The verdict in three sentences
When three quotes range from 28,000 to 82,000 EUR for the same application, they almost never describe the same work: first convert each offer into person-days per work package before comparing prices. The right indicator is the total 3-year cost, which includes acceptance testing, warranty and application maintenance, not the first invoice. A 12-criteria weighted grid lets you defend the choice in front of a leadership committee in under an hour.
Step 1: convert the three quotes into person-days
The CEO of a 120-employee company wants a field service app (scheduling, mobile reports, invoicing). He receives three offers. Broken down by work package, they become comparable.
| Work package | Quote A (28,000 EUR) | Quote B (46,000 EUR) | Quote C (82,000 EUR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery and UX mockups | 3 pd | 8 pd | 14 pd |
| Back-end development | 30 pd | 34 pd | 40 pd |
| Field mobile app | 20 pd | 18 pd | 22 pd |
| Automated tests and acceptance | 4 pd | 10 pd | 16 pd |
| Project management | 8 pd | 8 pd | 12 pd |
| Deployment and documentation | 5 pd | 2 pd | 6 pd |
| Total and average day rate | 70 pd at 400 EUR | 80 pd at 575 EUR | 110 pd at 745 EUR |
Quick read: quote A underestimates discovery and testing, two items that come back later as change orders. Quote C includes solid discovery, but also heavy project management for an app of this size.
Step 2: the 12-criteria weighted grid
Each criterion is scored from 1 to 5, multiplied by its weight. Maximum total: 500 points.
| Criterion | Weight | A | B | C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Understanding and restatement of the need | 12 | 2 | 4 | 5 |
| Detail of pricing by package and person-days | 10 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Verifiable comparable references | 10 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Standard, maintainable tech stack | 8 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Acceptance rate and automated tests (target coverage) | 8 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| 3-month defect warranty | 8 | 2 | 5 | 5 |
| IP assigned and source code delivered | 10 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Maintenance cost and scope | 8 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Realistic plan and payment milestones | 8 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Named team and single point of contact | 6 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Security and privacy (GDPR or SOC 2, backups) | 7 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Reversibility and documentation | 5 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Score out of 500 | 100 | 241 | 426 | 447 |
Quote C scores highest, but quote B comes very close for almost half the budget. That is the trade-off to bring to the committee.
Step 3: the real 3-year cost
| 3-year item | Quote A | Quote B | Quote C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial price | 28,000 EUR | 46,000 EUR | 82,000 EUR |
| Likely change orders (underestimated discovery and tests) | 12,000 to 18,000 EUR | 3,000 to 6,000 EUR | 0 to 4,000 EUR |
| Warranty | 1 month | 3 months | 3 months |
| Annual maintenance | 6,000 EUR | 8,000 EUR | 12,000 EUR |
| Out-of-warranty fixes in year one | 5,000 EUR | 1,500 EUR | 1,000 EUR |
| Estimated 3-year total | ≈ 66,000 EUR | ≈ 76,000 EUR | ≈ 120,000 EUR |
The initial 54,000 EUR gap between A and C shrinks, and the gap between A and B drops to about 10,000 EUR, for clearly higher quality.
Clauses to check before signing
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- Intellectual property: assignment of rights on the bespoke code, source code pushed to your Git repository from the first sprint.
- Acceptance: sign-off report, 10 to 15 business days, blocking, major and minor classification.
- Warranty: at least 3 months on defects, free of charge.
- Milestones: for example 30% on order, 40% on delivery for acceptance, 30% on sign-off.
- Maintenance: monthly fee, response times (4 business hours for a blocker), day cap.
Mini case study
Philippe, CEO of an industrial maintenance company, picks quote B at 46,000 EUR. He negotiates test coverage up to 70% and a 3-month warranty, for an extra 2,500 EUR. Over 3 years his estimated cost is 78,500 EUR, versus 120,000 EUR for C. The app saves 25 minutes per job for 14 technicians across 1,800 jobs a month: 750 hours, or about 26,000 EUR of billable time recovered each month at 35 EUR/h. The project pays back in under 2 months of operation.
FAQ
Is a very low quote always a bad sign?
No, but check the discovery and testing days. Below 5% of the budget on tests, expect 20 to 40% in change orders or fixes.
What day rate is normal in 2026?
In Western Europe, 450 to 650 EUR for an agency, 700 to 900 EUR for a consultancy, 350 to 500 EUR nearshore. In North America, agency rates typically run 800 to 1,200 USD per day. A low rate does not make up for underestimated days.
Should we demand code ownership?
Yes, for bespoke code. Open-source components stay under their licence, and the vendor may keep its generic libraries under a perpetual usage licence.
How much does maintenance cost?
Usually 15 to 20% of the initial price per year. For a 46,000 EUR app, plan 7,000 to 9,000 EUR a year depending on response times.
Let's scope your project. Send us your quotes or your specification: we return a package-by-package estimate in person-days, an indicative budget and a schedule, ready to compare with the 12-criteria grid. 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.
