If you are like most people, you want to get a rough idea what your project is going to cost before making contact with a software development company such as ours. There's an old saying in our industry. You can have it fast, cheap, or done right. Pick any two. My feeling is that done right is not negotiable. So our goal is to get your project finished as quickly as possible, without breaking the bank. And I think we do that pretty well.

I did some number crunching for the last 12 months (as of March 2012) and here is how the numbers look. Almost 80% of our projects took 2 to 4 months to complete, and cost between $10,000 and $45,000. This is an average of 25 projects. Of course, your project could be very different, so there's only one way to know for sure. Contact me to get a free quote.

Almost all our projects are fixed-price engagements. As you may have guessed, that means we charge you a flat fee to define, design, develop and deploy your software application. This makes sense for most of our clients, and it will probably make sense for you, too. 
 

Let's Be Honest About Fixed-Price Quotes

The phrase "fixed-price" has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?  And you probably think "fixed-price" means that the price doesn't change, as in...it's fixed.  And you'd be wrong. A fixed-price engagement is for a fixed scope of work, and the second that scope changes that lovely sounding fixed-price quote goes out the window. There's a lot of potential for abuse using this sort of pricing model. 

Let me explain. When you start defining the requirements of your project, you probably cover the major parts. You won't, however, think of every detail. Inevitably, these overlooked details are going to come up at some point. What will you be charged for these items? And this is where the problems can start. If your quote was low-balled, the additional charges (known in the industry as Change Orders) will be very high. I have several problems with this.

First, the cost does not match the work required. It's a rip-off. Secondly, the original quote was a deception to get your money. If you knew the real cost in advance, you probably would have selected someone else.  The last problem is that someone willing to engage in this sort of practice is most likely going to do a poor job.  

How do you avoid this problem, and still get a fixed-price quote? Ask the developer to put in writing that they have allocated a small buffer to address typical changes that are likely to occur. Also ask them to add a clause to the agreement stating that they intend to honor the spirit of the agreement. We do this on every agreement, and most of our projects do not incur Change Orders.

Remember, we are building custom software, not toasters. Stuff happens. So just to be safe, I recommend that you budget 5% extra to cover these unexpected items. Nobody likes surprises. 

So now you know a bit more about what custom software costs. You also understand my philosophy about fixed-price engagements. To take the next step, click the picture below to send me an email, or call my direct line. I look forward to chatting with you about your project.