How to price food safety consulting: hourly, project or retainer
How to choose a pricing model for each kind of work, and how to work out a fee from your own hours and rate instead of guessing.
Match the model to the work: hourly for open-ended advice, a fixed fee for defined projects like a HACCP plan or audit preparation, and a monthly retainer for ongoing verification. Work out every fee the same way: estimate the hours, multiply by your rate, add travel and a contingency. Then track the actual hours, so each quote is better than the last.
Which model for which work
| Model | Best for | Upside | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | Ad hoc advice, investigations, work you can’t scope in advance | You’re paid for every hour | Clients ration calls to save money, and you only earn while you work |
| Fixed project fee | HACCP plans, gap analyses, audit preparation, mock audits, training sessions | Clients know the cost up front; efficiency is your profit | Scope creep. Write down exactly what’s included and how many review rounds |
| Monthly retainer | Ongoing verification, monthly sign-off, support between audits | Predictable income and steady client systems | Under-scoping. A retainer without defined hours becomes unlimited support |
Most practices combine them: a fixed fee to set a client up, a retainer to keep them running, and hourly for anything outside both. More on retainers in turning projects into retainers.
Five steps to any fee
We don’t publish “typical rates”: there’s no reliable public data for Australian food safety consulting, and your rate depends on your experience, schemes and region. The method works with your own numbers.
Set your hourly rate
Start from what you need to earn in a year, plus business costs (insurance, training, software, vehicle), divided by the hours you can realistically bill. Billable hours are always fewer than working hours.
List every stage of the work
For a HACCP plan: site visit, process flow, hazard analysis, writing, client review rounds, staff training, final sign-off. Estimate hours for each.
Count travel time and costs
Either charge travel separately or build it into the fee. Regional clients can double the time a visit takes.
Add a contingency
Higher-risk products, messy existing records, an unclear site lead or a tight audit date all add hours. Price that in rather than absorbing it.
Compare estimate with reality
Log actual hours on every job. After a few projects you’ll know your real numbers for each type of work, and your quotes get faster and more accurate.
A monthly retainer, worked out
Fill in your own hours and rate. The structure is the same for every client; only the hours change with risk.
| Line | Hours a month | How to estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Verification visit | A | Visit length plus preparation and the written summary |
| Remote record review | B | Time to review exceptions between visits |
| Monthly sign-off | C | Writing and agreeing the monthly summary |
| Support hours | D | Calls, emails and small changes; cap it and say what happens above the cap |
| Travel | E | Return travel time for the visit, or charge separately |
| Monthly fee | (A + B + C + D + E) × your hourly rate, plus any contingency for the client’s risk tier | |
Remote review time (B) is where good systems save the most. When records are kept in one place you can see, it shrinks, and so does the visit (A).
Four ways consultants undercharge
- Pricing only the visit. Preparation, reports and follow-up emails often take as long as the visit itself.
- Unlimited review rounds. A fixed fee with no limit on revisions is an hourly job at a discount.
- Rebuilding records for free. Recreating missing records before an audit is extra work. Price it, and put that in the engagement letter.
- Never revisiting old prices. Review each client’s fee at least once a year against the hours you actually spent.
Fewer unbilled hours chasing records
The hours that never make it onto an invoice are usually spent finding and chasing records. With the EthicalHub Consultant Dashboard, each client keeps their records in their own account and you see every client on one screen, so remote review takes less time and visits start with the gaps already known. The dashboard is free for consultants; clients subscribe on their own plan from $69 a month per site, so it adds nothing to your costs.
Get the free Consultant Dashboard
Invite your first client with one link. No cost to you.
Related guides
Consulting fees: common questions
How do food safety consultants charge?
How do I work out a fixed fee for a HACCP plan?
How do I price a monthly consulting retainer?
Should consultants charge clients for compliance software?
Bill for the work. Not the chasing.
The Consultant Dashboard is free. Your clients keep their records; you review every client on one screen.