our fees

lone tree on the crest of a hill

 

  

We want every client to know exactly what a Walker Clark® project, engagement, or relationship will cost -- with no fine print, hidden charges, or surprises.

 

fixed fees

We always offer fixed fees. In calculating a fixed fee, we consider:

  • the level of professional expertise and experience that Walker Clark must provide in order to meet the client's needs and expectations
  • the extent to which the engagement involves the transfer of proprietary Walker Clark information to the client
  • the extent to which the client will contribute time, talent, and internal expertise to the engagement
  • the long-term value to the client of successful results
  • the effort required to produce completely satisfactory results for the client
  • the economic realities of the client's practice and the local market which the client operates

costs and disbursements

We do not bill clients for routine administrative and clerical expenses, such as telephone, courier, postage, copying, and the hundreds of other petty charges that most other professional services firms add on to the invoice. Nor do we add a flat "disbursement charge" to cover these costs. We view them as the normal cost of doing business. They are our responsibility, not our clients'.

travel expenses

Our fixed fees usually include include travel expenses.

There are some projects and relationships that require an undetermined number of journeys to the client offices. If these requirements are uncertain when we start a project, we quote a lower fixed fee for our services, plus fixed travel expense allowances to be calculated as soon as possible.

In either instance, it is our responsibility to manage our own travel expenses. Only in the most extraordinary and unexpected circumstances will we ask a client to reimburse travel expenses beyond the amount we budgeted.

billing

We bill fixed fees in two ways.

For relatively brief engagements, we usually bill our fees in two or three installments, each coinciding with the completion of an event or the delivery of a specific service.

For longer engagements, we bill our fees in monthly installments.

When we anticipate substantial expenses at the beginning of a project, or when the client has not yet established a credit history with us, we may ask for a reasonable advance payment of up to 50% of the total fee, depending on the nature and duration of the engagement.