Both. About half the engagements collaborate with an existing marketing, product, or engineering team. The other half run independently with a single point of contact. The fit call covers which mode suits the project.
Both, for most web platforms. WordPress, Webflow, HubSpot, and Shopify are in-house. For in-product UX work on React or Vue apps, design is in-house and development handoff goes to your engineering team with a component specification.
If you already know what the work is and you want it scoped and shipped, go straight to the fit call. If you're not sure where the problem actually lives, a GEO or CRO audit is the cheaper first step. It doesn't commit you to anything and it often changes what the full engagement should be.
Biotech, SaaS, fintech, construction, industrial B2B, climate tech, enterprise software, and government work are all in the portfolio. If your vertical isn't on that list, send a URL and a sentence. Either it's adjacent enough to be a fit, or it isn't, and you'll get a straight answer within 24 hours.
You're preparing for a funding round, a major product launch, or a buyer-profile shift, and your current site can't carry the weight. Or if you've been through a previous redesign that looked nice and moved no numbers. The next one can't be that.