SOW vs. renewal prep — cost & scope delta (Feb 2026)
Purpose: Internal note on the difference between the go-forward we outlined in renewal prep and the SOW sent to Magic Spoon (Feb 13, 2026). Use for alignment with Mary if she’s surprised by cost, or for internal clarity.
What we outlined (renewal prep)
- Term: 6 months.
- Scope: Pipeline reliability & alerting, dbt audit quick fixes, knowledge transfer / working sessions; optional new connectors and table updates.
- Pricing: No number in vault. Anchor was 22k for a 5–6 week pilot; 6 months = “different structure (e.g. monthly retainer or phased milestones).”
- Implied ballpark (6 months): If you extrapolate pilot rate, ~84k–$102k** for 6 months (order of magnitude only).
New SOW (Feb 13, 2026)
- Term: 12 months (not 6).
- Pricing: 300,000 total.
- Scope (materially broader):
- Full vendor transition & knowledge transfer (sessions, question lists, SOPs, runbooks).
- Production reliability & alerting (Slack, 2‑hour triage SLA, runbook).
- SPINS continuity & QA (validate on subset, backfill plan, productionize + monitor).
- Shopify/revenue modeling deep-dive (bundle decomposition, revenue attribution, doc for non-engineers, tech-debt backlog + high-priority fixes).
- New pipeline scoping & builds: Confido, IRI/retail workflow, Alloy partner, orchestration one-pager.
- Omni enablement: First dashboard use case, “golden dataset,” adoption plan.
- Months 4–12: Steady-state platform management, net-new pipelines (retail, Alloy, Costco), Omni support, quarterly roadmap.
Why the cost difference
| Dimension | Renewal prep (outline) | New SOW |
|---|---|---|
| Term | 6 months | 12 months |
| Monthly | Not fixed; pilot anchor ~$14–17k/mo equivalent | $25k/month |
| Scope | Reliability + audit + KT + optional connectors | Transition + reliability + SPINS + full modeling deep-dive + multiple new pipelines + Omni enablement + 9 months steady-state |
| 6‑month equivalent | ~102k (if pilot-rate logic) | $150k (first 6 months only) |
The SOW is a full transition + 12‑month platform ownership deal, not a 6‑month “reliability + audit + KT” extension. The $25k/month reflects dedicated lead + engineering + managing lead, transition delivery, and ongoing build capacity (Confido, IRI, retail, Omni).
If Mary (or internal) is surprised by cost
- Talking point: The number is tied to the scope and term in the SOW: 12 months, full transition, SPINS productionization, Shopify modeling deep-dive, and new pipeline work (Confido, IRI, retail/Alloy), not just “reliability + quick fixes” for 6 months.
- Optional: Offer a narrower 6‑month option (reliability, dbt audit, KT only, no new pipelines) at a lower monthly if they want to align with the original go-forward and add scope later.
Created 2026-02-17. See renewal-call-prep-2026-02.md for the original outline; SOW text is in client comms / Demi’s draft.