Fermiq

Independence & disclosure

Our verdict is only useful if it could have gone the other way.

Independence is the product. These commitments are not aspirational language; they are the conditions under which we accept work, and we would rather turn down an engagement than qualify them.

Commitments

  1. No vendor or company sponsorship

    Fermiq is paid by the party commissioning the memo and by no one else. We accept no sponsorship, referral fees, equity, advisory compensation or in-kind support from the companies, vendors or projects whose claims we assess.

  2. No marketing collateral

    We do not write white papers, endorsements, validation letters or technical marketing material for companies, and we do not license our name or our verdicts for promotional use. A memo is written for one client and one decision.

  3. Conflict disclosure on every memo

    Every memo carries a conflict-of-interest line stating the author's relevant interests, or their absence. It is mandatory, it appears whether or not a conflict exists, and it is written before the verdict is finalised.

  4. We decline where a conflict exists

    If the assigned researcher — or any researcher we could reasonably assign — holds a position, advisory role, collaboration or competing interest that would bear on the assessment, we tell you and we decline. We do not manage such conflicts quietly.

  5. We decline requests for confirmation

    Some requests arrive looking for support for a conclusion already reached, internally or externally. We will say so and decline. A memo we would not have written independently is worth nothing to you, and it costs us the only asset we have.

In practice

What this means for a request

After you submit a request, we run a conflict check before accepting the work. Within one business day you receive one of three answers: we accept and confirm scope, price and turnaround; we accept with a disclosed conflict for you to weigh before proceeding; or we decline and say why.

Declining costs us a fee. Being wrong in public costs us the practice. The incentives are arranged that way on purpose.

Questions about a specific potential conflict are welcome before you submit anything: contact@fermiq.example.