Fee Schedule

Below is a summary of our fee schedule.

Please contact our office for hourly rates and letter of engagement.

• Hourly Rate – For office and investigative time, portal to portal, plus expenses.
• Expenses – Expenses may include, but are not limited to: mileage, meals, lodging, photos, airfare, car rental, taxi service, supplies, rental equipment, parking, artifact storage, etc. Mileage will be charged at $0.85 per mile and $1.25 per mile for vehicle and trailer. All other expenses will be passed directly on to the client.
• Travel Rate – Automotive travel will be charged portal to portal at the hourly rate, plus mileage unless other prior arrangements are agreed upon. The standard hourly rate will be reduced by 25% for air travel time.
• Hazardous Material (HAZMAT) Rate – A HAZMAT rate will apply to losses containing hazardous materials requiring special training and/or special personal protective equipment (PPE) greater than level D. A charge of 1.5 times the standard hourly rate will apply for the entire day while conducting the examination.
• Depositions and Court – Deposition and/or court testimony will be charged at 2 times the hourly rate for a minimum of 4 hours. All testimony, unless ordered by the court, will cease at 5:30 pm local time.

Invoices will be presented as the case progresses and are due upon receipt. Work progress may depend on payment. Work may be suspended for failure to abide by the terms of this engagement. A 1.5% per month late fee will be added to all invoices that have an outstanding balance after 30 days. All open cases will be invoiced based on file activity and at the discretion of the engineer. The client will be responsible for all invoice amounts, in their entirety, upon receipt.

The client must give notice of all challenges and scheduling orders. We reserve the right to participate in all challenges to include filing a motion to intervene and have representation of our choice.

Investigations resulting in testifying in criminal court (including meetings and preparation time) will be billed to the client. Certain cases, including criminal cases, will require advance payment against fees.

The above fee structure is subject to update and change. Please contact MSD Engineering for latest information.