After our consultation with you, the client, we estimate what would be the right number of hours needed in a typical month based on the size of the business, the pace of growth, and the nature of your support needs. A smaller organization, for example, would typically have a particular dollar amount retainer for up to 25 hours with an overage hourly rate. Different consultants’ time would be prorated to account for their bill rates. For example, if a consultant’s time is prorated at 50%, every 2 hours they work is counted as only 1 hour against the hours cap. The regular retainer helps you budget your HR expenses and the overage rate allows for maximum flexibility to tack on additional time with pre-approval when the workload is temporarily above normal.