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Quikly includes six proposal types, each designed for a different way of selling software projects. Every type has its own pricing logic, governance fields, and AI analysis tailored to that engagement model.
Not sure which to pick? Start with Technical Proposal — it’s the most common for fixed-scope software projects.

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Comparison

TypePricing modelBest forPlan required
Technical ProposalStory points → hours × rateFixed-scope projects, technical clientsStarter (free)
Hour BucketTotal hours × rateMaintenance, support, variable tasksProfessional
Time & MaterialsHour range × rate per roleVariable scope, agile teamsProfessional
RetainerMonthly hours × discounted rateOngoing support, long-term clientsProfessional
Milestone-BasedPayments tied to deliverablesMigrations, large phased projectsProfessional
Staff AugmentationRate cards × team allocation per phaseConsultancies, dedicated teams (3–12 months)Agency

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Technical Proposal

A fixed-scope proposal where each requirement gets estimated in story points (complexity: 1, 3, 5, or 8) and converted to hours using an efficiency factor you control. How pricing works:
  • Each requirement is assigned a complexity value in story points.
  • Hours = story points × efficiency factor (configurable per project).
  • Total = hours × your hourly rate.
  • Adjustments stack on top: tech stack complexity (+5%), urgency surcharge (+25%), recurring client discount (−10%), applicable tax, and optional maintenance fee (15% of project total).
What the AI generates:
  • Structured requirements with descriptions, acceptance criteria, and complexity scores.
  • Delivery conditions and out-of-scope definitions.
  • Risk analysis with mitigation strategies.
  • Governance section (warranty period, revision rounds, change request process).
When to use it: complex projects where the client expects a detailed breakdown of what they’re paying for — feature by feature.
Complexity scale:
PointsMeaningTypical scope
1TrivialConfig change, copy update
3StandardCRUD endpoint, form with validation
5ComplexThird-party integration, complex business logic
8Very complexArchitecture change, real-time system, migration
Available adjustments:
AdjustmentDefaultDescription
Tech stack complexity+5%Applied when the stack involves unfamiliar or complex technologies
Urgency surcharge+25%For tight deadlines
Recurring client discount−10%Optional discount for returning clients
TaxConfigurableCountry-specific tax rate
Maintenance fee15%Post-delivery maintenance and support
All adjustments are optional and editable before sharing.

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Hour Bucket

A pre-paid block of hours at your hourly rate. The client purchases a fixed number of hours and uses them for agreed-upon services within a validity period. How pricing works:
  • Total = bucket hours × hourly rate.
  • You set the validity period (e.g., 30, 60, or 90 days from acceptance).
  • An expiry policy defines what happens to unused hours:
    • Expire — unused hours are non-refundable.
    • Rollover — unused hours carry over to the next period.
    • Credit — unused hours become credit toward a future purchase.
  • A minimum billing increment (15 min, 30 min, or 1 hour) determines the smallest unit billed per request.
When to use it: retainers, technical support, bug fixes, or any engagement where the exact scope varies but the client wants a predictable budget.
Governance fields:
  • Service description and included activities.
  • Hour reporting cadence (weekly, biweekly, monthly).
  • Request process and prioritization rules.
  • Escalation path.
  • Identified risks (expiration disputes, scope ambiguity, micro-billing).
Quimy can auto-suggest governance terms and identify risks based on the brief.

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Time & Materials

Billing by the hour within a defined range, with role-based rate cards and configurable budget caps. How pricing works:
  • You define an hour range (minimum–maximum estimated hours).
  • Each role has its own rate (from your rate card or a flat rate).
  • A billing cadence sets how often you invoice (weekly, biweekly, monthly).
  • An optional budget cap protects the client from runaway costs.
When to use it: projects with evolving requirements where you need flexibility but still want guardrails.
Key fields:
FieldDescription
Hour range (min–max)Estimated effort range
Rate per roleIndividual rates by role or seniority
Billing cadenceWeekly, biweekly, or monthly invoicing
Budget capMaximum spend before requiring approval
Change request processHow scope additions are handled

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Retainer

A recurring monthly engagement at a preferred (discounted) rate, with defined hours per month and optional rollover. How pricing works:
  • Monthly total = retainer hours × discounted hourly rate.
  • You set a minimum commitment (e.g., 3 months, 6 months).
  • A rollover percentage defines how many unused hours carry over (e.g., 20% of unused hours roll to the next month).
  • Optionally include an SLA (response time, uptime commitment, escalation path).
When to use it: ongoing maintenance, long-term support, or any relationship where the client benefits from a predictable monthly cost and you benefit from recurring revenue.
Governance fields:
FieldDescription
Monthly hoursContracted hours per month
Discounted ratePreferred rate (lower than your standard rate)
Minimum commitmentMinimum number of months
Rollover %Percentage of unused hours that carry over
SLAResponse time, resolution time, uptime targets
Renewal termsAuto-renew, manual renewal, notice period

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Milestone-Based

Payments tied to deliverables. Each milestone has a clear deliverable, acceptance criteria, a percentage of the total budget, and a due date. How pricing works:
  • The project total is split across milestones, each with a payment percentage that must sum to 100%.
  • Each milestone defines acceptance criteria — the conditions the client evaluates to approve payment.
  • An optional deposit (e.g., 20–30%) is collected before work begins.
You can create milestones in two modes:
  • With requirements — milestones reference specific requirements from the scope. Quimy can auto-group requirements into logical milestones.
  • Without requirements — milestones are defined as standalone deliverables (useful for non-technical phases like discovery or design).
When to use it: migrations, large multi-phase projects, or any engagement where the client wants to pay incrementally based on verified progress.
Example milestone structure:
MilestoneDeliverablePayment %Acceptance criteria
DepositProject kickoff20%Signed agreement
Phase 1Authentication + user management30%Login flow working in staging, passes test suite
Phase 2Product catalog + search30%Catalog browsable, search returns results in under 200 ms
FinalDeployment + handover20%Production deploy, documentation delivered, training session completed

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Staff Augmentation

Dedicated team allocation with role-based rate cards, seniority levels, and per-phase team composition. How pricing works:
  • You define a rate card with roles (e.g., Senior Frontend Developer, DevOps Engineer, QA Lead), each with a seniority level and hourly or monthly rate.
  • The project is divided into phases (e.g., Discovery, Build, Stabilization), each with its own team allocation and duration.
  • An agency margin is applied on top of individual rates (visible only to you, not the client).
  • Constraints include minimum commitment, ramp-up/ramp-down periods, and replacement guarantees.
When to use it: consultancies placing dedicated teams with clients for 3–12 months, where the client pays for people and capacity rather than deliverables.
Rate card example:
RoleSeniorityMonthly rateDedication
Frontend DeveloperSenior$8,500100%
Backend DeveloperSenior$9,000100%
QA EngineerMid$5,50050%
DevOps EngineerSenior$9,50025%
Tech LeadLead$11,00050%
Phase example:
PhaseDurationTeam sizeKey roles
Discovery & setup2 weeks3Tech Lead, Frontend Dev, Backend Dev
Core build8 weeks5Full team
Stabilization2 weeks3Tech Lead, QA, DevOps
Governance fields: SLA summary, contractual clauses (IP, confidentiality, replacement policy, termination terms).
Staff Augmentation is available on the Agency plan. It includes multi-role proposals with per-member cost breakdown and seniority-based pricing.