A small internal tool still needs a hard boundary.
Custom work is appropriate when an existing tool or one workflow cannot solve the operating problem. Every proposal names one problem, one approver, a data boundary, and an acceptance test.
Secondary offer
Separately scoped and supported
Uses the same single active-project capacity.
Selective tools for work that already has an owner.
Good candidates reduce a bounded manual burden while keeping review and decision authority with staff.
Internal dashboards
One operational view with named source systems, viewers, freshness expectations, and decision boundaries.
Reviewed document processing
Extraction, classification, or drafting where a named person approves the output before it is used.
Quote preparation
Rules and source data produce a reviewable draft; pricing approval and customer communication stay with staff.
Staff knowledge assistants
Answers grounded in approved internal sources, with citations, permissions, and a clear “cannot answer” state.
Published floors prevent a false small-project promise.
A genuinely bounded custom build has a broad $5,500 floor. Web App Discovery remains $3,500–$5,000 and internal tools commonly begin at $15,000+. AI discovery or Blueprint remains $3,500–$10,000; production automation commonly begins at $10,000–$30,000. A smaller scope is quoted only after it is actually evaluated.
No speculative product build, business-running agent, or regulated autonomous decision system is offered here. Workflow Setup ($3,000) and Care ($500/month) do not include a custom tool.
Discovery is useful when the acceptance test is not ready.
Custom discovery retains its existing rule: 50% of the discovery fee credits to the kickoff Project Retainer if the project proceeds within 30 days, capped at that Project Retainer, with no rollover. That rule does not apply to the separate $1,200 Integration Triage.
Describe the operating problem
Tell us what should happen and what happens now. Do not send passwords, customer records, or live credentials.
Initial capacity: one active project and three registered Care workflows. Availability is confirmed in writing; submitting this form does not reserve a slot.