Agency fees: how to compare two genuinely different proposals
Compare total cost against a common scope: advice, production, seniority, coordination, availability and expenses. Two prices become meaningful only when responsibilities and exclusions are explicit.
Establish a common basis for comparison
One proposal may cover diagnosis and a few deliverables; another may reserve continuous support for the communications director. Comparing totals alone treats different services as equivalent. Use a shared schedule of countries, languages, audiences, volumes, deadlines and approval assumptions.
Separate essentials from options. Design production, research purchases or out-of-hours cover can be useful without being necessary at launch. For a US or UK headquarters buying French support, specify currencies, local coordination and translation responsibilities rather than assuming these are included.
Understand the commercial model
| Model | What needs agreement |
|---|---|
| Project fee | Outputs, assumptions, revisions and acceptance criteria |
| Monthly support | Reserved capacity, prioritisation and exclusions |
| Time-based fees | Roles, units, ceiling and consumption reporting |
| Mixed arrangement | Boundary between recurring work and additional requests |
No model is universally best. A fixed fee needs a reasonably stable scope; continuous support needs a prioritisation mechanism; time-based work needs visibility on consumption. Ask what happens when urgency, geography or volume changes materially.
Check actual senior involvement
Identify who advises, writes, coordinates and reviews. Senior titles in a presentation do not establish future contribution. Experienced judgement may save time on a sensitive decision, while recurring production may involve other profiles. The appropriate balance depends on the assignment.
Define senior meeting frequency, replacements and escalation arrangements. If extended availability is sold, specify hours, channels, response expectations and limits. “Always available” is not an operating plan and should not be treated as one in the comparison.
Price the same scenario
Include fees, selected options, external expenses, internal coordination and change handling. Without inventing market rates, ask finalists to quote the same scenario: one announcement, two languages, spokesperson preparation and a review. Require the assumptions that would change the price.
In a fictional comparison, proposal A includes writing but excludes translation and legal-review coordination; proposal B includes those interfaces. The difference does not simply represent margin. Reconstruct equivalent scope, then assess team and method alongside cost.
Agree changes and handover before work begins
An actionable proposal explains approval for additional work, expense authorisation, billing milestones and file handover. Relevant contractual terms should be reviewed by the appropriate advisers. The aim is predictable collaboration, not a universal standard contract presented as suitable for every jurisdiction.
Bring an indicative budget where available, constraints and existing materials. Ask for a coherent minimum scope and clearly justified options instead of an abstract discount. Transparent pricing supports a decision; it does not turn a desired reputational outcome into a guaranteed purchase.
Sources and further reading
From insight to action
Communications strategy
Connect communications priorities with organisational decisions.
Independent consultancy, integrated agency or international network: which partner should you choose?
Choose the operating model that fits the decision, the skills required and your ability to coordinate the work. The people assigned to the account, decision rights and contractual commitments matter more than the agency’s size alone.
After 90 days: how should you evaluate your communications partner?
Use the 90-day review to compare objectives, outputs, working arrangements and early observable effects. It should produce decisions about what to continue, correct or stop, rather than treating activity as progress.
Plan your selection
A short introduction is enough to start: your organisation, the decision at hand, the audiences involved and your deadline. Confidential documents can follow through an agreed channel.
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