a general contractor reached out to me last month about doing monthly progress shots for a commercial build that's going to run about 14 months. they want stills and video each visit, processed and delivered within a couple days, and they mentioned possibly wanting orthomosaic maps too but weren't sure yet. i've done plenty of one-off real estate stuff and some event work but nothing like an ongoing contract like this and im really not sure how to structure the pricing.

like do i quote a per-visit rate and just multiply it out, or do i offer them a monthly retainer, or do i do a flat project rate for the whole thing? i feel like quoting the whole 14 months up front is risky because what if costs go up or something changes. but i also don't know if per visit makes me look like i dont have my act together for something this size. the orthomosaic stuff is also a variable because i'd need to factor in the processing time and honestly i'm still getting comfortable with that workflow in Pix4D. any of you done anything similar?

also - do you invoice monthly or per deliverable? just trying to understand how other people handle the admin side of a longer engagement like this.

congrats that sounds like a solid opportunity. i've done a couple of these and the way i structure it is a monthly retainer that covers a set number of site visits (usually one but sometimes two) plus the standard deliverables, and then the ortho stuff gets quoted separately as an add-on because the processing time genuinely is significant and variable depending on site size. that way the base contract feels clean and predictable for the client and you're not eating the cost if they suddenly decide they want full photogrammetry every month. for the contract length thing i usually do a 12-month agreement with a CPI adjustment clause so if stuff gets more expensive you have some protection, though honestly most clients don't push back on that if you explain it reasonably. invoice monthly, net 15, and get a deposit upfront. for a 14 month job i'd want at least one month's fee as a deposit before i block the dates.

the ortho stuff - if you're still learning Pix4D i'd be honest with yourself about how long processing actually takes you right now before you quote it. i underquoted a mapping job early on because i assumed it would take like an hour and it took me half a day to get clean outputs and troubleshoot some point cloud weirdness. not saying dont offer it, just build in way more time than you think you need for the first few until your workflow is smooth. also WebODM is free if you want to practice more without burning Pix4D credits