NOTE—04
Transparent tester terms are a quality control.
A partner can make a responsible commitment only when scope, schedule, fee base, allocation, reviewer, closure work, and downside are visible before accepting an assignment.
Define the compensation base
The split applies to a defined professional-services base after tax, refunds, service credits, and agreed pass-through expenses. It does not apply to an ambiguous headline price.
Show the full allocation
Show the partner share, company share, lead and support allocation, expected tester-days, milestones, QA ownership, retest reserve, payout trigger, and collection treatment before the partner commits.
Remove perverse incentives
Reviewer compensation belongs in the company share. Never pay per vulnerability or severity. Partner compensation should reward delivery against the agreed scope, evidence quality, communication, and closure, not finding count.
Set change and cancellation terms before conflict
Material scope changes, client delays, cancellation, emergency reassignment, discounts, and failed prerequisites need explicit rules. A commercial concession after assignment requires partner consent or comes from the company share.
NEXT DECISION
Turn the principle into a working scope.
The scoping interview creates a structured draft for human review. It does not send messages or proposals automatically.
Scope an engagement