Service terms, in plain language

Who we are and what we do

Divine Ally provides independent, owner-paid hiring support: helping you organize your requirements, find and screen architects or lead design firms, compare their proposals and coordinate your decision. We don’t provide design, engineering, permitting, construction management, legal or insurance services.

Fees

Quote Protection $699 · Best-Fit Architect Search $1,499 · Hands-Free Hiring $1,999. Our fee is separate from any professional’s fees, which you agree and pay directly to them.

Existing drawings are not existing proposals

Drawings describe a design. Proposals describe the work and fees a firm is offering. Quote Protection compares proposals you already have; if you have drawings but no proposals, you need a search.

Professional fees are separate

Our fee pays for our hiring support. The architect’s or design firm’s fees are agreed directly between you and them, and paid to them.

Proposal targets depend on participation

We aim for the number of suitable proposals in your package. Firms decide for themselves whether to propose. If too few take part, the search-shortfall remedy applies.

References may not reply

We contact up to two references per finalist and record what they say, or that they didn’t respond.

Support runs through signing

Your support window starts when you approve the agreement and runs until you sign with a professional or the window ends, whichever comes first.

Pauses, changes and extensions

If you need to pause, the window can pause by agreement for up to 30 days, once per engagement. A changed scope that needs a new search is quoted before work continues. Extensions are agreed in writing.

Third-party charges

Record fees, surveys or a professional’s consultation fee are yours to pay. We never incur them without your approval.

Payment

Our fee is paid in full when you approve your service agreement. Your architect’s fees are paid separately, directly to them.

What we don’t do

We don’t design, draw, engineer, apply for permits, manage construction, review contracts as lawyers or interpret insurance coverage.

Guarantees

A. Owner-only payment

We accept no commissions, referral fees or paid placement from the firms we evaluate. Our fee comes only from you.

• If we know of any relationship between our team and a candidate firm, we tell you before you decide.

B. Documented checks

Every check included in your package is documented, with its source, date and result.

• Each check carries one status: Completed, Awaiting confirmation, Unavailable or Not applicable.
• A check waiting on someone else stays “Awaiting confirmation” until it is resolved. We never show it as completed.

C. Relevant license verification

We check the relevant official licensing record for the professionals we recommend and document what it shows.

• We check the record in your project’s state for the person proposed to lead or take professional responsibility for your project.
• We recheck time-sensitive records close to your decision, and show you any unresolved issue before you decide.

D. Transparent comparison

We identify the inclusions, exclusions and unanswered questions in the proposals we compare.

• If a proposal doesn’t mention a service, we don’t assume it’s included. We ask, or mark it unresolved.
• We compare what firms commit to in writing. Whether a scope is technically adequate is a question for a qualified professional.

E. Your choice

You decide who to hire. We explain our recommendation and disclose known relationships or conflicts.

• You can choose a different firm, or decide not to hire anyone. Our fee covers our work, not a particular outcome.

F. Delivery-backed money-back

If we fail to deliver an agreed screening or comparison deliverable, and can’t correct that failure within the remedy period stated in your agreement, you may cancel and receive a refund of our service fee.

• Remedy period: 10 business days.
• Covers our deliverables as listed in your agreement. It doesn’t cover a firm declining, a firm’s fees or performance, permit decisions, or changes to your plans.
• Separate search-shortfall remedy: if the search can’t produce at least three suitable firms that confirm their interest in writing, you choose an agreed extension or a refund of the search milestone not delivered.

Where our involvement ends

At signing and administrative handover, within your support window.