Why not buy an off-the-shelf product?
If one fits, you should, and we will say so. Bespoke makes sense when your process is what sets you apart, when the product would need so many workarounds that staff stop using it, or when per-user licence fees grow faster than you do.
Who owns the system?
You do, once the work is paid for: the code, the data and the hosting accounts. We keep the right to reuse our own general building blocks (such as sign-in and payment components) in other projects, and you get a permanent licence to use them in yours.
Where is it hosted?
In accounts in your organisation’s name wherever possible, on established providers with UK or EU data centres. You can see what you are paying for, and you are never locked in to us.
You are one engineer. What happens if something happens to you?
Your system keeps running. It lives in hosting accounts in your name, the code is in a repository you can access, and the documentation explains how to run and change it, so any competent developer can pick it up. If we ever have to stop looking after a system, you get notice and a handover. What you own, and what happens if we stop has the detail.
Can you build us an app?
Usually you do not need one. A portal we build opens in the browser on any phone, can sit on the home screen with its own icon, and can send notifications to people who have added it. That covers what most organisations mean by “an app”, without app store fees, review delays or yearly rebuilds. We do not build separate app-store apps for clients. If you are a mosque and want to be in an app your congregation already uses, look at Mosq, which we build and run ourselves.
Do you need access to our live data to build it?
No. We build and test with made-up data, and we do not copy your live records to our own computers. Real personal data is only handled when your existing records are moved across, and only after we have signed a data processing agreement with you.
Will you fill in our supplier or due diligence form?
Yes. Send it before any agreement is signed and we will complete it. If an honest answer is “no”, we will write “no”. Our security and data protection page answers most of the usual questions.
Can you move our spreadsheet data across?
Yes. We map the old columns to the new records, run the import on a copy first, and check the totals match before switching over.
How do you handle children’s or other sensitive data?
Carefully and in writing. The Discovery Sprint includes a data protection note, and we sign a data processing agreement with you before handling personal data. Some regulated work is outside what we take on, and we will say so early. See security and data protection.
How long does it take?
Portal Starter about six weeks and Portal Core about ten, from the deposit. The Discovery Sprint gives a timeline you can plan around.
