Ad-hoc intelligence
when the question cannot wait
Ad-hoc intelligence is a single, urgent question answered quickly with verified sources: what a competitor has just done, whether a rumour is true, who is behind a counterparty, what a regulator's statement means for you. Theory Intelligence answers these as a Signal Brief in ten business days or faster where the question needs fewer sources, and within one to five business days for clients on an Intelligence Retainer, always with the sources named and a researcher's signature.
- Signal Brief: one question, 6 to 8 verified sources, 10 business days, USD 7,500 to 12,000; faster where fewer sources are needed, quoted within the range
- Retainer clients: ad-hoc requests answered in 1 to 5 business days from the monthly interview allocation, USD 6,000 to 15,000 a month
- Typical questions: competitor moves, rumours, counterparty identity, regulatory statements, sudden market events
- Same standard as every engagement: verified sources, checked documents, disclosed AI use, signed answer
- A written reply within one business day telling you whether and how fast we can answer
Questions that arrive on a Tuesday
A competitor announces a partnership and the board wants to know by Friday what it means. A counterparty's name comes up in a story and someone needs to know if it is the same company. A regulator publishes a statement and the sales team is asking whether to change the pitch. A rumour about a customer is circulating and nobody knows if it is true. None of these is a project, and none of them can wait for one.
Theory answers these as they come. You send the question to info@theoryintel.com. Within one business day a researcher replies with whether we can answer it, how many verified sources it needs, how fast, and at what price within the published range. If the honest answer is that the question needs no research, or that it is in the public record and we can point you to it, we say so.
How it works
Ad-hoc questions are answered under the same standard as everything else we do. The people we speak to are verified. The documents are checked. Where AI was used, in transcription or drafting, we say so. The answer carries the name of the researcher who did the work. The difference is in scale and speed: a question that needs three verified sources and two checked documents does not need ten business days, and we do not make you wait for them.
For clients on an Intelligence Retainer, ad-hoc requests are part of the arrangement. The researcher assigned to you already knows your market and your sources, and can direct part of the monthly interview allocation to the question that just landed, usually answering in one to five business days. Over time this is where the retainer earns its keep: the standing briefing is useful, but the fast answer to the unexpected question is often what a client remembers.
Deliverables
A short written answer, usually one to two pages, with the judgement first, the evidence beneath it and a provenance note naming the sources and how they were verified. Where the question turns out to be larger than it looked, we say so and propose a Signal Brief or a Decision Study rather than stretching a quick answer past what it can bear.
What it is not
It is not a news alert service, a database subscription or an anonymous tip line. Every answer rests on verified people and checked documents, and if we cannot reach the sources the question needs in the time available, we tell you that rather than guessing.
All work is delivered under The Theory Standard. See services and prices.
Questions about ad-hoc intelligence
How fast can you really answer?
It depends on how many verified sources the question needs. We tell you within one business day of receiving it, with a fixed price. Retainer clients typically hear back in one to five business days.
Is there a minimum price for a small question?
Ad-hoc work outside a retainer is priced as a Signal Brief within the published range, adjusted for the number of sources needed. Inside a retainer it is covered by the monthly fee.
Can we send questions regularly without a retainer?
You can, and each is quoted on its own. If they arrive more than once a month, a retainer is usually cheaper and faster, and we will tell you when that point comes.
Need this answered?
Write to info@theoryintel.com with the decision. A researcher replies within one business day with a fixed price and a start date.
Start a brief