1/3 upfront
1/3 at a specified stage of the job
remainder on completion
I've used this successfully on a few of the larger jobs that I wasn't willing to take the risk (hit) on.
Pretty much spot on. I used to work for a company in London who used these terms on EVERY job, no matter what the price was.
On our larger jobs, i usually use 1/3 up front and the remainder on completion, but you could effectively choose what you wanted to ask for up front. You know better than anyone how much risk your willing to take, but i'm with deegee, 1/3 up front, 1/3 halfway through and 1/3 on completion..