T106 Fixed fee scope decision note
Fixed fee scope decision note
How Tallgrove Accounting Partners classified the six Pennock requests since July 1 that sit outside or near the fixed monthly fee, what the two accepted changes cost, and the one decision still open: whether the catering entity setup goes ahead as a priced change of $2,900. Prepared by Celeste Deverell, managing partner at Tallgrove Accounting Partners, for Desmond Vandermolen, owner of Pennock Hospitality Group, and the owner's office manager. Issued Thursday, October 1, 2026.
Sample template: the firm, people, clients and figures are fictional.
Each request is checked against the engagement letter and classified before anyone starts work. Three sit inside the fixed fee, two were priced as changes and accepted, and one is priced and waiting for Desmond.
Live example from the Dashboards app, shown with Pennock Hospitality Group's demo data. Block dates move forward each week, so they can differ from the sample dates on this page.
How a request is classified
The service model is a fixed monthly fee with a quarterly advisory review. These rules decide where a request lands. Celeste Deverell makes the call and writes it down before work starts.
The six requests
Dates are the day each request was received. Prices are the agreed or proposed fee for the change. A request that is in scope shows no price because the fixed fee already covers it.
| Request | Received | Classification | Price | Client decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Re-run the July bank reconciliation at Saltmarsh Grill after a corrected statement | Jul 20 | Included | Not needed | |
| Update the vendor payee list for the five entities | Aug 11 | Included | Not needed | |
| Prepare the Q3 advisory review agenda from the owner's questions | Sep 3 | Included | Not needed | |
| 13-week cash view | Jul 14 | $2,400 | Accepted Jul 27 | |
| Lender covenant schedule | Aug 18 | $1,800 | Accepted Sep 2 | |
| Catering entity setup | Sep 21 | $2,900 | Waiting for Desmond |
Three requests were classified as changes. Two were accepted and one is waiting, as the block shows.
Live example from the Dashboards app, shown with Pennock Hospitality Group's demo data.
From request to decision
This is the route every request takes. A request reaches work only through "in scope" or through an accepted change.
flowchart TD
A[Request received] --> B[Scope review against the engagement letter]
B --> C{Inside the fixed fee?}
C -->|Yes| D[In scope: work starts and hours are recorded]
C -->|No| E[Estimate and price written]
E --> F[Change proposed to the owner]
F -->|Accepted| G[Priced change: work starts]
F -->|Declined| H[Declined: no work, request closed]
Waiting on the owner: catering entity setup
Catering entity setup: waiting for Desmond
The setup of a new catering entity was received on Sep 21. A senior accountant had already spent 3 hours on it before anyone checked the engagement letter. The engagement letter lists the five existing entities and does not list a new one, so Celeste Deverell classified the setup as a change on Sep 24, priced it at $2,900 and stopped the work, so it now waits for Desmond.
The 3 hours are recorded as absorbed hours. Needed from Desmond Vandermolen: accept or decline the change by Thursday, October 8. Until he does, no further hours are spent.
Live example from the Dashboards app, shown with Pennock Hospitality Group's demo data.
The 3 hours were spent before the question was asked. The fix is to ask first, so that Desmond sees the price before a senior accountant starts, not after.
Work. Tobias Rennert restarts the entity setup the day Tallgrove has the acceptance in writing. The fee for the change is $2,900 and is shown as a separate line on the next invoice.
Plan. The monthly close adds the catering entity from the first month after setup, and the evidence request list is extended to cover it. The fixed fee for the five existing entities does not change.
Work. The setup stays stopped and the request is closed. The 3 hours stay recorded as absorbed hours.
Plan. Catering activity stays inside the entity where it is booked today. Celeste Deverell records the decline and the date, and reopens the request only if Desmond raises it again.
Acceptance steps
A priced change is accepted in five steps. The catering entity setup is at step three.
How to use this template
Log every request that sits outside or near the fixed fee, classify it before work starts, and show the price and the owner's decision beside it. Record any hours spent before classification.
| Variable | Meaning | Required |
|---|---|---|
{{client.name}} | Client the note is for | Required |
{{service.model}} | Fixed fee and the services it covers | Required |
{{request.rows}} | Requests with date received and description | Required |
{{request.classification}} | In scope, change accepted or change waiting | Required |
{{request.price}} | Estimate or agreed price for each change | Required |
{{request.client_decision}} | Accepted, declined or waiting for each change | Required |
{{request.absorbed_hours}} | Hours spent before classification | Optional |
If a required value is missing, show Needs review in its place and hold the note; never fill it with a guess. If the request log cannot be read, show Unavailable instead of the counts.
The live Dashboards blocks on this page show the Pennock Hospitality Group demo profile. Point each block at your own client's profile, or remove it, before you share the page.