CFO Dashboard in London: Power BI or Custom Build, Cost and Timeline

The verdict in three sentences

For the CFO of a London mid-market company consolidating cash, margin and working capital from four sources, Power BI remains the most cost-effective choice in 7 cases out of 10: EUR 14 (about GBP 12) per user per month plus EUR 8,000 to 25,000 excl. VAT of modelling, delivered in 4 to 8 weeks. A custom build, between EUR 25,000 and 60,000 over 6 to 10 weeks, makes sense when the dashboard must be shared with clients, investors or hundreds of managers, or must include data entry and approvals. Either way, the real deliverable is a reliable data model that brings the management close from D+15 to D+5.

Power BI or custom: 2026 costed comparison

The classic setup: an ERP export, a bank cash file, the CRM for the order book and a budget spreadsheet. The financial controller spends 6 to 8 days a month copying, reconciling and formatting, and each reporting version contains discrepancies.

For 25 users, Power BI Pro costs EUR 4,200 a year in licences. A custom build has no per-seat cost: it becomes attractive once viewers exceed 150 to 200 people or the tool also serves as a client portal.

CFO dashboard indicators and their build cost

A first phase of three blocks (cash, margin, working capital) usually costs EUR 10,000 to 18,000 in Power BI. Cost depends mainly on source data quality: an inconsistent cost-centre structure across subsidiaries can add 20 to 30% to the budget.

Timeline and common pitfalls

The typical project starts with one week of indicator scoping, followed by 2 to 4 weeks of source connection and cleaning, then 2 weeks of report building and one or two closes run in parallel with the old reporting. The main pitfall is reproducing the historical 40-tab Excel file as is: limit the first phase to 15 to 25 indicators actually used by the executive committee. The second pitfall is having no data owner: appoint a lead, 2 to 4 hours a week, in financial control.

Mini case study

Nathalie, CFO of a 320-employee services company in London, publishes her monthly reporting at D+15. Her financial controller spends 7 days a month on it. With a Power BI model connected to the ERP, banks, CRM and budget, built for EUR 18,000, and 30 Pro licences at EUR 5,040 a year, reporting goes out at D+5 and preparation drops to 2 days. The 5 days freed, at a loaded EUR 450 per day, are worth EUR 27,000 a year. The project pays back in 10 months, and the executive committee takes hiring and pricing decisions 10 days earlier.

FAQ

Is Power BI enough for a multi-subsidiary group?

Yes, up to about ten entities, provided the cost-centre structure is harmonised. Statutory consolidation remains a job for a dedicated tool, at EUR 15,000 to 50,000.

When should we prefer a custom build?

When the dashboard must reach over 150 viewers, sit inside a client portal or include data entry and approvals. Count EUR 25,000 to 60,000.

Is our data safe in the Microsoft cloud?

Data can be hosted in UK or European data centres, and row-level security limits each manager to their scope. Configuration takes 1 to 3 days.

Do we need an in-house data engineer?

Not to start. A financial controller trained in 3 days maintains the reports, external maintenance costs EUR 300 to 800 a month.

How long until the first automated reporting?

The first phase is live in 4 to 6 weeks, then validated over one or two monthly closes.

Let's scope your project. List your data sources, number of users and 15 key indicators: we will price a first Power BI or custom phase between EUR 10,000 and 25,000 deliverable in 6 weeks. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.