Proposal Comparison
Part of Agency renewal decisions
Re-scoping a retainer after business priorities change
Replace an outdated agency retainer plan with agreed outputs, dependencies, capacity, fees and an effective date.
Re-scope an existing retainer by agreeing what work stops, what starts, what each side must supply and how the fee changes. A request to “focus on the new product” starts a discussion; it does not define the replacement commitment.
Identify the change
State the new business priority and why the current recurring work serves it poorly. Separate a temporary need, such as a launch, from a lasting shift. That helps determine whether the parties need a bounded change for the current period or a different retainer for the next one.
Sort existing work into continue, stop or reduce, and finish before changing. Check live campaigns, deliverables awaiting approval and committed supplier charges. Ask the agency what remains payable or due under the actual agreement.
Define the replacement work
For each new workstream, record the intended output or recurring decision, quantity or cadence, owner, client inputs, approval point and completion measure. If the agency must investigate before it can promise a volume or timetable, define that investigation as a first stage with a usable result.
Field / State clearly
- Removed work
- Tasks and dates that cease, including unfinished items
- Added work
- Outputs, frequency, markets and channels required
- Dependencies
- Client facts, access, production and approvals
- Capacity
- Proposed people and work displaced by urgent requests
- Commercial effect
- Revised fee, external costs, one-off work and payment dates
- Review point
- When the new plan will be assessed
Do not assume the same monthly fee buys any mix of tasks. Different work may need different people or external services. Equally, removing a task may not immediately remove a committed cost. Ask for a written explanation of the fee and any transition work.
Retainer models: ongoing support vs. project-based work
- Ongoing Retainer (e.g., website maintenance)
- Regular monthly work; predictable scope; includes responsive updates.
- Project-Based Work (e.g., new product launch)
- Time-bound deliverables; defined start and end; often requires external tools or specialists.
Check ability to deliver
Ask the proposed people how they would approach the changed assignment, what evidence they need and which skills they will provide. Request relevant work evidence if the new task differs materially from the old one. Familiarity with the business is useful, but does not establish a new specialist capability.
Check client capacity as well. If a product lead must approve claims or a developer must change the site, confirm that those people can do the work when needed.
Approve the new commitment
Check the actual agreement’s change, renewal and notice provisions. Record the effective date, treatment of work in progress, revised price and authorised approver.
Use the form of agreement required for this engagement, and seek advice on a material or disputed change. Keep both the old and revised scopes identifiable so each team knows which applied during each period.
Set a first review date. Check whether the new outputs were delivered, client dependencies were met and the new priority still holds. The re-scope is usable when both sides can identify their current commitments.
Key elements to confirm during retainer re-scope
- Agreed effective date of changeMust be documented in writing.
- Treatment of work in progressDefine whether unfinished tasks are completed under old or new terms.
- Revised fee and payment scheduleEnsure clarity on cost adjustments and timing.
- Authorised approver and signatureBoth parties must formally agree via written amendment.
- First review dateSet to assess delivery, dependency compliance and priority relevance.
