Not every recurring need has a rhythm. Some arrive on a Tuesday: a buyer asks about an unfamiliar company, a partner mentions a rival, a new product idea needs a quick outside look. A block of hours agreed in advance gives those questions somewhere to go without setting up a new engagement each time.
A watchlist assumes you know what to watch. A block of hours assumes you do not: the questions are unpredictable but they keep coming. Each question is submitted, sized against the block and agreed before work starts, so you know what it will draw from your hours and what you will receive.
A question larger than the block can carry falls outside the agreed scope; a dedicated research service fits it better.
The sizing is done per question, so you are not guessing what a block can hold.
A company background look, a comparison of named products, a check of a claim in a brochure, a quick scan of who sells a given item in a given region.
A small competitor map or a supplier shortlist. These are sized per question and delivered with open points listed.
Questions too large for the agreed hours, or that depend on non-public information. These are better served by a dedicated service.
Questions are unrelated, so earlier work helps less.
Whether unused hours carry forward is agreed in the scope. The periodic scope review is where the size of the block is reconsidered.
A block can be combined with a small watchlist if you want both modes.
You send the question and what you will do with the answer. The second matters more than the first.
The scope is agreed: what will be researched, which sources, what the output looks like and what it will draw from the block.
The work is done against the scope agreed for that question.
The answer comes with the sources read and the evidence label of each finding. The log is added to the running record.
Research reports what can be established from public and provided sources. It is not a guarantee about a counterparty's future conduct and not legal advice.
The points of contact are part of what you provide when the scope is agreed.
Yes, for a bounded question. A full verification before a large payment is better as its own service.
No obligation. We read your request and reply with a straight answer.
Tell us what you need to find out and by when. We confirm scope before any work starts.
Request research