Consultancy Pricing

Book expert cybersecurity help by the hour — clear rate, clear rules, no surprises.

This is for businesses that want flexible support without committing to an ongoing programme. Hours can be used for ad-hoc help, security projects, compliance prep, vCISO-style guidance, and incident support.

What This Price Covers

The hourly rate covers time spent on:

Calls and scheduled appointments
Investigation and review work
Writing up notes, recommendations, and action plans
Email support directly related to the request
Creating documentation and deliverables

Consulting Pricing Calculator

Calculate Your Investment

Get a clear price for your consulting hours (excluding VAT)

Do you need a 30-minute scoping call first?

How many consulting hours do you need? (Optional if booking scoping call only)

Typical Time Blocks

Typical Time Blocks (To Help Decide)

1 hour: Quick second opinion, decision support, "is this risky?" clarity
2–3 hours: Focused review with written next steps
4 hours (half-day): Common for "proper progress" on a project thread (compliance, M365 hardening plan, incident readiness, supplier review)
8 hours (day): Deeper work across multiple areas, with documentation

Important Rules

Important Rules (Read This Before Buying Hours)

These are here to keep everything fair and predictable:

Billable time starts at the beginning of a scheduled appointment.
Email support, documentation, and any deliverables are billable time.
Invoices are issued and must be paid before work starts.
Hours purchased are valid for 12 months from the date of purchase. Any unused time after 12 months expires.

Systems Secure Consulting Terms

1) Hourly rate and billing increments

Consulting is billed at £95 per hour (ex VAT).
Time is billed in 30-minute increments.
Where a first call is needed to confirm scope, a 30-minute scoping call can be arranged.

2) What counts as billable time

Billable time includes all time spent delivering the service, including:

Scheduled calls/meetings (billable time starts at the scheduled start time)
Investigation, review, and troubleshooting
Email support related to the request
Documentation, notes, reports, and deliverables
Supplier/client communications needed to complete the work

3) Hours purchased and expiry

Hours purchased are valid for 12 months from the date of purchase.
Any unused hours after 12 months expire and are no longer available for use.

4) Before work starts: confirmation, quote, invoice

Systems Secure will confirm the request is a good fit and may ask for more detail.
An official quote will be provided where appropriate.
Work begins after the invoice has been issued and paid, unless agreed otherwise in writing.

5) Project-based pricing (fixed scope)

For larger pieces of work, Systems Secure may propose project-based pricing instead of hourly.

If the scope changes during a project, or if changes made by the client/third parties create extra rework (rollback, re-testing, reconfiguration, troubleshooting), that extra time may be billed at the current hourly rate.
To avoid delays and extra cost, configuration should not be changed during active delivery unless explicitly agreed.

6) Scheduling, rescheduling, and missed appointments

If a scheduled appointment is missed without at least 60 minutes’ notice, 30 minutes minimum (or half the scheduled time, whichever is greater) may be deducted from purchased time.
If Systems Secure needs to reschedule, a new time will be offered as soon as possible.

7) Payment, outstanding balances, and pausing work

Any remaining balance on a project is billed via invoice at the agreed milestones (or on completion).
If any invoice remains outstanding for more than 30 days, Systems Secure may pause all additional work until the balance is brought up to date.

8) Refunds for purchased hours

It is the purchaser’s responsibility to respond and schedule the work.
Refunds for unused purchased hours may be considered within 60 days of purchase.
If a discounted time block was purchased, any used time will be calculated at the standard hourly rate and deducted from the amount paid before any refund is calculated.

9) Payment processing fees

Payment processing fees (for example, Stripe/PayPal) are non-refundable. If a refund is issued, these fees may be deducted from the refunded amount.

10) Who provides the work

Work may be delivered by James Batt or, where appropriate, a trusted associate/subcontractor used by Systems Secure.

If a subcontractor is involved, Systems Secure will aim to tell the client in advance where possible.
All work remains managed to the same standard and confidentiality expectations.

11) On-site work and travel

If on-site support is required:

Travel time and any reasonable expenses may be billable and will be agreed in advance.
A minimum charge may apply depending on location and time required.

12) Recording of sessions

Recording (audio, video, screen recording, or photography) of support sessions is not permitted without prior written consent from Systems Secure.

13) Liability and indemnity

Systems Secure’s liability for any claim relating to the services is limited to the value of the fees paid for the specific services giving rise to the claim. Indirect or consequential loss is excluded to the extent permitted by law.

14) No warranty on hourly work

Due to the nature of cybersecurity and IT environments:

There is no warranty on hourly consulting work.
Each hour worked is billable regardless of outcome.
Systems Secure can recommend an estimated level of effort, and the client can request a cap on hours per engagement.

15) Termination

Either party may end services at any time by written notice (including email).

Any work completed up to termination remains billable.
Any unused prepaid hours are handled in line with the refunds and expiry terms above.

16) Availability (business hours)

Consulting hours are delivered Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm (UK time), excluding UK bank holidays, unless otherwise agreed in writing.

Schedule Consultation

What is the hourly rate?

Consulting is £95 per hour (ex VAT), billed in 30-minute increments.

Is there a minimum number of hours to buy?

What’s the quickest way to work out how many hours are needed?

If it’s not obvious, book a 30-minute scoping call. After that, a clear recommendation is given on the number of hours to purchase.

When can purchased hours be used?

Consulting hours are delivered Monday–Friday, 9:00am–5:00pm (UK time), excluding UK bank holidays, unless agreed in writing.

When does billable time start?

Billable time starts at the beginning of the scheduled appointment time.

What counts as billable time (besides calls)?

Anything done to deliver the outcome is billable time, including:

- Email support related to the request

- Documentation, reports, and recommendations

- Investigation, review, troubleshooting, and implementation support

- Liaising with suppliers/third parties when needed

Do you invoice before starting work?

Yes. Once the request is confirmed and accepted, an invoice is issued and must be paid before work starts, unless agreed otherwise in writing.

Do purchased hours expire?

Yes. Hours are valid for 12 months from the date of purchase. Unused hours after that expire.

Can hours be used across multiple tasks?

Yes. Hours can be used flexibly across different requests (for example: a supplier review now, Microsoft 365 hardening next, then help with compliance questions later) as long as they’re within the purchased balance and the 12-month validity window.

What if the work takes longer than expected?

A clear update is given before continuing. Options are provided: stop, narrow the scope, or purchase additional hours.

Is on-site work available?

Yes, where appropriate. Travel time and reasonable expenses may be billable and will be agreed in advance.

Do you allow recording of calls/screensharing sessions?

Not without prior written consent.

Do you guarantee we won’t get hacked?

No one can honestly guarantee that. The goal of consulting is to reduce risk, close common gaps, and improve readiness so the business is harder to hit and quicker to recover.

Who will actually do the work?

Work is delivered by James Batt, or where appropriate, a trusted associate/subcontractor. If a subcontractor is involved, you’ll be told in advance where possible.

What if I miss a scheduled appointment?

If an appointment is missed without at least 60 minutes’ notice, 30 minutes minimum (or half the scheduled time, whichever is greater) may be deducted from purchased time.