[ Agency pricing · Full playbook ]
// 12 / 20The buyer's playbook.
The working reference behind Digital Agency Pricing Canada 2026 — Rates & Hidden Costs: what to ask, what to watch and how to run the first 90 days.
← Back to the guide[ RFP questions ]// 01
Questions that reveal real capability.
Ask for a relevant example, the decision made, the result or learning, and the person who would own the work.
- 01What labour, seniority and allocation are included?
- 02Which expenses are passed through and with what markup?
- 03What is excluded from the fee?
- 04How are scope changes estimated and approved?
- 05What recurring licences and platform costs continue after exit?
- 06How many internal client hours are assumed?
- 07How will retainer priorities and unused capacity be handled?
- 08What is the twelve- and thirty-six-month cost under realistic scenarios?
[ Risk ]// 02
Make failure visible before signature.
| Risk | Early warning | Control |
|---|---|---|
| Low headline price | Many exclusions | Normalized cost schedule |
| Senior sales, junior delivery | Unnamed team | Named allocation and substitution rules |
| Retainer drift | Activity without priorities | Quarterly outcome plan |
| Internal labour ignored | Approval bottlenecks | Capacity model and owners |
| Exit cost | Agency-owned assets | Account, data and file ownership |
[ Value case ]// 03
Measure outcomes—not activity.
01Effective blended rateBaseline ________
90-day target ________
90-day target ________
02Cost per approved deliverableBaseline ________
90-day target ________
90-day target ________
03Internal hours consumedBaseline ________
90-day target ________
90-day target ________
04Pass-through expense ratioBaseline ________
90-day target ________
90-day target ________
05Forecast varianceBaseline ________
90-day target ________
90-day target ________
06Outcome value relative to total costBaseline ________
90-day target ________
90-day target ________
[ First 90 days ]// 04
Move from evidence to operating rhythm.
01
Days 1–30
Normalize needs, internal capacity and commercial assumptions
Exit evidenceBaseline, owners, approved requirements and risks
02
Days 31–60
Compare proposals, staffing, exclusions and scenarios
Exit evidenceWorking outputs, evidence and decision record
03
Days 61–90
Contract, establish budget controls and quarterly value review
Exit evidenceMeasured result, operating owner and next backlog
[ Reference desk ]// 05
Speak the same language.
| Term | Plain-language meaning |
|---|---|
| Blended rate | Average rate across the delivery team. |
| Pass-through cost | Third-party expense billed to the client. |
| Retainer | Recurring fee for agreed capacity or service. |
| Change order | Approved alteration to scope, cost or timing. |
| Utilization | Share of capacity used for delivery. |
| Internal labour | Client employee time required by the engagement. |
[ Playbook in hand? ]