No mystery, no meter running.
This page is the whole process, documented - how projects run, how pricing is structured and what we won't do. You shouldn't have to enquire to find out how an agency works.
The shape of every project.
Discovery call
A straightforward conversation about what you're trying to do, what you run today and whether we can genuinely help. It's a fit assessment in both directions: if off-the-shelf software serves you better, or we're not the right team for the job, you'll hear it on this call - with reasons, and where we can, a pointer to a better option.
Scope and quote
Once we have what we need, you get a written scope with a fixed quote within one working day: what we'll build, what it costs, how long it takes and what's explicitly out. It's written to be held against us - if the scope changes later, we re-quote the difference openly rather than quietly billing it.
Build in stages
Work is broken into short stages with working software you can try as we go - no big reveal at the end. You get a weekly rhythm you can rely on: what was done, what's next, what we need from you. And because stages end at usable boundaries, you can pause or stop at any of them without being left holding half a system.
Launch and support
We handle deployment ourselves - staging first, then production - monitor the launch and stay on hand while your team starts using it for real. Every build includes a warranty period for fixes; after that, most clients move onto a light month-to-month support arrangement, and nobody is locked into one.
How pricing works.
We don't publish a rate card, because project prices vary too much for one to be honest - a small internal tool and a multi-system platform aren't the same job. What doesn't vary is the structure. It's the same for every client, every time:
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Fixed price for defined builds - quoted against a written scope, so you see the full cost before anything starts.
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Day rate for exploratory work - where fixing a scope would be dishonest: research, rescue jobs, long-running improvement.
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Changes re-quoted openly - if scope moves mid-project, we price the difference and you decide - nothing is quietly billed.
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Discovery and quoting are free - the call costs nothing and so does the written quote. It's yours to take away.
What we won't do.
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We won't guarantee search rankings. Nobody controls Google's results, and anyone promising positions is selling something else. We commit to the engineering rankings are built on - and put that in writing instead.
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We won't build bespoke software you don't need. If an off-the-shelf product serves you better, we'll name it and step aside. Bespoke earns its keep only when the software sits close to how you make money.
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We won't lock you in. No proprietary platforms, no hostage hosting, no long contracts by default. Code, documentation and access stay current, so leaving is always a real option - which is exactly what keeps us good.
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We won't sell a 24/7 SLA we can't staff. We're a small senior UK team, not a call centre. If your business genuinely needs contractual round-the-clock cover, we'll tell you what that takes to do properly - or that we're the wrong fit.
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We won't pad quotes with juniors. Nobody learns their trade on your invoice. The people scoped onto your project are the senior people who actually build it.
What working with us feels like.
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One point of contact, and they're an engineer - your questions reach someone who can actually answer them.
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Plain English - if we can't explain a technical decision simply, we treat that as our problem, not yours.
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A weekly rhythm you can rely on - progress you can see, in writing, every week - not silence and then a surprise.
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Disagreement voiced early, in writing - if we think you're about to spend money on the wrong thing, we say so before you spend it.
Before you enquire.
No - most projects start from a problem, not a specification. "Our quoting takes three days and lives in one person's spreadsheet" is a perfectly good opening brief. The discovery call is where we work out the shape of the thing together; the written scope is our job, not your homework.
That's normal, and it's what the discovery call is for. Sometimes the answer is bespoke software; sometimes it's an off-the-shelf product, a small automation, or nothing at all yet. If the honest recommendation is "don't hire us", you'll get it free of charge - it's in our interest that you only build things worth building.
Yes - and we'd usually encourage it. A first stage that solves the most painful part of your process proves the working relationship and the plumbing before you commit to anything bigger. Because stages end at usable boundaries, small can stay small if that turns out to be all you need.
Stage boundaries are the pause points. You keep everything delivered so far - working software, source code and documentation - and you've only paid for the stages that were built. Restarting later means picking up from a documented state, not doing archaeology on a half-remembered codebase.
Staged, against delivery: typically a deposit to book the work, then payments as stages complete - never everything up front. Day-rate work is billed monthly, and support arrangements are month-to-month. Every invoice maps to something you can point at.
Start with the free call.
It costs nothing, commits you to nothing - and the advice is honest, even when the advice is that you don't need us.