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Aha! We get the to the terrible part, how much!
We have noticed that different people place different values on things in any aspect of life and this field is no exception. Remember, no-one likes to work for free, not even you! Charitable work and volunteer work do not come under the same category as you want to perform such honourable tasks, but everyone needs to have an income in order to function. What we do here is considered our income, so we won’t be offering our services for zero! Sorry! Those people who place a reasonable value on saving time and money by becoming more efficient as a result will understand. So really, what is something worth? Now we ask that question because we are believers of the following idea: If I spend a dollar to save a cent, I'm stupid; if I spend a cent to save a dollar, I'm wise! Obvious, you may say, but we have had requests that would ultimately save very little time and the return on their investment would have been decades. So, during our analysis of anyone's request, we focus on the benefits of spending your hard-earned money and draw a conclusion as to whether all the upheaval and the added expense will be worth the money. There are often added benefits, aside from saving time, such as having a professional looking presentation (i.e. a printed invoice, report or proposal, etc.) or accuracy of what is input, therefore accurate and consistent output as well a better readability, interpretation and easier analysis. Anyway, how much?
We have closely followed the trends of the way software is sold and purchased and we see the general trend moving towards subscription-based payment. So, even though we’re not personally an advocate of this method, we are making available the option to purchase by subscription as well as a perpetual license. Some of our clients have systems that do not change over many years, due to their nature, whilst others are constantly evolving, so the quick answer, in case you were wondering which is best for you is: does my business lend itself to evolving over the next few years into something that would require changes to my software? If yes, then subscription-based would be your best direction.
How we calculate the cost:
- Consultation Fee: US$500.00
- Development Fee: US$Variable
As a guide, we provide a cost to you of perpetual license, which will be directly proportionate to the subscription-based offering. So if you have been quoted US$2000.00, you can calculate the subscription-based offering from the following formula. There is a 25% consultation fee (so, US$500.00) and there is a minimum duration of 36 months. The 25% Consultation Fee is a little different to off-shelf software like Microsoft Office, since every implementation is unique
Development Costs vary considerably, since the complexity of some systems requires extensive coding, but an average system comprising of around 60 Tables, 40 Input Pages, 10 Reports, Easy Menuing System, Help Pages and other supporting objects would ideally cost around US$2000, so the example we’ve used below is somewhat realistic.
If, after a few years or so, you need to make adjustments to your software (either due to new Operating System or your needs have changed), since there would have been considerable changes to the software platform (Operating System and DB Engine) in that time, we would often go the route as if starting from scratch! (applies to Perpetual License Only)
Perpetual Pricing Structure: (see more)
| Perpetual License (see below) | Typical Variance if Plans Change (see below) | |
|---|---|---|
| Consultation Fee (see below) | 500 |
500 |
| Monthly Fee (see below) | 0 |
0 |
| Cost at end of first year | 2000 |
2000 |
| Cost at end of second year | 2000 |
2500 |
| Cost at end of third year | 2000 |
3500 |
| Cost at end of fourth year | 2000 |
4000 |
| Cost at end of fifth year | 2000 |
4000 |
Subscription Pricing Structure: (see more)
| Regular Subscription with Maintenance (see below) | Advanced Subscription with Maintenance, Daily Backup to Micro-Cloud (see below) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consultation Fee | 500 |
500 |
||
| Monthly Fee | 62.50 |
99 |
||
Monthly Fees |
Accumulated |
Monthly Fees |
Accumulated |
|
| Cost at end of first year | 750 |
1250 |
1188 |
1688 |
At all times, we want to be fair and often err on the side of our client, so although we have laid it on the line here, we wish to “place all our cards on the table” so that there are no misunderstandings. We are approachable and flexible and if you have other needs not mentioned here, please discuss with us, as we are sure there will be a resolution waiting to be made. Be assured, our top priority is to have another satisfied client. Remember too, that if we unable to provide you with the solution in the agreed specification (see below) , you will pay nothing!
Terms Used:
Perpetual Licensing Conditions: During development, there is adequate interaction between you, us and the product being designed. By the completion of the project, we ask you to sign off the project to agree that you have tested and used the software enough to notice any changes you require that are not implemented, but specified. We carry out extensive testing both with our own inputs as well as data from your own current systems to ensure we’ve covered as much as we can. From the project completion, you have thirty days in which if you uncover any bugs in the system, we will fix at no cost, after which time, we will use our discretion or come to an agreement with you as to a resolution. If you change Operating System or PC or DB Core products and the software fails in some manner, reparations, adjustments and conversion costs may fall on you, unless we have an agreement specifying otherwise.
Maintenance allows for the fixing of any software bugs for the duration of your subscription. It allows for some design changes during the subscription period. We “allow” for any changes, but limit the amount of time we will assign to the project each year to a percentage of the annual subscription rate commensurate with our prevailing hourly rate. In the example used above, in the first year we would assign up to 10% of the annual subscription value for additional services, in subsequent years this would grow by 5% to a maximum of 25%. This does allow a good scope for businesses that grow to be assured that their investment is secure. Of course, your software will always be kept up to date for new operating systems and DB core products.
Micro-Cloud is a backup strategy employed for the exclusive use of Micro-based software for our clients. The only data stored is the Micro- based files and is provided for your safety, peace of mind and simplicity. Each backup is monitored to ensure that is has been completed and although we expect several failed backups per month, any continual failures will be attended to, allowing you to have the assurance that in the event of a catastrophic loss of your files, you will have workable backups to fall back on. Since there is a cumulative backup retention programme in place, you can go back to any point in time! As your backups are safely in our Cloud, if you have need to assistance, we can call upon your backups to trace any fault, error or issue and make corrections for you offline. Upon termination of subscription, files are held for thirty days before deletion.
The Consultation Fee is a non-refundable fee that allows us to dedicate some valuable time to your project personally and permits us to recoup some of our costs in the initial stages. If you find that the database we provide is unsuitable for your operation and does not adhere to your specifications at the projects completion, we provide a guarantee that your payments to us will be refunded (see note on agreed specification). It is not refunded if you change your mind and decide not to go ahead with the implementation due to other reasons.
Monthly Subscription fees are payable in advance and must be paid by the due date, otherwise your DB may become inoperable. Late settlement may forfeit benefits. Any amendments, bug fixes, additional features or changes are put on hold whilst an account is in arrears.
The Agreed Specification is a report showing what you want out of the system and may include how it looks, the layout, the features needed, number of entries permitted along with other user-defined attributes and will include restrictions we need to impose, deviations, amendments and changes necessary as the project develops. It also contains the agreed cost of the project and the type of license that will be employed. There are times when a revamp is required with the specifications and a new report is drawn allow for implementation of user feedback. Please note, that if the the original specification changes, whether we are able to provide a solution that satisfies the agreed specification is subjective and therefore any refund will not be entertained; fair's, fair?
Please note all prices displayed on this website are quoted in US$. If you require other currencies, please advise.