When off-the-shelf won't do

The Custom Build: the system your business actually needs.

When no product fits the way you work, we build one that does. From scratch, or by finishing the project that stalled. Then we host and look after it, or hand it over to your IT team.

Fixed price, agreed in writing · Timeline agreed up front · Hosted by us or handed to your IT team

Is this you?

The tools you have almost do the job

A custom build makes sense when the work is specific to you and nothing off the shelf fits it properly:

What we build

Built around how you work

Internal apps

Scheduling, bookings, approvals, staff portals and check-ins: tools your people open every day, on a phone or a desktop.

Automations and integrations

Joining up the tools you already run, so information moves between them without someone retyping it.

AI workflows

Drafting reports, sorting and summarising information. AI does the first pass and a person signs off.

Dashboards and reporting

The numbers you need in one place, pulled from the systems where they already live.

Built and running

A spreadsheet for 150 staff, replaced

An organisation scheduling about 150 staff across event roles had outgrown its spreadsheet: to find your own name you scanned everyone else's columns. We built a scheduling app with an admin view for the planners and a personal schedule for every staff member, on their phone.

Read the case study

Northlight Group (demo)
Scheduling app overview showing positions filled, booking conflicts and team staffing levels
Demo data shown. The organisation's name is removed.
How a build runs

Scope. Build. Go live. Look after it.

1

Scope

A free discovery call, then a written scope with a fixed price and a timeline. You know the full cost before you commit.

2

Build in stages

You see a working version early, running your real workflow, and steer it before the rest is built.

3

Go live with your people

We set it up, walk your people through it and stay close while it beds in. A system only pays off when people use it.

4

Host or hand over

We keep running it for you, or hand it to your IT team with everything they need.

After go-live

Hosted by us, or handed to you

Two ways to run what we build. You choose, and you can change your mind later.

We host and maintain it

A fixed monthly fee, quoted with the build. We host the system, keep it maintained and stay on hand as your needs change. A good fit when you don't have an IT team, or don't want this on their plate.

Your IT team runs it

We hand it over fully, with a written note of what was built, where it runs, what access it uses and how to switch it off. How we work with IT teams.

If you stop hosting with us, we hand over the code, the data and the documentation so your IT team or another provider can run it.

FAQ

Custom Build questions

How much does a custom build cost?

It depends on what's being built, so we quote after a scoping conversation instead of guessing. The price is fixed and agreed in writing before any work starts, so there's no open-ended meter.

How long does a build take?

Most builds go live in a matter of weeks. The timeline is agreed in writing up front, alongside the price.

What does hosting and maintenance cost?

A fixed monthly fee, quoted with the build so you see the full cost before you commit. It covers hosting the system and keeping it maintained.

What if we want to move it or stop hosting with you?

You can leave at any time. We hand over the code, the data and the documentation so your IT team or another provider can run it.

Can you finish something we've already started?

Often, yes. We look at what exists first and tell you plainly whether it's quicker to finish it or to start clean.

Will it work with the software we already use?

That's the starting point. We build inside or alongside the tools you already run on, and only suggest something new when it clearly earns its place.

Do we need an IT team to work with you?

No. If you have one, we work with them (see how we work with IT teams). If you don't, we can host and look after the system for you.

Tell us what you need built

Thirty minutes, no obligation. You'll get a straight answer on whether it's worth building, and what it would take.