2. Method Statement and Operating Model
2.1 Operating principles
Method statement · How we run the MSA
A controlled extension of the Authority IT function, run with the working-paper discipline of an audit firm.
- Work Order discipline. Sourcing, mobilization, delivery, and billing happen only inside an approved Work Order, Resource Order, Task Order, or Service Schedule, each carrying the minimum content of SOW Appendix A.
- Augmented delivery. Our professionals work with an internal AI delivery platform: accelerators, structured methods, and reusable assets. Output is versioned, reviewed, and documented by default, so knowledge stays with the Authority when people rotate. This response portal and document were produced with that platform and stand as a worked example.
- Evidence first. Timesheets, acceptance records, cost build-ups, and compliance checklists are maintained as working papers. Any invoiced figure traces to approved evidence.
- Strategy to execution. Advisory, architecture, and engineering come from one bench. Operating-model work, solution design, and build are staffed together, which removes the usual translation loss between firms.
- Discovery before commitment. Fixed Price is signed only on defined scope. Where scope is uncertain, a two-week Discovery Sprint produces the scope boundaries, milestones, and acceptance criteria first, as SOW §5.4 anticipates.
2.2 Two delivery modes, one governance
Operating model · Mode A and Mode B
The Authority selects the mode per Work Order. Both modes run under the same reviews, the same
monthly report, the same security controls, and the same annual ceiling.
Mode A · Staff augmentation
People at approved rates
T&M against approved timesheets, FTE / Fixed Monthly for dedicated seats, Cost Plus open-book for scarce or Authority-nominated specialists, all called off against the rate card.
Mode B · Managed outcomes
Results at fixed prices
Fixed Price Work Orders and productized packages: delivery pods, mission portals, assessments. Scope, milestones, and acceptance criteria are fixed before signature; payment follows acceptance.
Always
One governance
Weekly, monthly, and quarterly reviews, the §8 monthly report, KPI scoring on the Authority certificate, evidence-based invoicing, and a hard annual ceiling with no minimum commitment.
2.3 The six commercial models, answered
SOW §5 and §9.1 · Commercial response template
The table follows the SOW's Commercial Response Template row by row. Chapter 6 carries the priced
detail for each model.
| Model | What the Authority asked for | Our answer |
|---|
| Cost Plus |
Open-book cost build-up: salary, statutory costs, benefits, margin, exclusions, total monthly cost |
Full open-book template with a single 18% management fee on the approved cost base; every line classified by nature; supporting evidence available before approval |
| FTE / Fixed Monthly |
Role, seniority, fixed monthly rate, included benefits, minimum term, replacement terms, notice period |
Six-band catalogue with all-inclusive monthly rates, 3-month minimum term, 30-day notice, replacement in 15 business days with interim cover in 5 |
| T&M |
Hourly rate, daily rate, minimum billing unit, approval process, cap, timesheet method |
Published hourly and daily rates, half-day minimum unit, weekly timesheets with monthly approval workflow, optional monthly cap per Work Order |
| Fixed Price |
Scope, deliverables, milestones, payment triggers, assumptions, exclusions, acceptance criteria |
Discovery-first doctrine, package catalogue with published prices, milestone payments on acceptance, and a delay remedy mechanism in every Fixed Price Work Order |
| MSP (optional) |
Managed spend definition, MSP fee, governance scope, reporting, no duplicate charging, supplier management |
Tiered fee of 6% / 5% / 4% by managed spend band, Small / Medium / Large service packages, KPI-gated continuation, fee capped inside the MSA ceiling |
| Rate Card / Hybrid |
Role bands, rate validity, escalation cap, call-off process, hybrid charging rules |
Recommended spine. Six bands in AED, rates firm for the initial term, call-off in days through Work Orders, hybrid combinations under a strict no-duplicate-charging rule |
2.4 Model detail and recommended use
SOW §5.1 to §5.6 · Where each model fits
Cost Plus (SOW §5.1). Used where transparency matters more than fixed-price
predictability: rare skills, Authority-nominated resources, long embedded roles. We disclose the
approved salary or resource cost, statutory costs, benefits, and approved pass-through items at
actual, and add a single 18% management fee on the approved cost base. Each line is marked actual,
provisioned, amortized, one-time, reimbursable, or fee-included, and the Authority may request
supporting evidence for any component before approval. No cost component is charged twice.
FTE / Fixed Monthly (SOW §5.2). Used for stable, dedicated seats. The monthly rate
includes employment, mobilization, payroll, WPS, benefits, administration, and vendor management.
Minimum term three months; notice 30 days; mobilization two to six weeks depending on seniority and
visa status. The Authority interviews and approves every proposed resource before mobilization, and
may reject or request replacement at any point. Leave coverage is planned per seat, and no billing
applies for absence beyond approved leave.
T&M (SOW §5.3). Used for variable demand, investigations, advisory, reviews, and
support where scope is not fixed. Billing only against approved timesheets at published rates;
minimum unit half a day; overtime only with prior written approval, at standard rates; an optional
monthly cap can be set per Work Order at issue.
Fixed Price (SOW §5.4). Used for defined deliverables. Each Fixed Price Work Order
states scope boundaries, deliverables, milestones, payment triggers, assumptions, dependencies,
exclusions, acceptance criteria, and a change-control process, and carries a delay remedy for
unjustified vendor delay, excluding Authority dependencies, approved scope changes, and force
majeure. Where requirements are still forming, the Discovery Sprint package defines them first.
MSP (SOW §5.5, optional). Available where the Authority wants centralized workforce
governance across suppliers: onboarding, rate compliance, consolidated timesheets and reporting, SLA
monitoring, and replacement coordination. The fee applies only to approved third-party managed spend,
never to our direct resources, and continuation is reviewed quarterly against measurable KPI
thresholds. The tower activates only by Work Order.
Rate Card / Hybrid (SOW §5.6), recommended. The rate card gives the Authority
pre-approved bands and rates so call-off takes days. Hybrid combinations of the other models are
supported under one rule: the same management fee, benefit, payroll item, mobilization cost, or
governance cost is never charged more than once.
2.5 How a Work Order runs
SOW §12 and Appendix A · Lifecycle of an engagement
- Initiate. The Authority states the need. We return a concise execution plan: business objective, roles, scope, duration, commercial model, deliverables, assumptions, dependencies, exclusions, reporting requirements, acceptance criteria, and closure procedure.
- Mobilize. Sourcing, screening, CV submission, Authority interview, background verification, security clearance where required, and onboarding, in that order, with the service levels of Chapter 4.
- Deliver. Weekly operational reviews during mobilization, monthly service reviews in steady state, deliverables accepted against written criteria, invoices only against approved evidence.
- Close. Knowledge transfer, documentation handover, access revocation, final report, and Authority sign-off.
