PLEASE NOTE: I am currently employed full-time and so not available for freelance work. This pricing guide lives on as an example of how I used to work.
Let's not mess about. You want to know how much it costs to work with me. That's why you're here. So here's the executive summary:
Day rates: £300 - £400.
I base this on a seven hour day, so that gets you:
Hourly rates: £42.86 - £57.14
These apply to work that totals at least 7 hours/1 day.
I rarely work on projects that are less than 4 days of effort or £2,000 in value. So if you want a £500 website then I'm probably not your guy.
For smaller pieces of work my emergency/ad-hoc rate of £70/hour applies.
This includes the "call-out" factor of interrupting other jobs, and the fact that, as a percentage, the administrative overhead of smaller jobs is much higher.
I'm not VAT registered, so you don't have to pay VAT on my prices.
If that’s all you need, and you’re happy with those prices then I hope you’ll go ahead an enquire about working with me. Email [email protected]
If you have questions or concerns about my pricing then read on for more information.
Is it? If you compare the rates of an experienced professional plumber or electrician, is it really that much more?
I'm degree trained (in computer science) with more than 20 years of experience of writing software; I spend significant time making sure my skills and knowledge are up to date; and I'm using appropriate technology for your work.
I'm glad you asked, and this is why you need more than the headline figures. So read on.
The Oikos pricing model is built around finding the right price for everyone.
I work with a variety of clients with a variety of budgets.
Some are doing extraordinary things with very little money.
Some have grant funding for specific jobs.
Some have larger pots of money to invest and know they will get a return on that investment.
So my pricing is flexible to try to strike a balance for you running your organisation.
Time and resources cost money.
I run a business, and you have a budget. I'm conscious of both, and I like to work with people who are conscious of both.
So it's unlikely I'm going to work for you for free. My time has a cost and I have a family to feed, bills to pay and I'd like to save a bit too.
But delivering good value for people is one of my goals, so I try to keep my business costs low, not live extravagantly, and work at a rate that delivers your goal within your budget where possible.
There are three ways in which I may not be able to help you.
1. It's cheaper/better elsewhere
I'm not the cheapest web developer. I come with many years of software development experience, I have a high attention to detail, I try to work collaboratively with my clients and understand their business goals, and I try to do the right thing.
Cheaper web developers are available. If you know them and trust them and they can do the job at a lower cost then I'm not going to undercut them.
Equally, maybe you think I don't charge enough or I'm just not the fit for your project. In which case you're welcome to pay me more, or maybe you need the resources of a big agency and have the budget for that. I encourage you to do what's right for your project.
2. You're asking me to do the wrong thing
I'm often asked to take money from people to do something that I think will not meet their goals, return their investment, or that I believe is simply not a good idea.
In these cases I will try to save you money by encouraging you to either:
3. You're expecting too much
The internet has conditioned people to expect a lot for very low cost.
So, naturally, some people think that things are cheaper than they actually are. Or they have an unrealistic idea about what can be done within a particular budget.
This may well be a case of "it's cheaper elsewhere". But it may also be that you need to re-think.
Finally, it’s important to understand the distinction between “estimates” and “quotes” as they are different things and I’ve often had clients not understand what kind of price they are given.
Sometimes I will give you a quote - this is a fixed price for a defined project. I’ll complete the agreed work for the price stated. If the work changes then the price will change.
Quotes are usually given for larger pieces of work that can be well-defined.
Sometimes I will give you an estimate. An estimate is just that: my best guess at how long I think the work will take. It's not fixed. I'll do my best to deliver withing the stated amount, but there are probably signigficant unknowns that could prevent me doing so.
There are a few kinds of work that I commonly give estimates for:
I’m skilled and experienced, but my aim is always to get you the best possible value I can.
Hopefully, if you are reading this, you are considering working with me. In which case, I hope you like what you have seen!
The next step is to drop me a line by email on [email protected]. I look forward to your enquiry!