No surprise invoices. No scope creep. No retainer-by-default. Three structures for managed services; pick the one that fits the work, not the one that fits the marketing.
Each managed services tier buys a defined block of senior-led work, delivered against a real priority list, with weekly visibility into what's been built. The price is the price; if the work expands, we tell you before it does. If the work contracts, we close the engagement instead of stretching it.
You're not paying for slide decks. You're not paying for status meetings that should have been emails. You're not paying for software commissions or vendor referral kickbacks; we don't take them.
Most consultancies sell the same engagement to every buyer and adjust the invoice. We sell three because the work itself is structured differently depending on what stage the business is in. Pick the one that fits the priorities; if you're not sure, the call covers it.
The three tiers above are for managed services: Iron River across the desk, building the systems, owning the outcome with you. If what you need is a developer, a data engineer, or an AI specialist on your team for a defined window, that's the other lane.
Staff augmentation has a 20-hour monthly minimum, no six-month commitment, and you direct the work. The Technical Services page covers the structure, the roles, and how the match process runs.
Most automation work fails not because the technology was wrong but because the engagement was sized for a quick win nobody could actually deliver. The structure of these tiers is the answer to that pattern. Here's how each piece earns its place.
Real automation takes time to implement properly and for your team to adopt. The first 60 days are foundation work. Months three and four are where the build accelerates. Months five and six are optimization and handoff. We don't do quick hits that fall apart in 90 days; the minimum is the honest version of the timeline.
Below 20 hours, the work doesn't compound. You spend the time onboarding the team to the work and never get to the work itself. The minimum is what it takes for the engagement to be worth running, not what we want to charge.
Meaningful systems work doesn't fit inside a $500 invoice. A subscription at that level is a tool, not a partnership. Iron River sells the partnership; if you need the tool, we can usually point you to one that fits the budget.
After the initial commitment, the relationship runs month-to-month. Scale up, scale down, or stop. The contract should serve the work, not the other way around. If we're not the right fit anymore, the off-ramp is in writing.
Most clients start at 20 and grow into Growth Partnership as the work expands. We'll recommend moving up only when the priorities actually justify it; not as a default upsell.
We don't offer less than 20 hours per month. Below that, the engagement isn't structured to deliver. One-off projects rarely produce lasting value. If you're looking for a quick fix, we're probably not the right fit, and we'll tell you that on the call.
Yes. After the initial commitment, you can continue month-to-month, scale up, or pause if you've reached the goals you set. No long-term lock-in. Any active workflows, integrations, or licenses Iron River manages will pause along with the engagement.
You get a weekly written note showing what's been built and what it changed. If you're not seeing measurable value by month three, we'll have a direct conversation about fit. Our goal is the work paying for itself; if it isn't, we'd rather close the engagement than keep the retainer.
The managed services tiers on this page are for when you want Iron River across the desk; we own the build with you. Staff augmentation is the lane for when you have leadership in place and you need skilled technical hands you direct yourself. Different commitment structure, different cancellation terms, different work.
If you're trying to decide between the two, the discovery call covers it directly. The Technical Services page has the full picture of the other lane.
A 30-minute call. No deck. No pitch. By the end, you'll know which tier fits or whether either one does; if neither does, we'll tell you that too.
The AI Readiness Assessment is delivered with our product partner, Brainforest.
