Scope before cost
Forensic work is costed against the questions, material and deliverables in the proposed instruction. An enquiry starts that discussion; it does not commit either party to an examination or reserve a hearing date. Fees, availability and engagement arrangements are confirmed before substantive work proceeds.
A request to “review the phone” is difficult to scope. A request to assess whether a specified record supports an inference of knowing possession identifies a question, a source and a decision. The instruction guide explains how to prepare that information without sending evidence through the website.
What affects the scope and cost?
- The forensic question: a bounded interpretation issue or several linked hypotheses requiring examination.
- Volume and type of material: device images, databases, native files, cloud or social-media exports and existing reports.
- Acquisition: whether suitable material already exists, whether further acquisition is needed and what access is possible.
- Reconstruction: damaged, incomplete or fragmented data and the work needed to recover useful relationships.
- Underlying artefacts: whether the report is sufficient or the source records and system behaviour need testing.
- Reporting: oral advice, a short preliminary assessment, a reasoned expert report or a supplementary report.
- Timing: material availability, report deadlines, urgency, conferences and hearing dates.
- Further participation: expert conferences, joint reports, court attendance and travel where applicable.
These factors inform the proposed scope. They are not a published tariff or a promise that any particular task can be completed within a standard allowance.
A staged instruction
A preliminary review may identify whether a larger examination is justified. It can clarify the key inference, identify missing material and explain which additional work is likely to resolve a significant uncertainty.
For example, an existing report may establish the recorded timestamp but leave its meaning unresolved. A limited review can identify whether the next useful step is a source database, an acquisition log, clarification from the original examiner or a more extensive examination. Sometimes no further technical work is warranted.
Agree what is included
Before work begins, settle the questions, material to be supplied, deliverable, assumptions, exclusions and relevant dates. Identify any expected conference or attendance separately. If new evidence or a new question changes the work required, discuss the revised scope and cost before commissioning that additional work.
The agreed engagement records the basis of charging, payment terms, cancellation arrangements and any travel arrangements.
Start the discussion
Use the Expert Instruction Checklist to prepare a concise enquiry. Contact the laboratory with the broad issue, your professional role and the deadline. Conflict checking and engagement come before substantive evidence transfer.