Block Hours & Ad Hoc IT Support
Not every business wants, or needs, a full managed IT plan. If you've already got IT support sorted internally or through another provider and just need scoped, hourly help for a specific project or gap, this is that offer, with casual hourly support or a Block Hours agreement starting at five hours.
Who this is for
Businesses running large contractor fleets, businesses with an in-house IT person who needs extra hands for a project, or anyone who wants a specific, scoped piece of work done without committing to an ongoing managed plan. If what you actually want is someone to run your IT day to day, our managed IT services plans are the better fit and work out cheaper per hour of coverage.
Start a working relationship with five hours
A small piece of real work lets you see how we communicate, troubleshoot and follow through before choosing ongoing management. Our standalone Block Hours agreements start at five hours and provide agreed contract rates, a service level agreement (SLA) and support for companies that prefer hourly help to a full per-user managed plan.
We agree the work, rates, support scope and response commitments with you before starting. This can suit occasional support, a defined project or extra capacity alongside your existing IT team. Ongoing monitoring and management are included only where expressly scoped.
Published rates
| Out of scope / out of contract | Out of scope / in managed contract | |
|---|---|---|
| Base rate (remote/onsite) | $170 | $150 |
| After-hours | $340 | $300 |
| Urgent | $212 | $187 |
| Call-out | $85 | $75 |
Existing Novaguard managed clients get the lower "in contract" rate for work outside their plan's normal scope. Standalone Block Hours rates and SLA commitments are confirmed in your agreement. Cyber Security Audit work (hourly) is priced separately at $220/hr.
Why we publish real rates
Same reason we publish real tiers on our managed plans: you shouldn't have to book a call to find out what something costs. If your business is growing past the point where ad hoc support makes sense, roughly 5–10 staff is where it's worth starting to think about, past 10 it's a hard recommendation, a fixed monthly plan will work out both cheaper and more consistent than hourly billing. See what that costs →
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between Block Hours and a managed IT plan?
A managed IT plan is a fixed monthly fee covering ongoing monitoring, patching, and support for everyone in your business. Block Hours and ad hoc support is billed by the hour for specific, scoped work, project-based support for a business that already has its own IT capability, or a contractor-heavy workforce that needs occasional, specialist help rather than day-to-day management.
Who is ad hoc/hourly support actually for?
Businesses that already run their own IT internally, or through another provider, and need extra hands for a specific project or an occasional gap, rather than someone to take over full-time management.
Are the in-contract rates available to anyone?
Existing managed clients receive the published in-contract rates for work outside their plan. Standalone Block Hours agreements also provide contract rates and an SLA, starting at five hours. Your Block Hours rate, support scope and response commitments are set out in your agreement.
Can this include cyber security work?
Yes, a Cyber Security Audit (hourly) is available at $220/hr for scoped assessment work outside a formal Essential Eight or SMB1001 engagement.