Fixed price vs. hourly: how to buy a build without getting burned

Hourly billing rewards the vendor for going slow. Fixed price forces both sides to agree on what "done" means.

When to insist on fixed price Anything with a clear deliverable — a site, an assistant, an integration — should be fixed price. If the vendor won't quote it, they haven't scoped it.

When hourly makes sense Ongoing work with no defined finish line: managed services, retainers, exploration. Everything else, get the number in writing.