Pricing Calculator & Quick Quote Guide
Purpose: Fast pricing for common scenarios
Use: Sales calls, proposals, quick estimates
Last Updated: 2026-01-26
🚀 Quick Quote Tool
Step 1: Choose Service Type
| If Client Needs… | Service Type | Go To |
|---|---|---|
| One-time project | Fixed Fee | Fixed Pricing |
| Ongoing support | Retainer | Retainer Calculator |
| Specific help | Hourly | Hourly Calculator |
| Dedicated person | Resource | Resource Calculator |
💵 Fixed Fee Calculator
Formula
Total Price = (Sum of Role Hours × Rates) × Complexity Multiplier + Add-ons
Quick Pricing Matrix
| Project Type | Hours | Base Price | With Complexity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data Audit | 24 hrs | $5,000 | $5,000 (1.0x) |
| Tool Implementation | 26 hrs | $4,900 | $5,000-7,000 (1.0-1.4x) |
| AI Integration | 37 hrs | $7,400 | $7,500-11,000 (1.0-1.5x) |
| ETL Setup | 82 hrs | $15,900 | $16,000-24,000 (1.0-1.5x) |
| Data Warehouse | 120 hrs | $24,000 | $24,000-36,000 (1.0-1.5x) |
| Product Analytics | 148 hrs | $29,400 | $30,000-45,000 (1.0-1.5x) |
| Platform Build | 500+ hrs | $100,000+ | $100,000-200,000+ (1.0-2.0x) |
Complexity Multipliers
| Complexity | When to Use | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|
| Simple | Standard tools, clear requirements | 1.0x |
| Moderate | Some customization, 2-3 integrations | 1.2x |
| Complex | Heavy customization, 4+ integrations | 1.5x |
| Very Complex | Novel architecture, uncharted territory | 2.0x |
Example: Data Warehouse Project
Client: Mid-size SaaS, Snowflake + dbt, 5 data sources
Base Hours:
- Managing Lead: 20 hrs × $250 = $5,000
- Senior Engineer: 80 hrs × $200 = $16,000
- PM: 20 hrs × $150 = $3,000
Base Total: $24,000
Complexity: Moderate (5 sources) = 1.2x
Subtotal: $24,000 × 1.2 = $28,800
Add-ons:
- Reverse ETL: +$5,000
- Team Training: +$2,000
Add-ons Total: +$7,000
FINAL QUOTE: $35,800
Round to: $36,000
🔄 Retainer Calculator
Formula
Monthly Price = (Hours/Month × Hourly Rate) × Discount Multiplier
Quick Retainer Matrix
| Hours/Month | Typical Mix | Monthly Price |
|---|---|---|
| 50-60 hrs | 1 Senior Eng (PT) + Analyst (PT) | $10,000-12,000 |
| 80-100 hrs | 1 Senior Eng (FT) + Analyst (PT) | $16,000-20,000 |
| 100-120 hrs | 1 Senior Eng + 1 Analyst (both PT) | $18,000-22,000 |
| 150-180 hrs | 2 Senior Eng (PT) + Lead (PT) + PM | $28,000-35,000 |
Commitment Discounts
| Commitment | Discount | Applied To |
|---|---|---|
| Month-to-month | 0% | Full rate |
| 3 months | -5% | Monthly rate |
| 6 months | -10% | Monthly rate |
| 12 months | -15% | Monthly rate |
Example: 6-Month Retainer
Client: E-commerce company, ongoing data support
Team Mix:
- Senior Engineer: 20 hrs/week = 80 hrs/month @ $250 = $20,000
- Data Analyst: 12 hrs/week = 48 hrs/month @ $150 = $7,200
- PM: 4 hrs/week = 16 hrs/month @ $150 = $2,400
Monthly Total: $29,600
6-Month Commitment: -10%
Discounted Monthly: $29,600 × 0.9 = $26,640
FINAL QUOTE: $27,000/month for 6 months
Total Contract Value: $162,000
⏱️ Hourly Calculator
Quick Hourly Quotes
| Role | Rate | Common Scenarios |
|---|---|---|
| Managing Lead | $300/hr | Strategy (4-8 hrs), Architecture review (8-16 hrs) |
| Senior Engineer | $250/hr | Technical consulting (10-20 hrs), Code review (4-8 hrs) |
| Senior Analyst | $250/hr | Analytics consulting (10-20 hrs), Dashboard review (4-8 hrs) |
| PM | $150/hr | Project scoping (4-8 hrs), Stakeholder meetings (2-4 hrs) |
| Data Analyst | $150/hr | Ad-hoc analysis (8-16 hrs), Report building (8-12 hrs) |
Common Hourly Packages
Advisory Session (2 hours)
- Managing Lead: 2 hrs × 600**
Technical Review (1 day)
- Senior Engineer: 6 hrs × 1,500
- Managing Lead: 2 hrs × 600
- Total: $2,100
Sprint Support (1 week)
- Senior Engineer: 20 hrs × 5,000
- PM: 8 hrs × 1,200
- Total: $6,200
👤 Dedicated Resource Calculator
Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Rates
| Role | Hours/Week | Hours/Month | Monthly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior Engineer | 40 | 160 | $40,000 |
| Senior Analyst | 40 | 160 | $40,000 |
| Managing Lead | 40 | 160 | $48,000 |
| PM | 40 | 160 | $24,000 |
| Data Analyst | 40 | 160 | $24,000 |
Part-Time Resources
| Role | Hours/Week | Hours/Month | Monthly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior Engineer (50%) | 20 | 80 | $20,000 |
| Senior Analyst (50%) | 20 | 80 | $20,000 |
| Managing Lead (25%) | 10 | 40 | $12,000 |
| PM (25%) | 10 | 40 | $6,000 |
| Data Analyst (50%) | 20 | 80 | $12,000 |
Mixed Team Calculator
Build Your Team:
Role 1: [Select Role] at [% FTE] = $X,XXX/month
Role 2: [Select Role] at [% FTE] = $X,XXX/month
Role 3: [Select Role] at [% FTE] = $X,XXX/month
Subtotal: $XX,XXX/month
Commitment Discount: [Select] = -X%
Final Monthly: $XX,XXX/month
Example: Data Team Build
Client: Fintech startup, needs full data stack support
Team:
- Senior Engineer (75%): 30 hrs/week = 120 hrs/month @ $250 = $30,000
- Data Analyst (50%): 20 hrs/week = 80 hrs/month @ $150 = $12,000
- Managing Lead (10%): 4 hrs/week = 16 hrs/month @ $300 = $4,800
Monthly Total: $46,800
12-Month Commitment: -15%
Discounted Monthly: $46,800 × 0.85 = $39,780
FINAL QUOTE: $40,000/month for 12 months
Total Contract Value: $480,000
🎯 Common Pricing Scenarios
Scenario 1: “We need help with our data warehouse”
Questions to Ask:
- Current data sources? (count)
- Target warehouse? (Snowflake, BigQuery, etc.)
