Spend Optimization

Agency Fee Should-Cost

An independent, bottom-up estimate of what your agency fee should cost, plus a negotiation brief you can bring into the room.

Under 30 minutes
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BOTTOM-UP SHOULD-COSTAgency Fee Should-CostCreative team$420kStrategy$230kAccount lead$190kProduction mgmt$150kOverhead$190kHigh$1.32MExpected$1.18MLow$1.05MQuoted $1.61M+$430kRED FLAGSAsk insteadOverhead billed at 32%Market 18–22%Unpriced 'as needed' hoursHourly capSenior titles, junior hoursNamed teamAuto-renew, 90-day exitMutual 30-dayLEVERS, RANKEDFallback $1.28M1 Blended rate2 Overhead cap 22%3 Named roster4 Change orders5 Mutual exitTrade: 12-mo termWhat the team you actually need should cost, before you sign.

The old way

Specialist consultant

Typical cost
$25K-$100K
Typical time
4-8 weeks

With MorningAI

Under 30 minutes

Included in your MorningAI platform — 4 deliverables, ready to use

What you get

  • A bottom-up cost model of the team your scope of work actually requires, with a low, expected, and high range
  • A comparison of your quoted fee against market-rate benchmarks for your agency type
  • A list of red flags found in the scope of work or proposal language, with what to ask for instead
  • A ranked negotiation brief with specific levers, fallback positions, and what to trade

When to use it

Before an agency fee negotiation or annual fee review, or whenever you're evaluating a new proposal and asking what it should actually cost.

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