Accepted Payment Options
Payment mode is selected according to client location, project size, compliance requirements and trust level. New projects are preferably started after an advance payment or funded milestone.
Domestic Clients - India
- UPI payment
- NEFT / IMPS bank transfer
- GST-compliant tax invoice, where applicable
- Advance or milestone-based billing
Final pay-in details are issued with the approved quotation and invoice. GSTIN may be requested for correct billing.
International Clients
- Upwork Direct Contract / funded milestone
- Kolabtree escrow for scientific consulting projects
- PayPal Business, where suitable
- Wire / SWIFT transfer for approved projects
- Formal invoice with scope and milestones
Complete remittance instructions are provided after scope confirmation and quotation acceptance.
Recommended Milestone Workflow
Milestone-based work protects both client and consultant by linking each payment to a defined project stage.
Requirement Review
Data type, sample number, organism, metadata, required outputs and deadline are reviewed.
Quotation & Milestones
A written quotation is prepared with clear scope, deliverables, revision terms and pricing.
Advance / Escrow
Work starts after advance payment, invoice settlement or funded escrow milestone.
Partial Delivery
QC summaries, preliminary plots, tables or scripts are delivered according to milestone scope.
Final Delivery
Complete reports, scripts, final tables, figures and editable files are released after payment approval.
Example Milestone Structure
The final milestone structure depends on the project type. A typical RNA-seq, WGS or metagenomics project may be divided as follows:
| Milestone | Work Stage | Typical Payment Share |
|---|---|---|
| Milestone 1 | Data check, requirement review and workflow plan | 20% |
| Milestone 2 | QC, preprocessing, alignment / quantification / assembly | 30% |
| Milestone 3 | Differential/statistical/comparative analysis and preliminary plots | 30% |
| Milestone 4 | Final report, scripts, tables, figures and revision round | 20% |
For smaller projects, two milestones may be sufficient. For larger projects, additional milestones may be defined.
Refund & Engagement Policy
- Non-refundable after work starts: Payments are generally non-refundable once work has started or project time, computational resources and expert availability have been reserved.
- Pre-work cancellation: If a project is cancelled before any analysis, planning or resource allocation begins, refund or adjustment may be considered case-by-case after deducting transaction/platform charges, if applicable.
- Service period flexibility: If timelines need adjustment, the service period may be extended at no additional cost, subject to mutual availability and written confirmation.
- Change requests: Material changes in project scope, sample number, data type or deliverables may require a revised quotation and supplemental invoice before further work.
Contractual Terms
- Contract by invoice: The invoice and accepted quotation together constitute the binding project agreement covering scope, fees, deliverables, milestones and payment terms.
- Confidentiality: Shared datasets, metadata, manuscripts, unpublished results and client materials are treated as confidential and used only for the contracted scope.
- Deliverables and acceptance: Deliverables are deemed accepted unless issues are raised in writing within the review window specified in the quotation or invoice.
- Revisions: Reasonable corrections within the agreed scope are included. New analyses, additional plots, extra contrasts or scope expansion may require additional billing.
- Compliance: Taxes and regulatory requirements, including GST for eligible domestic clients and applicable cross-border payment norms, are applied as per law.
Payment Security
For new international clients, escrow-based options such as Upwork Direct Contract or Kolabtree are preferred. For direct payments, invoices and payment instructions are shared privately after scope confirmation.
Data Confidentiality
Client data, unpublished manuscripts, sample metadata and project reports are handled confidentially. NDA-based work can be discussed when required.
FAQ
Need an Invoice or Milestone Quote?
Share your project type, sample number, organism, data format, deadline and expected deliverables. A suitable quotation with payment milestones can be prepared.