- Existing pipeline or starting fresh?
- Timeline? (standard, rushed)
Typical Quote:
- Simple (3 sources, standard tools): $20,000-25,000
- Moderate (5 sources, some custom): $25,000-35,000
- Complex (10+ sources, heavy custom): $40,000-60,000
Scenario 2: “We need ongoing data support”
Questions to Ask:
- What kind of support? (pipeline maintenance, dashboards, analysis)
- How many hours/week estimated?
- Team preference? (generalist vs specialists)
- Commitment length?
Typical Quote:
- Light (10-15 hrs/week): $8,000-12,000/month
- Medium (20-25 hrs/week): $15,000-20,000/month
- Heavy (30-40 hrs/week): $24,000-32,000/month
Scenario 3: “We want to hire someone but need help now”
Questions to Ask:
- What role are you hiring for?
- How long until hire? (3, 6, 12 months)
- Full-time or part-time need?
- Handoff required?
Typical Quote:
- 3-month bridge: Part-time resource at 50% FTE = 48,000
- 6-month bridge: Full-time resource = 192,000 (with 10% discount = $172,800)
- Knowledge transfer: +$5,000 one-time
Scenario 4: “Can you audit our current setup?”
Questions to Ask:
- What systems? (GA4, Segment, Snowflake, etc.)
- How deep? (surface review vs deep dive)
- Deliverable format? (deck, doc, workshop)
- Timeline?
Typical Quote:
- Surface audit (1 week): $5,000
- Deep dive (2-3 weeks): $10,000-15,000
- With roadmap (3-4 weeks): $15,000-20,000
Scenario 5: “We need to build a custom platform”
Questions to Ask:
- What’s the platform for? (agency tools, product analytics, etc.)
- Stack preference? (or open to recommendations)
- Timeline? (MVP vs full build)
- Budget range?
Typical Quote:
- MVP (8 weeks): $75,000-100,000
- Full v1 (12-16 weeks): $100,000-150,000
- Complex (6+ months): $200,000-500,000+
📊 Pricing Decision Tree
START: What does client need?
├─ One-time project?
│ ├─ Small (<40 hrs): $5,000-10,000
│ ├─ Medium (40-120 hrs): $10,000-30,000
│ └─ Large (120+ hrs): $30,000-200,000+
│
├─ Ongoing support?
│ ├─ Light (10-15 hrs/week): $8,000-12,000/month
│ ├─ Medium (20-30 hrs/week): $16,000-24,000/month
│ └─ Heavy (40+ hrs/week): $32,000-40,000/month
│
├─ Hourly consulting?
│ ├─ Advisory (2-4 hrs): $500-1,000
│ ├─ Technical (8-16 hrs): $1,600-3,200
│ └─ Sprint (40+ hrs): $8,000-10,000/week
│
└─ Dedicated resource?
├─ Part-time (20 hrs/week): $16,000/month
├─ Full-time (40 hrs/week): $32,000/month
└─ Team (multiple resources): $40,000-80,000/month
🎓 Pricing Best Practices
When to Round Up
- Total is within 24,700 → $25,000)
- Complex project with unknowns (build in buffer)
- Client expects round numbers
When to Round Down
- Highly competitive deal
- Strategic client (referral potential, case study)
- Total is within 10,100 → $10,000)
When to Add Buffer
- Client requirements are vague (+10-20%)
- New technology or tools (+15-25%)
- Tight timeline (+25-50%)
- Multiple stakeholders (+10-15%)
When to Discount
- Long-term commitment (3, 6, 12 months)
- Multiple projects bundled
- Strategic value (case study, referral, brand)
- Non-profit or education
📞 Next Steps
After Calculating Price:
- ✅ Document assumptions
- ✅ List deliverables clearly
- ✅ Include timeline
- ✅ Note any exclusions
- ✅ Present with confidence
Include in Quote:
- Itemized breakdown
- Payment schedule
- Assumptions and dependencies
- Change order terms
- Start date estimate
Questions? Refer to RATE_CARD.md for detailed pricing or email sales@brainforge.ai