiveness and long-term relationships, and the aim is simple: do good work, stay accountable, and be there when you are needed.