The verdict in three sentences
For a consulting firm, the crux isn't billing but utilisation rate and margin per engagement. A market PSA (Professional Services Automation) is enough to run staffing and profitability up to 20-30 consultants. Custom becomes profitable when the staffing model, margin structure or reporting are too specific for a generic tool — because every utilisation point carries huge weight.
Market PSA vs custom
Standard PSA covers engagements, time, staffing and billing. Custom fits the firm's economic model exactly.
| Item (2026, ballpark) | Market PSA | Kolonell custom |
|---|---|---|
| Price per consultant / month | 20 to 45 EUR | 0 (no licence) |
| Yearly cost, 30 consultants | ~11,700 EUR | maintenance ~13,000 EUR |
| Upfront investment | 3,000 to 8,000 EUR | 40,000 to 110,000 EUR |
| Margin tracking per engagement | standard | custom model |
| Staffing and capacity plan | generic | tailored to practices |
| Leadership dashboards | pre-built | 100% custom |
| Payroll / accounting integration | connectors | total |
| Code ownership | no | yes |
Over 5 years, a PSA costs ~58,000 EUR for 30 consultants (excluding setup). Custom at 75,000 EUR + maintenance reaches ~140,000 EUR: it's only justified by a control gain — but that gain runs into hundreds of thousands of euros.
Control: utilisation and margin
The real ROI comes from real-time visibility on staffing and profitability, not from time entry.
| Control lever | Effect | Estimated value (30 consultants) |
|---|---|---|
| +1 pt utilisation rate | +2,200 billable h / year | ~240,000 EUR |
| Alert when engagement margin < threshold | -50% loss-making engagements | high |
| 8-week capacity plan | -30% bench time | high |
| Automated fixed-fee / T&M billing | -8 days payment delay | medium |
| Profitability reporting per practice | faster decisions | medium |
| Rolling revenue forecast | better hiring | medium |
At an average day rate of 900 EUR and 220 working days, a fully billable consultant is worth ~198,000 EUR. Moving from 72% to 76% utilisation across 30 consultants generates roughly 950,000 EUR of extra billable capacity per year.
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Mini case study
Sophie, managing partner of a 30-consultant firm in Lyon, sees 71% utilisation and 4 loss-making engagements per year. She invests 82,000 EUR in a custom platform: staffing, capacity plan, real-time margin per engagement and leadership dashboards. Within a year, utilisation rises to 74% (+3 pts) and loss-making engagements drop to 1. The utilisation gain alone is ~720,000 EUR of billable capacity. The tool pays for itself in a few weeks of recovered capacity.
FAQ
Market PSA or custom: how to decide? If your staffing and margin model fits a standard PSA, stay with the vendor. Custom is justified when your control is specific and one utilisation point is worth more than the tool's annual cost.
What actually improves utilisation? Forward visibility of the capacity plan and bench alerts, more than after-the-fact time tracking. Anticipating 6-8 weeks ahead changes everything.
Can you track margin per engagement in real time? Yes: by crossing logged time, per-consultant cost rate and billing, custom shows real margin engagement by engagement, without waiting for close.
What setup timeline? A custom control platform ships in 5 to 9 months. A standalone staffing + margin module can go live in 12 to 16 weeks.
How is payroll and accounting integration handled? Via two-way connectors: time feeds billing, and salary costs feed the margin calculation, with no double entry.
Let's scope your project. Give us your consultant headcount, current utilisation and margin model: we'll price a control module or a full platform. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
