The Time and Material engagement model is FSS Technology’s recommended approach for IoT projects where the full scope cannot be defined upfront — because requirements evolve during development, because the product concept is still being validated, or because the client needs maximum flexibility to redirect engineering effort as business priorities change. At FSS Technology, Time and Material engagements give clients direct access to our engineers’ time, paying only for hours actually worked, with complete transparency into where engineering effort is being invested.
How FSS Time and Material Works
Hourly Rate Transparency
FSS provides a fixed hourly rate per engineer role — firmware engineer, backend developer, frontend developer, hardware engineer, project manager — agreed upfront. Clients receive weekly timesheets itemising hours spent per engineer and per task, providing full visibility into how their budget is being consumed. Monthly invoices match actual hours worked with no minimum commitment or cancellation penalties beyond reasonable notice periods.
Flexible Scope Management
Time and Material allows clients to add, remove, or reprioritise work items at any time without the change request overhead of fixed-price contracts. An IoT startup that discovers a new market opportunity mid-project can immediately redirect engineering effort to the new priority. A client whose hardware prototype reveals unexpected firmware complexity can extend the firmware phase without renegotiating contract terms. This flexibility has repeatedly enabled FSS clients to respond to market feedback and technical discoveries faster than competitors on fixed-price contracts.
Typical Use Cases
Time and Material works best for: R&D and proof-of-concept projects where the outcome is uncertain; ongoing product maintenance and feature development after initial delivery; projects where the client has strong technical involvement and wants to direct engineering work directly; and situations where a fixed-price vendor has delivered a project that requires remediation and extension.
FSS T&M Engagement Governance
FSS maintains Time and Material engagement quality through weekly status reports, monthly budget reviews, and a dedicated project manager who ensures engineering effort is directed efficiently. An FSS engagement manager monitors velocity and flags budget consumption patterns that suggest scope creep or technical difficulties, enabling timely client conversations before budgets are exhausted without results. All T&M work is tracked in Jira with time logged per ticket, providing complete auditability of hours charged. Contact FSS to discuss a Time and Material engagement for your IoT project.