Document gathering, the drafting of a knowledge description that stands up to scrutiny, and any legal analysis of a complicated group structure or an offsite placement. Government charges are only part of the picture, and they should be confirmed at the time of the relevant step rather than assumed in advance.
Decide what deserves early spending
Ask counsel to price the eligibility review separately from the preparation of a full filing, so the company can stop if the assessment finds a serious gap. Internal time is a real cost too: managers and technical staff will need hours to explain the work properly. Translation, record retrieval from a foreign affiliate, and any dependant applications belong on the list as separate items rather than folded into one figure.
Ask counsel which of the four elements the quoted assessment actually covers, because the corporate analysis, the chronology, the knowledge claim and any offsite placement question are separable pieces of work and a fee quoted for the case may assume the simplest version of each. Where the group structure includes a joint venture or a recent acquisition, or where the assignment involves a client site, say so before the fee is agreed. Internal time deserves the same treatment: name the managers whose hours will be needed and get their workload owner to agree the commitment.