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Billing

• Billing is on a time and materials basis.  Research and development is generally too unpredictable for fixed bids.
• Exality rates are in line with the median IEEE consultant’s fees shown here.
• Hours are rounded to the nearest half-hour.
• Overtime is not charged.  
• Invoices are sent at the end of each calendar month, normally on a net payment within 15-day basis.  Activity is summarized and hours listed for each day.
• Charges for prototype parts, subcontracting, etc, are passed directly to the client with no surcharge.  Receipts are included. The state considers payment for these items as income to Exality, so the WA B&O tax (currently 1.8%) is added.

Legal Documents

• The client usually provides a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).
• Exality or the client provides a Consulting Agreement including rates, deliverables, duration of engagement, contact information, etc.

Work Location

Usually Exality will meet with the client as often as necessary to define the work required, and periodically through the course of work.  Most of the work will take place at Exality facilities.  

Practices

• Exality normally provides weekly status reports on Friday afternoons.  This can be as often as required at the client’s request.
• All travel is generally lost opportunity and is billed at half the normal rate.  Exality will do work for the client while travelling if possible.

Patent Protection

Exality does prudent patent research and tries to avoid patent infringement, but this is impossible to guarantee without research by a patent professional.  Exality maintains laboratory notebooks and a dated document trail as necessary to establish patent reduction-to-practice and development documentation.