Supplier estimate review: a second opinion before you sign
Your supplier has quoted for a change to a system the business depends on, and you want to know whether the hours, the task list and the release plan are realistic. We read the code, check the estimate line by line and give you our own figure, with the assumptions written down.
At a glance
- Price
- Price on request
- Typical duration
- 1 to 2 weeks
Why have an estimate checked
A quote for a change to an existing system is hard to judge from outside. The figure depends on the state of code you cannot see, and two honest suppliers can be weeks apart because they have made different assumptions about it. An independent review turns the quote into something you can discuss: which tasks are sound, which are thin, and what has been left out.
What you receive
A written report that opens with a short summary for whoever approves the budget, then a table comparing the supplier’s tasks and hours with ours, line by line. Each difference is explained: a missing task, a different assumption about the code, or an allowance for testing and release that one side has made and the other has not. The report ends with the risks we see and the questions worth putting to the supplier.
After the review
You can take the report back to your supplier and agree a clearer plan, or ask us to audit the wider system, or to quote for the work ourselves. If you commission follow-on work from us, the review fee is credited against it.
Talk to us
Describe the system and what you need. You will hear back from someone who can answer technical questions.
Ask for an estimate review 0800 433 7990What the review covers
- The task list
- Whether the breakdown covers the work the change really involves, once the relevant code has been read.
- The hours
- Whether the estimate for each task is reasonable for the code as it is, not as it might be in a new system.
- Testing and release
- Whether testing, data migration, deployment and the time your own staff will spend on checks have been allowed for.
- Missing work
- Tasks, dependencies and decisions the plan does not mention, such as a platform upgrade the change will force.
- The release plan
- Whether the order and dates hold together, and where the plan could be split into smaller releases that each deliver something.
- Our own estimate
- Effort and cost for the same scope, with the assumptions and day rates stated, so you can compare like with like.
How the review runs
A short call
You explain the change, why it is needed and what worries you about the quote.
A confidentiality agreement
We sign yours, or send ours, before you share the scope, the quote or the code.
Access
Read-only access to the repository, the scope document and the supplier's task list with hours and dates.
Review
We read the code the change touches, check each task and build our own estimate from the same scope.
Report and walk-through
A written report with a summary for decision-makers, a comparison table and the detail behind it, then a call to go through it.
Low risk to try
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First month refunded
If you are not satisfied in the first 30 days of a support plan, tell us and we refund that month's fee.
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30 days' notice
Support plans run month to month. Change plan or leave with 30 days' notice, with no minimum term.
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Priced before we start
Every piece of work is quoted in writing before any chargeable work starts. Nothing is added to the bill without your agreement.
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You own everything
The code, the accounts, the hosting and the documentation are in your name, and kept so another team could take over.
What that means in practice
What moves the price
- The size of the change and the amount of code it touches.
- How detailed the supplier's task list is.
- Whether a second quote has to be compared as well.
Not included
- Doing the work. If you want a quote from us afterwards it is prepared separately.
- Negotiating with your supplier on your behalf.
- Legal advice on the contract.
A good fit when
- A supplier has quoted for a significant change to a system in daily use, and the figure is larger or the plan longer than you expected.
- You have two quotes that are hard to compare.
- A project is under way and the supplier has asked for more time or money.
- You need an independent view to put before a board, a budget holder or a procurement panel.
Probably not for you if
- There is no system yet. A review compares an estimate with the code it will change.
- You want a fixed-price quote from us without the review. Ask for that directly instead.
Questions we are asked
Will our supplier know?
Only if you tell them. We work from the documents and the code you give us and do not contact the supplier.
Will you just say the estimate is too high?
No. Estimates are as often too low as too high, and an optimistic one is usually the bigger risk. The report says where the plan is sound as well as where it is not.
Is the fee credited if we then work with you?
Yes. If you commission follow-on work from us, the fee is credited against the first piece of that work.
Do we have to use CodeFirst for the work afterwards?
No. The report is yours, and it is written so you can use it to agree a clearer plan with the supplier you already have.
What if we do not have access to the code?
We can review the plan on its own, but the report will say plainly what could not be checked. Estimates for changes to an existing system depend on the state of its code.
Tell us about your system
Say what it does, what it is built on and what is worrying you. We will reply with what we would look at first and whether we are the right people to help.