Four rules it would be easier not to have
Every one of them works against us in the short term — it costs a job, a margin or a negotiating position.
We keep them because without them there is no reason for anyone to come back for a second project.
We say when something isn't worth building
If the workshop shows that an off-the-shelf tool and two integrations would do, we say so — instead of quoting a system you don't need.
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Sometimes the problem turns out to be organisational rather than technical, in which case software will only entrench it. In the short term that is a loss for us; in the long term it is the only reason anyone comes back.
The code belongs to you
The repository, the economic rights and the infrastructure are set up on your accounts from day one, and the rights transfer on payment for each stage rather than at the end of the project.
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We don't licence our own engine, we don't hold the keys to your cloud, and no offer of ours has ever had a line item for access to your source code.
A quote states its assumptions
We give not just a figure but what it rests on and what would change it.
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An assumption reads like "the warehouse system exposes an API for stock levels and its documentation is current". If it turns out to be false, it is clear which line changes — instead of a conversation about whether a change order is justified at all.
The project has to be transferable
Documentation and tests are written so another team can take the system over without our involvement and without our consent.
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We think a vendor who can't be replaced holds too strong a position for the relationship to be fair — and knowing we can be replaced is the best possible motivation for there to be no reason to.
In depth
What this doesn't mean
We are not cheaper than the competition and we don't try to be. "We say when something isn't worth building" only works if we don't have to take every job to make the month — and that costs money.
We also don't promise timelines we don't believe. The offer with the shorter schedule almost always wins the tender and almost always ends in a change order; we would rather lose at the offer stage than in the third month.
How to check this before signing
Ask for a quote with its assumptions written out — not just a figure. Ask directly whose accounts the infrastructure will sit on and when the economic rights transfer. Ask what happens if you end the engagement halfway.
These are questions an honest vendor answers in one sentence each. If the answer needs a paragraph of explanation, that is worth treating as an answer in itself.
Got an idea? Let's talk.
The first call is free. We reply within one business day.