Production cost does not replace proof of the applicant’s knowledge or the other L-1B conditions.
Keep project spending separate
A valuable manual may have many contributors. Identify the individual’s actual expertise and confirm professional preparation charges without treating either expense as a guarantee.
Government filing charges per the USCIS fee schedule, optional premium processing, counsel's fees for the eligibility review and petition, staff time to document the quality system, and L-2 applications for the family. Put the course invoice beside payroll and travel records: a training expense does not establish a continuous full-time foreign employment year in the relevant preceding three years. Two things: legal time to assess the assignment against both categories, and preparation work to reconstruct technical evidence that a purely managerial file would never have needed. Government charges are separate and are published in the current USCIS fee schedule; amounts change, so figures quoted in older material should not be relied on. Include any necessary document retrieval or translation without treating the entire technology contract as an immigration expense. Preparing understandable descriptions or obtaining records may require time and professional work, but the company should not assume it must purchase a large technical report. The remaining budget question is how much internal and professional work is needed to document the specialist's special or advanced company-specific knowledge.