Clearing Ground Advisory

The Readiness Ladder

DiagnosePrognoseRemediateMaintain

Engagements can begin at any tier depending on what is already known. Tier 0 is the most common entry. Tier 1 is the entry point when risk is already known and the question is structuring the response. The Tier 0 fee applies in full toward Tier 1 when started within ninety days.

Tier0

Technology Foundation Diagnosis

A complete read on technical posture before the next stage of capital, scale, or scrutiny.

Duration: Two weeks
Pricing: $15,000 USD

Details

Tier1

Technical Readiness Prognosis

A board-ready prognosis for known technical risk. Findings quantified, roadmap sequenced, talent gaps identified, remediation budgeted.

Duration: Six weeks
Pricing: $75,000 USD

Details

Tier2

Strike Team Remediation

Embedded execution against a defined prognosis. Architecture hardened, governance installed, operational controls deployed. Scoped collaboratively against findings and internal capacity.

Duration: Custom
Pricing: Custom

Tier3

Extended Operational Oversight

Sustained oversight after remediation lands. Review cadence maintained, documentation kept current, governance drift prevented.

Duration: Custom
Pricing: Custom

What’s Different

Three adjacent categories serve overlapping needs. Knowing which you actually need saves money and avoids miscast engagements.

Fractional CTO or EVP Engineering

Ongoing technical leadership embedded in the company. A part-time executive making engineering decisions, managing teams, shaping strategy. Open-ended and intimate. Useful when leadership capacity is the constraint.

Typical engagement: $10K–$40K USD per month, ongoing

Big 4 & Specialist Diligence

Buyer-side due diligence. Engaged by the investor or acquirer to assess a target. Adversarial in posture: findings inform negotiation leverage for the buyer, not preparation for the seller. Produced under information asymmetry the seller cannot control.

Typical engagement: $100K–$250K USD per assessment

Clearing Ground Advisory

Seller-side readiness. Engagements happen before scrutiny lands, on behalf of the company and its existing cap table. Findings translate into structured action: what to remediate, in what order, at what cost. Technical depth applied to preparation rather than negotiation.

Fixed scope engagements: $15K–$75K USD.