The tariff

What a field day costs, and what it does not

Fees follow time on the floor and time at the typewriter. Nothing here is a monthly plan. If the scope is unclear, we quote after a letter, not before.

Prices below are starting points for Greater Sydney. A site with two desks, evening hours, or a building that needs an escort will be quoted as itself. All figures are in Australian dollars and exclude GST.

Observation days

WorkBasisFrom
Usage observation dayPer observer, per day on site$1,850
Written report after observationPer engagement, according to desks and hours covered$1,200–$2,400
Debrief at your premises or Castlereagh StreetIncluded with the report
Travel beyond Greater SydneyQuoted before dates are heldAt cost + time

A typical first engagement is two observation days plus a mid-length report. That is the usual way we produce service usage insights for a single application point.

Other visits

WorkBasisFrom
Silent visitPer visit, including the letter$420
Set of three silent visitsBooked together$1,140
Waiting-room studyPer half-day$980
Waiting-room studyPer full day$1,650
Counter conversation reviewPer two-to-three-hour session$1,100

What changes a quote

  • More than one public-facing window, or a split between ground floor and a mezzanine queue
  • Opening hours that start before 8am or run after 6pm
  • A requirement for two observers (busy enrolment halls)
  • Languages other than English at the counter, if you want those exchanges described with care rather than guessed

What we do not bill as extras

Tea at the desk, ordinary printing of the report, and email questions in the fortnight after the debrief. If you later want a second season — the same desk in winter after a form change — we price it as a shorter return, not as a new invention.

Holding dates

A deposit of 30% of the quoted observation days holds the calendar. The rest is due when the report is delivered. Refunds, cancellations, and no-shows are set out separately.

If you need a number before a letter

Write with the suburb, the kind of application, and whether you want us in a quiet week or a known rush. We answer with a range, then a firm quote once we have walked the public area or seen photographs of the waiting room.