Pennock fixed fee scope decision note: catering entity setup
Owner: Celeste Deverell. Updated Oct 1, 2026.
The six requests at a glance
How Tallgrove Accounting Partners classified the six Pennock requests since July 1 that sit outside or near the fixed monthly fee, what the two accepted changes cost, and the one decision still open: whether the catering entity setup goes ahead as a priced change of $2,900. Prepared by Celeste Deverell, managing partner at Tallgrove Accounting Partners, for Desmond Vandermolen, owner of Pennock Hospitality Group, and the owner's office manager. Issued Thursday, October 1, 2026.
Each request is checked against the engagement letter and classified before anyone starts work. Three sit inside the fixed fee, two were priced as changes and accepted, and one is priced and waiting for Desmond.
How a request is classified
The service model is a fixed monthly fee with a quarterly advisory review. These rules decide where a request lands. Celeste Deverell makes the call and writes it down before work starts.
The six requests
Dates are the day each request was received. Prices are the agreed or proposed fee for the change. A request that is in scope shows no price because the fixed fee already covers it.
| Request | Received | Classification | Price | Client decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Re-run the July bank reconciliation at Saltmarsh Grill after a corrected statement | Jul 20 | Included | Not needed | |
| Update the vendor payee list for the five entities | Aug 11 | Included | Not needed | |
| Prepare the Q3 advisory review agenda from the owner's questions | Sep 3 | Included | Not needed | |
| 13-week cash view | Jul 14 | $2,400 | Accepted Jul 27 | |
| Lender covenant schedule | Aug 18 | $1,800 | Accepted Sep 2 | |
| Catering entity setup | Sep 21 | $2,900 | Waiting for Desmond |
Three requests were classified as changes. Two were accepted and one is waiting, as the block shows.
From request to decision
This is the route every request takes. A request reaches work only through "in scope" or through an accepted change.
Waiting on the owner: catering entity setup
Catering entity setup: waiting for Desmond
The setup of a new catering entity was received on Sep 21. A senior accountant had already spent 3 hours on it before anyone checked the engagement letter. The engagement letter lists the five existing entities and does not list a new one, so Celeste Deverell classified the setup as a change on Sep 24, priced it at $2,900 and stopped the work, so it now waits for Desmond.The 3 hours are recorded as absorbed hours. Needed from Desmond Vandermolen: accept or decline the change by Thursday, October 8. Until he does, no further hours are spent.
The 3 hours were spent before the question was asked. The fix is to ask first, so that Desmond sees the price before a senior accountant starts, not after.
If Desmond accepts
Work. Tobias Rennert restarts the entity setup the day Tallgrove has the acceptance in writing. The fee for the change is $2,900 and is shown as a separate line on the next invoice.
Plan. The monthly close adds the catering entity from the first month after setup, and the evidence request list is extended to cover it. The fixed fee for the five existing entities does not change.
If Desmond declines
Work. The setup stays stopped and the request is closed. The 3 hours stay recorded as absorbed hours.
Plan. Catering activity stays inside the entity where it is booked today. Celeste Deverell records the decline and the date, and reopens the request only if Desmond raises it again.
Acceptance steps
A priced change is accepted in five steps. The catering entity setup is at step three.
Who approves this note
Demo client portal. Tallgrove Accounting Partners, Pennock Hospitality Group, the people and every figure are fictional sample data. Built on FuseBase.