Services & Investment Guide

Independent payment strategy for complex and regulated environments.

ARCLENTRA helps organizations reduce payment friction, strengthen controls, improve economics, select the right partners, and move from recommendation to measurable execution.

Prepared by Kyle Von Stearns, Founder & Managing PrincipalARCLENTRA.com

How engagements begin

Every engagement starts with clarity.

ARCLENTRA's introductory review identifies whether there is a material business issue and recommends an appropriate next step. The introductory conversation is not a substitute for evidence review, legal advice, a security audit, or a complete payment diagnosis.

20-Minute Payment Readiness Review

Focused introductory conversation covering business priorities, payment environment, material pain points, urgency, and decision path.

ComplimentaryDiscuss This

Payment Readiness Diagnostic

Core evidence review, five-dimension scorecard, priority findings, written executive roadmap, and 60-minute readout.

Fixed fee: $1,250Discuss This

Diagnostic Plus

Core diagnostic plus deeper statement economics, payment-flow mapping, and expanded recommendations.

Fixed fee: $2,500Discuss This

Executive Risk & Optimization Review

Multi-system or multi-client review with stakeholder interviews, evidence testing, risk heat map, and implementation roadmap.

Starting at $5,000Discuss This

Payment economics & performance

Improve the economics behind every transaction.

Processing Statement & Fee Audit

Review processor, gateway, network, tokenization, ACH, return, chargeback, and ancillary fees; identify anomalies and optimization opportunities.

$2,500–$7,500Discuss This

Payment Cost Benchmarking

Compare current economics, pricing structure, effective rates, and key terms against relevant alternatives and market evidence.

$3,500–$10,000Discuss This

Authorization & Recovery Optimization

Analyze declines, retries, recurring-payment performance, channel results, and recovery opportunities; provide prioritized actions.

$5,000–$15,000Discuss This

Payment Strategy Roadmap

Define payment priorities, operating model, target capabilities, investment sequence, and 30/60/90-day execution plan.

$5,000–$12,500Discuss This

Routing & Payment-Method Review

Assess card, ACH, account-to-account, IVR, text, recurring, and alternative-channel strategy for cost, performance, and consumer fit.

$4,500–$12,500Discuss This

Risk, compliance & operational readiness

Strengthen controls before they become exposure.

Payment Compliance Readiness Review

Business-process review covering PCI scope, card-brand expectations, ACH/Reg E considerations, consent, disputes, complaints, vendor oversight, and documented ownership.

$3,500–$10,000Discuss This

Controls & Governance Assessment

Review user access, refunds, payment links, credential handling, change control, approvals, escalation, reporting, and control ownership.

$3,500–$8,500Discuss This

Chargeback & Dispute Optimization

Assess chargebacks, ACH returns, evidence practices, representment workflow, root causes, performance measures, and escalation.

$2,500–$7,500Discuss This

Reconciliation & Reporting Review

Map deposits, funding, fees, returns, chargebacks, client allocation, exception management, and executive reporting.

$3,500–$10,000Discuss This

ARM Payment Readiness Review

Industry-specific review of collection-payment channels, consumer experience, authorization, reconciliation, client reporting, processor fit, and control exposure.

$3,500–$10,000Discuss This

Remediation Sprint

Focused 2–4 week engagement to correct defined workflow, documentation, reporting, vendor, or control gaps.

$3,500–$7,500Discuss This

Vendor selection, contracting & implementation

Select, negotiate, and implement with confidence.

Short-Form Provider Comparison

Requirements clarification, limited provider comparison, normalized pricing, risk/fit assessment, and decision recommendation.

$4,500–$7,500Discuss This

Full Processor / Gateway RFP

RFP development, provider outreach, response normalization, demonstrations, scoring, negotiation support, and finalist recommendation.

$12,500–$25,000+Discuss This

Contract & Commercial Negotiation Support

Business and economic review of pricing, term, termination, reserves, reporting, service levels, and commercial protections; legal review remains with client counsel.

$5,000–$15,000Discuss This

Implementation Management

Project leadership for onboarding, integration, migration, testing, training, stakeholder coordination, go-live, and stabilization.

$7,500–$20,000+Discuss This

Technology & Integration Advisory

Requirements, architecture options, API/gateway considerations, data flows, vendor coordination, and implementation decision support.

$5,000–$20,000+Discuss This

Ongoing advisory & executive oversight

Sustained oversight beyond a single engagement.

Advisory Essentials

Monthly performance and issue review, limited advisory access, quarterly strategy checkpoint, and action tracker.

$1,500/monthDiscuss This

Payment Oversight

Monthly economics and performance review, vendor accountability, issue escalation, executive reporting, and quarterly roadmap updates.

$3,000/monthDiscuss This

Fractional Payments Executive

Active senior leadership across strategy, vendors, economics, controls, projects, and executive/board communication.

$5,000–$8,500/monthDiscuss This

Continuous Fee & Performance Monitoring

Recurring statement, KPI, exception, and trend review with scheduled reporting and optimization recommendations.

