Do I need a Blueprint to start?+
Not for First System deployments. Those skip the Blueprint because the architecture is already shipped and sound, the engagement is the port, not the design. You can buy one directly off a 30 minute scoping call. Custom builds (Metasystems, Quantitative Infrastructure) do require a Blueprint first. The Blueprint is the gatekeeper for net new architecture, not for proven systems being redeployed.
Why does every custom build engagement begin with the Blueprint?+
Because design errors compound. We have seen too many firms commit capital to a build phase before the architecture was sound, and pay for it for years. The Blueprint is the gatekeeper. The deliverable is yours regardless of whether you continue with us. If you proceed to a Build within 60 days, the audit fee credits forward against the engagement, so it never feels like a toll.
How is pricing structured?+
First System is flat priced, $6K plus $500/mo coverage. Custom build tiers have fixed fee floors ("From $X"), real engagements are scoped after the Blueprint and tied to outcome value, typically 15 to 25% of first year cost savings or realized alpha. The Quantitative practice is arranged engagement by engagement. We never bill hourly, an Architect doesn't sell labor.
How are payments structured?+
First System is 50/50 (half on signing, half on delivery), with the run and maintain retainer billed monthly thereafter. Blueprint engagements are billed 50/50 (40/60 for the Gold Strategic Blueprint). Build engagements scale to fit. Smaller builds run 50/50, larger builds (Silver, Gold) take 30% on signing with the remainder paid monthly across the engagement. Gold builds include a 12 month embedded governance retainer in the contract, so the Architect stays through year 1. Standalone retainers are billed in advance on the chosen cadence. Invoices are issued via Stripe, ACH and card both work.
Who actually does the work?+
Huey Louis, Metasystems Architect, leads every engagement personally. Specialist contractors join for component specific builds (data engineering, devops, quantitative validation) when scope warrants. The Architect of record never changes.
What if my situation doesn't fit a tier?+
Most don't, exactly. Pick the closest fit and tell us where you diverge during the scoping call (or the Blueprint, for custom work). The tiers are productized starting points, not boxes, every engagement is rescoped against your actual context.
Do you take work outside insurance?+
Yes. Insurance is where these systems were built and proved, and it is still the home vertical, but the architecture is the part that travels. The same metasystem rigor applies to any breakout founder operation where data integrity isn't optional. Medical, legal, advisory, dental, securities desks, agencies handling regulated workflows, and capital intensive media are all live target verticals.
