Consulting terms
Effective October 14, 2026
These terms cover consulting, working sessions, proposals, RFP responses and statements of work from The Hardwicke Advisory Group LLC, a Colorado limited liability company ("we"). They apply when you book a paid session or approve a scope. If a signed agreement or statement of work says something different, the signed document wins. If you book for a company, you confirm you can accept these terms on its behalf.
Free consultation
The free consultation is 30 minutes and has no obligation. If the call runs past 30 minutes and you ask to keep going, the extra time is billed at the hourly rate below.
Rates
Working sessions are billed at $300 per hour with a 1 hour minimum, in 15 minute increments after the first hour. Fixed fee work is quoted in writing before it starts. Prices are in US dollars and don't include any sales tax that applies.
Scope comes first
Before we build anything, you'll receive a written scope that lists the deliverables, what's included and what isn't, the documents we need from you, the price and the due date. Work starts only after you approve the scope in writing, by email or signature. The delivery time we quote starts when we have both your written approval and every document listed in the scope. Anything not listed in the approved scope is out of scope.
Changes
If you want something added or changed after the scope is approved, we'll confirm the extra cost and time in writing first. We won't do extra work you haven't approved, and you won't be billed for work you didn't approve.
Payment
Working sessions are invoiced after the session on the payment terms you chose when booking: Net 7, Net 15 or Net 30. For fixed fee work, 50% is invoiced when you approve the scope and is due before work starts. The remaining 50% is invoiced on delivery. Larger engagements can be billed by milestone, as set out in the scope. Invoices are sent by email from Stripe and can be paid by card or bank transfer (ACH). If your company needs a Form W-9, a vendor setup form or a purchase order number on the invoice, tell us before the work starts.
Late payment
Unpaid balances past the due date may be charged 1.5% per month, or the highest rate the law allows if that's lower. If an invoice is more than 15 days late, we may pause work until it's paid, and delivery dates move by the length of the pause. You're responsible for reasonable costs of collecting overdue amounts.
Review and acceptance
Each deliverable includes up to two rounds of revisions within the approved scope. You have 5 business days after delivery to send written feedback. If we don't hear from you in that time, the deliverable is accepted. Revisions that go beyond the approved scope are handled as changes.
Refunds
Fees pay for time and expertise, so they don't depend on the outcome. That includes whether a proposal or bid is selected, whether a client accepts it, and what an auditor, regulator or certification body decides. Time already used and work already delivered aren't refundable. If something doesn't match the approved scope, tell us during the review period and we'll fix it as part of your revisions. Please contact us before disputing a charge with your bank so we can resolve it directly.
Cancellations and rescheduling
You can cancel or reschedule a paid session at no charge up to 24 hours before it starts. Sessions canceled with less than 24 hours notice, or missed without notice, are billed at the 1 hour minimum. If we need to move a session, we'll offer a new time at no cost to you.
Ending an engagement
Either of us can end an engagement with written notice. You pay for work completed and approved costs incurred up to the date of notice. Any deposit is applied to that amount, and anything left over is returned.
What we need from you
Our timelines depend on you sending the documents, access and decisions listed in the scope on time. If they arrive late or change, delivery dates move by the same amount. Please name one person who can approve the scope and the deliverables.
Ownership
Once you've paid in full, you own the deliverables we create for you. We keep ownership of our own templates, methods, tools and know how, and you can use any of them that appear in your deliverables inside your organization.
Confidentiality
We keep your documents and information confidential, use them only for your engagement, and return or delete them when you ask. We'll sign your mutual NDA on request. Please don't send passwords, customer records or personal data unless the scope requires it and we've agreed how to handle it.
What we don't guarantee
Our work is advisory. It isn't legal, tax or accounting advice, and it isn't an audit or attestation. We don't guarantee audit findings, certification results, bid awards or regulatory outcomes. Decisions about what to implement remain yours.
Limit of liability
To the extent the law allows, our total liability for any claim related to an engagement is limited to the fees you paid for that engagement, and neither of us is liable for indirect or consequential losses, such as lost profits.
Independent business
We work as an independent business, not as your employee. We provide our own equipment and decide how the work is done, within the agreed scope.
Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Colorado.