Every engagement starts with a conversation. Scoping calls are free; advisory sessions are paid
and credited toward any engagement you start within 30 days. Payment first, then the calendar —
no proposals-by-email loop.
Free · 30 min
Scoping Call
$0
Confirm fit for a Diagnostic Sprint, Outcome Build, or retainer. Bring the problem;
leave with a recommendation and a fixed quote, whether or not it's us.
Paid · 90 min
Advisory Session
$750 · credited toward any engagement within 30 days
90 minutes with the operator behind a 232K-line graph engine, a live derivatives book, and a
1,000+ tool agent fabric. Architecture reviews, agent-readiness audits, build-vs-buy calls,
AI strategy. You leave with written next steps.
Map one expensive, high-risk workflow; instrument the current process; prototype the riskiest
automation step behind explicit approval gates; and leave with an evidence pack, architecture,
prioritized implementation plan, and fixed quote for the next phase.
Larger engagements — Outcome Builds ($60–150K fixed scope) and quarterly retainers (Operator
$25K/q · Pod $75K/q · Swarm from $500K/q) — start from a scoping call. Retainers are billed
quarterly in advance; the first deposit is non-refundable on signature and reserves real,
finite capacity. Prefer email? arthur@distributed.systems.
Distributed Systems, Inc. · Delaware C-Corp.