$1,500–$5,000/monthDiscuss This

Recommended minimum term: three months. Scope, meeting cadence, data requirements, and response-time expectations are defined in the engagement agreement.

Education, workshops & executive enablement

Build payment fluency across your team.

Executive Payment Briefing

Private 90-minute briefing customized to leadership priorities and current payment decisions.

Half-Day Team Workshop

Interactive payment education and working session customized to the organization, sector, and operating environment.

Full-Day Strategy Workshop

Executive and operational workshop producing aligned priorities, decisions, owners, and an initial action roadmap.

$7,500–$10,000Discuss This

Public / Cohort Training

Structured virtual education on payment economics, ARM payments, compliance readiness, processor selection, or statement interpretation.

$295–$595/personDiscuss This

Custom Training Program

Multi-session curriculum, participant materials, case exercises, executive recap, and optional certification of completion.

Starting at $7,500Discuss This

Growth, product & market advisory

Payment-informed strategy for growth decisions.

Payment Product & Go-to-Market Strategy

Target market, client needs, proposition, pricing, distribution, sales enablement, launch priorities, and performance measures.

$7,500–$25,000+Discuss This

Market & Competitive Research

Focused research on payment providers, technologies, verticals, trends, economics, or partnership opportunities.

$5,000–$20,000+Discuss This

Commercial Due Diligence

Payment-focused assessment for investors, buyers, boards, or strategic partners; scope based on target and transaction complexity.

Custom; typically $15,000+Discuss This

Organizations ARCLENTRA can serve

Sector-informed guidance across payment-sensitive industries.

ARM & Collection Agencies

Consumer-payment strategy, processor readiness, client reporting, compliance controls, reconciliation, recovery performance, and vendor selection.

Project or retainerDiscuss This

Churches & Nonprofits

Donation payment strategy, recurring giving, processor economics, reporting, redundancy, donor experience, and platform selection.

Project or retainerDiscuss This

Restaurants, Retail & Hospitality

Acceptance costs, POS/gateway strategy, card-present/card-not-present controls, chargebacks, reconciliation, and provider selection.

Project or retainerDiscuss This

Fintechs & Payment Providers

Product, pricing, market positioning, merchant experience, distribution, partnerships, and go-to-market strategy.

Professional Services & B2B

Invoice payments, ACH/card economics, recurring billing, reconciliation, reporting, and workflow modernization.

Project or retainerDiscuss This

Investors, Boards & Buyers

Commercial diligence, market research, payment-model evaluation, risk review, and executive decision support.

Processing relationships & partner compensation

Our transparency commitment.

In addition to consulting fees, ARCLENTRA may establish relationships with payment processors, acquiring banks, gateways, software platforms, independent sales organizations, and other payment-technology providers. When a client selects or uses an eligible partner, ARCLENTRA may receive compensation from that partner.

Potential compensation may include referral fees, implementation or onboarding fees, revenue share, residual payments based on processing activity, portfolio-level economics, or other contractually agreed partner compensation.

  • ARCLENTRA will disclose a material partner-compensation relationship before the client makes the applicable provider decision.
  • A paid diagnostic or advisory engagement does not require the client to change processors or select an ARCLENTRA-connected partner.
  • Recommendations will consider business fit, economics, operational capability, risk, service, integration, and client objectives—not compensation alone.
  • Client pricing, ARCLENTRA consulting fees, and any available fee credit will be stated in the applicable proposal or agreement.
  • ARCLENTRA does not provide legal, tax, accounting, cybersecurity-audit, or regulatory opinions. Clients should engage qualified professionals when those services are required.

Optional commercial structures

Flexible ways to structure an engagement.

Fixed Professional Fee

Client pays a stated amount for defined advisory or implementation work.

Per proposal

Monthly Retainer

Client pays recurring fees for continuing access, oversight, reporting, or fractional leadership.

Per service tier

Partner-Paid Compensation

An eligible provider compensates ARCLENTRA for referral, boarding, implementation, portfolio, or processing activity.

Varies by partner

Hybrid Structure

A reduced or standard client fee is paired with disclosed provider compensation.

Custom

Performance-Based Component

Where appropriate and legally permitted, part of the fee may be tied to verified savings or another defined outcome.

Custom

Pricing notes

  • Prices in this guide are suggested starting points and do not constitute a binding offer.
  • Final fees depend on payment volume, number of entities and providers, data quality, geographic reach, stakeholder count, urgency, integration complexity, and required deliverables.
  • Travel, third-party technology, external legal or security specialists, and extraordinary data preparation are excluded unless expressly included.
  • A deposit or advance payment may be required before work begins. Recurring services are normally billed monthly in advance.
  • Any diagnostic credit toward later implementation must be written into the signed proposal; it is not automatic.

Recommended next step

Begin with the complimentary 20-minute Payment Readiness Review.

If a material opportunity is identified, ARCLENTRA will recommend the smallest paid engagement capable of producing a defensible decision.

Schedule a Payment Review