Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who retains the rights to work product?
A: In most cases, the client retains the rights to everything we do. There are two common exceptions. The first is when BNS develops a product at a reduced rate to retain the manufacturing rights. In this case, a pre negotiated price is set for manufactured units. BNS retains the rights to the design and only manufactures for that one client. In the event that BNS cannot or does not want to manufacture any more, the rights are transferred to the client. The second case is in the use of BNS owned IP. In most cases, the rights to code or hardware blocks used from our design library are retained by BNS, and a royalty free license is granted to the client.

Q: Can I get a patent on any work that BNS produces?
A: The patent rights for any developed IP are transferred to the client. BNS is available to help prepare any patent paperwork if desired. Legally, BNS or the engineer of record must be named in the patent, but the patent itself is owned by the client.

Q: Who is responsible for agency testing?
A: In most cases the client is responsible for agency testing (safety, emissions, etc). BNS is available to help in the approval process and to address anything that is not compliant.

Q: Why should I spend more per hour on BNS resouces vs. my in-house resources?
A: In some cases, you shouldn't. BNS is not a "hired gun" shop where you would obtain, say, a software engineer for a 2 year assignment to simply write code. In those cases, a direct hire, or a temp agency is more appropriate. If you look at the cost of an engineer in salary, fringes, and efficiency (sick time, meetings, training, etc), the real cost is much higher than just their salary. When BNS is hired to solve a problem, you may actually get 2-3 people with 2-3 different experience sets and backgrounds as the project progresses. To do that within your own organization would require multiple employees to be hired. Also, as workload levels change, it is much easier to change the level of involvement of a contract firm than an employee. Lastly, for many companies having a lower headcount, or reallocating a headcount to a different area of the business, can justify the additional cost.

Q: Can I get a discount on hourly rates?
A: Discounted blocks of hours are available, as are sliding discount rates with guaranteed annual minimums.

Q: Does BNS Solutions have libraries or "building blocks" that will speed up/cost reduce development?
A: Yes, wherever possible, unless a customer requests that we don't, our libraries are used to streamline the design process. The use of these "tried and true" design blocks increases the quality and robustness of the design as well as reducing the cost.

Q: Does BNS Solutions have on-site manufacturing facilities?
A: BNS has an on-site manufacturing area. It is used for short runs, and rework. Most mid-high volume manufacturing is done with our on-shore CM partner, Distron. BNS also maintains relationships with off-shore CMs and can help with the decision to move manufacturing to a lower cost center if that makes sense.

Q: Who is responsible for project management?
A: While this varies from project to project, BNS normally maintains project management within our team. Thie ensures that the right person is working on your project at the right time. While we do this with a minimum of overhead cost, it is an important part of ensuring a quality, timely delivery of your project.

Q: Does my NDA with BNS Solutions cover all employees and contractors?
A: Yes, BNS's bi-lateral NDA also covers contractors and all employees of BNS. Your confidential material is secure with us regardless of the compliment of the team on your project.