Why can’t anyone give us a firm price for our software?
Nobody can honestly price work on a system they haven’t read. Many firms quote from a demo and a conversation, which is often fine for a small, well-understood job. The rules a business depends on live inside the system, so a quote that hasn’t seen them carries a cushion, turns hourly, or turns out wrong.
For example, say you want orders to flow into your accounting system. Before we can price that, we need to know how your system handles credits, partial shipments and the one customer whose special pricing comes from a rule someone set up years ago. Each of those changes the number.
We give a fixed price only after we’ve read the system. The same reading is what a later legacy software modernization depends on, including a move of old records.
Why read the old code before a legacy data migration?
What is Firm Price?
Firm Price is Byte Bot’s paid first step. We read your system and give you a fixed price for the work you actually need. The findings and the price are yours to keep.
We read the running system, its code, and how the tools connect, and we spend time with the people who use them. We follow a job your team already does through the tools. We start as soon as the agreement is signed, and you have your firm price within 10 business days.
You may have heard this step called paid discovery, a code audit, or a fixed-price quote. Firm Price means a fixed build price based on reading your system.
What do we get?
You get a number you can repeat, and a plain record of how work and data move through your business.
- Know what it'll cost before you commit.A fixed build price, based on reading your systems, held for 90 days.
- Finally see how your business actually runs.A one-page map of how work and data move through your business.
- Know who holds every key.Every system, login, and vendor, with who owns each.
- Know what to protect first, and what can wait.Your risks and priorities, ranked.
- Get time back this month, not next year.Quick wins your team can make now, without a build.
- Decide with confidence, even if the answer is "don't build."A recommended plan in phases, including "don't build" when that's the honest answer.
- Keep what we learn, and choose who builds it.Written findings on your systems and a fixed price, yours to keep and share with any team.
The written findings and the fixed price are yours to keep. You can share them with any team, or with your boss, your partner, or another developer.
Why does it cost $2,500 to get a price?
Reading a system properly takes real time, and a price you can rely on comes from that reading.
We have always read a system before quoting, and we used to do that reading for free. Charging for it lets us clear the time to start right away and give the reading proper attention. It also means both sides are serious about the work.
A free quote is part of selling, and it is only as good as the time behind it. $2,500, flat, agreed before we start. If your system is very large, we’ll tell you on the first call and quote the reading separately.
How long does the price hold, and what if we don’t go ahead?
The build price holds for 90 days. The 90 days start when we deliver the firm price. The hold becomes active when we receive payment.
If you sign a build with us within those 90 days, the full $2,500 comes off the first build payment.
We also offer a guarantee. If you are not satisfied with the findings and decide not to build, we refund the $2,500.
Building is a separate decision and a separate contract.
How does it work?
We start as soon as the agreement is signed, and you have your firm price within 10 business days. The fee covers clearing the time, so you don’t wait in a queue.
A free first conversation, then you sign.
What we do is talk through the real situation and whether Firm Price is the right next step. The initial fit conversation is free. If it is the right step, you sign the agreement.
What you see is a plain yes or no before any fee, and an agreement that states the $2,500 price.
We start reading your systems the same day.
What we do is start the same day the agreement is signed. We read the running system, its code, and how the tools connect, and we spend time with the people who use them.
What you see is the reading underway, without waiting for a later opening.
You have the price within 10 business days.
What we do is walk you through the fixed price and the rest of what you get, within 10 business days of signing.
What you see is a build price that holds for 90 days. The 90 days start when we deliver the price, and the hold becomes active when we receive payment. You also get a write-up you can take to your boss, your partner, or another developer.
Why not take the fast quote, or wait for a bigger firm?
You shouldn’t have to choose between fast and right, and Firm Price gives you both.
We start when the agreement is signed, and the price arrives within 10 business days. The price comes from reading your systems and talking with your team, not from a short call, so it reflects the rules your business actually runs on. Writing code is the easy part now, and AI makes it faster. Building the right thing is the hard part.
Building software just got cheap. That's the problem.
Couldn’t we just buy software and connect it with automations?
Sometimes, yes, and if that’s the right answer we’ll tell you.
The reading shows which parts packaged tools handle well and which part, if any, is worth owning. You also leave with quick wins your team can make this month, without a build, and a plan that says “don’t build” when that is the honest answer.
Do we need the person who built it?
No. We need access to the system and its code, and time with the people who use it. If the builder is reachable, an hour with them helps.
What should we gather first?
Gather the access that should already be in the company’s name. That includes the code repository, hosting and server logins, the database, domain and DNS, and outside accounts for payments, email, and integrations.
How we help with software you already rely on
We haven’t built anything yet. Is this for us?
Yes, if you are about to spend real money on a new build and you want the cost and the risks first. We read how the work happens today and which tools your team already uses, then give you a fixed price within 10 business days. Spending that time on the process now costs less than building the wrong thing. If the honest answer is to wait, or to use software that already exists, we will say so.
Bring the way the work happens today. The first conversation is free, and a build stays a separate decision.
When don’t we need this?
You don’t need Firm Price when the help you have is already working.
If you have a developer you are happy with, you don’t need us, and we’ll say so. You also don’t need it when the job is small enough to quote from a conversation. If you only need ongoing care for a system that is already running, the monthly plans are the better fit.
Byte Bot, LLC is a business software company based in Clearwater, Florida, with offices in theTampa Bay area and Burlington, Vermont, run by co-founders Hunter Goram and Ryan Clements. We help business owners feel confident in the systems they rely on every day.
What should we know before the first conversation?
Before we talk, it helps to know the price, how long it holds, and that a build is a separate decision.
What is Firm Price?
Firm Price is Byte Bot’s paid first step. We read your systems and talk with the people who use them, then give you a fixed price for the work you actually need within 10 business days. It costs $2,500, and the price holds for 90 days. The written findings and the fixed price are yours to keep. You can share them with any team.
Why can’t anyone give us a fixed price for our software?
Because nobody can honestly price work on a system they haven’t read. The rules your business depends on live inside the system. A quote made without seeing them usually carries a cushion, turns hourly, or turns out wrong.
Why pay $2,500 when other firms quote for free?
A free quote is part of selling, and it’s only as good as the time behind it. We spend real time reading your system, so the number holds. If you sign a build with us within the 90-day hold, the full $2,500 comes off the first build payment. We also offer a guarantee. If you are not satisfied with the findings and decide not to build, we refund the $2,500.
How long does the price hold?
The 90 days start when we deliver the firm price. The hold becomes active when we receive payment.
Do we have to build with you afterwards?
No. Building is a separate decision and a separate contract. The written findings and the fixed price are yours to keep. You can share them with any team.
Do we need the developer who built our system?
No. We need access to the system and its code, and time with the people who use it. If the builder is reachable, an hour with them helps.
What if a cheaper firm says it can quote it this week and build it faster with AI?
Writing code is the easy part now. Building the right thing is the hard part, and that takes reading your systems, not a short call. We start the day you sign and give you a price within 10 business days, so you get speed without guessing.
What if our system is very large?
We’ll tell you on the first call and quote the reading separately before anything starts.
How long does Firm Price take?
We start as soon as the agreement is signed, and you have your firm price within 10 business days. The fee covers clearing our time, so there’s no waiting list.