Clarify which genuine evidence is needed and what can appropriately be retrieved or explained. Do not create false historical records to fill gaps.
Define the evidence work carefully
Ask what professional review and document collection are included, separately from official charges. A larger reconstructed narrative cannot replace qualifying facts that did not occur. Preserve the distinction between explanation and original evidence.
Collect project records, internal configurations, learning history and comparisons with other staff. Ask the organization's records custodian or IT department what still exists in original form before paying anyone to reconstruct events from memory, since a retrieved email, timesheet or internal note carries more weight than a narrative written long after the fact and is often cheaper to locate than to recreate. Budget the search and retrieval work separately from any explanatory writing, because the two serve different purposes: retrieval produces the underlying record, while writing only explains what that record shows. A polished account built without contemporaneous material behind it tends to invite more questions from a reviewer rather than fewer, since claims without an original source are harder to verify. Ask specifically what backups, archived project files or prior correspondence remain accessible, and price that search before agreeing to any broader reconstruction that assumes the material is gone. Ask whether a records custodian can certify in writing when each item was created or stored, since a dated certification often costs less than a narrative rebuild and carries more weight with a reviewer weighing what is genuine against what was written for the case.