Bespoke software, built around the way your business actually works
Off-the-shelf software makes you change your process to fit the tool. Bespoke software does the opposite: it fits your process, removes the manual work, and it's yours. Here's how we do it, and what it costs.
- Most projects £15k to £60k
- Fixed-scope proposals
- You own the code
Why bespoke
You've outgrown spreadsheets and off-the-shelf tools
The tell-tale signs that a custom system will pay for itself:
The critical spreadsheet
A file the whole business depends on, that only one person truly understands. It's a single point of failure and you know it.
The double-keying
Staff copying the same data between a quote tool, the accounts package and a job sheet. It's slow, and quietly full of errors.
The unsupported system
An Access database or on-prem app the original developer has long gone from. Every change is a risk.
The admin bottleneck
Bookings, referrals or applications handled by phone and email, capping how much you can take on without hiring.
Our process
Senior, local, and no account managers
You work directly with the person building your system, start to finish.
Process audit
A free 60-minute session, often on-site, to map the manual work and find where the hours and errors actually are.
Scope & fixed proposal
A clear written proposal: what we'll build, the price band, and exactly what would move it up or down.
Build in stages
Delivered incrementally so you see working software early and steer it, rather than waiting months for a big reveal.
Handover & support
Tested with your team, documented, and the code is yours. Ongoing support if you want it, never a lock-in.
Indicative pricing
What bespoke software costs
Most projects fall between £15k and £60k. Publishing this isn't standard. We do it so you can budget honestly before you call, and so we attract the work we're built for.
You are not buying code by the hour. You are buying the removal of a recurring cost you can already measure: the hours spent re-keying, the errors found by customers rather than by you, the work that cannot start until somebody sends a spreadsheet. Price the software against that number, not against a monthly subscription.
Single-process system
£15k to £25k
Replace one spreadsheet or one workflow with a proper system.
- One core process digitised
- A handful of users
- Clean data entry and validation
- Reporting on the thing you couldn't see before
Multi-user with integrations
£25k to £40k
A system several people use, connected to the tools you already run.
- Multiple roles and permissions
- Integration with Xero, Sage or QuickBooks
- Migration from your old system or spreadsheet
- Automations that remove re-keying
Full operational platform
£40k to £60k+
The system your operation runs on, day to day.
- Multiple connected workflows
- Customer or supplier portal
- Several integrations and data sources
- Built to grow with the business
What moves a project up the range
The band a project lands in is set by these, not by how long it takes us.
- Number of users and distinct roles
- How many other systems it must integrate with
- Volume and messiness of data to migrate
- Complexity of the business rules involved
- Compliance or audit requirements
- Whether customers or suppliers get access
What to ask any software supplier
Ours included. If a supplier is vague on any of these, that is your answer.
- Who owns the code when it's finished, and is that in writing?
- Who actually writes it, and will I ever speak to them directly?
- When will I first see working software, not a design or a demo?
- What happens to the price if the scope changes halfway through?
- What does support look like after handover, and what does it cost?
- Can I export all of my data, in a usable format, whenever I want?
- If we stopped working together next year, what am I left holding?
The honest bit
The number that matters is the one you save
A £30k system that removes twelve hours of admin a week pays for itself faster than most capital purchases you'll make. The process audit exists to work out whether that maths holds for you, before you spend anything.
Want the mechanics rather than our rates? Our guide to what bespoke software costs covers what drives a quote, the pricing models, and the ongoing costs most proposals leave out. If you are in Bristol, there is a page on how we work across the city.
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Tell us the process you want to fix. We'll tell you honestly whether bespoke software is the answer and roughly what it would cost, on a free call.