The verdict in three sentences
For a 150-employee SME spread across 3 sites in Ottawa, a custom HR leave and scheduling app costs CAD 25,000 to 45,000 and ships in about 8 weeks. It replaces spreadsheets and text messages with traceable manager approval, balances calculated under the Ontario Employment Standards Act and an export to payroll. With maintenance around CAD 300 to 600 per month, it usually pays for itself in 12 to 18 months through HR time saved and payroll errors avoided.
What the app must cover in Ottawa
The Ontario Employment Standards Act grants at least 2 weeks of vacation after each 12-month entitlement year, rising to 3 weeks after 5 years, with vacation pay of 4% or 6%. Errors rarely come from the rule itself: they come from manual tracking, leave agreed verbally and schedules shared as photos at 10 pm.
| Feature | What it fixes | Priority | Share of budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online leave request (mobile) | End of verbal requests and paper forms | Essential | 15% |
| 1 or 2-level approval | Traceability from team lead to HR | Essential | 15% |
| Automatic balance calculation | ESA entitlements, seniority, absences | Essential | 20% |
| Scheduling by site and team | Shifts, on-call, weekends | Essential | 20% |
| Payroll export (CSV or payroll software) | No more re-keying at month end | Strongly advised | 10% |
| SMS or push notifications | Staff without a work email | Advised | 10% |
| HR dashboard | Absenteeism, balances, upcoming leave | Advised | 10% |
The app must work on entry-level smartphones, as part of the field staff never use a computer.
What the app costs by scope
The figures below are 2026 market estimates for custom development in Ottawa, excluding hosting and SMS costs.
| Level | Scope | Budget (CAD) | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | Leave, approval, balances, CSV export | 25,000 to 45,000 | 8 weeks |
| Mid-range | + multi-site scheduling, time clock, payroll integration | 45,000 to 80,000 | 10 to 14 weeks |
| Complex | + full HRIS, reviews, training, multi-province | 80,000 to 180,000+ | 4 to 8 months |
| Basic maintenance | Updates, backups, fixes | 300 to 600 per month | Monthly |
| Standard maintenance | + small enhancements, priority support | 800 to 1,500 per month | Monthly |
For comparison, an off-the-shelf HR SaaS charges roughly CAD 6 to 15 per employee per month, or CAD 10,800 to 27,000 per year for 150 employees, without tailoring to your shift patterns or approval rules.
The 8-week timeline
| Week | Deliverable | HR involvement |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rules workshop: leave, seniority, approval chains | 2 half-days |
| 2 | Mobile mockups and dashboard | 1 h review |
| 3 to 5 | Leave, balances and approval development | 30-min weekly check-ins |
| 6 | Multi-site scheduling and payroll export | Test with payroll |
| 7 | Migration of existing balances and pilot on one site | 1 day |
| 8 | Rollout to all 3 sites and manager training | 3 one-hour sessions |
Balance migration is the most sensitive step: prepare a single file approved by HR before week 7.
Mini case study
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Karen, HR director of a 150-employee distribution SME across 3 sites in Ottawa (illustrative persona), spends about 30 hours a month compiling requests and correcting balances. A simple app at CAD 36,000, plus CAD 450 of monthly maintenance, cuts that time to 6 hours. With a loaded HR hourly cost estimated at CAD 55, the saving is 24 hours x 55 = CAD 1,320 per month. Add avoided payroll errors and overtime from better scheduling, estimated at CAD 1,800 per month. The net monthly gain reaches CAD 2,670: the app pays back in about 13 to 14 months, faster if scheduling cuts overtime further.
FAQ
Can the app handle our collective agreement rules?
Yes, seniority rules, banked time and special leave are configured during the week 1 workshop. An Ottawa SME typically has 5 to 10 absence types to set up.
Can staff without a smartphone use it?
Team leads can submit the request on their behalf, with an SMS notification to the employee. Bulk SMS in Canada costs roughly CAD 0.01 to 0.04 per message through a gateway.
Can it connect to our payroll software?
A CSV export in the format expected by your payroll tool is included in the simple level. A direct API integration falls under the mid-range level, from CAD 45,000.
Where is employee data hosted?
On a secure Canadian-region server with daily backups, consistent with PIPEDA and Ontario privacy expectations. Hosting costs roughly CAD 50 to 200 per month.
What if we open a fourth site?
Adding a site is a configuration change, not a redevelopment, and takes less than a day. Basic maintenance covers this kind of adjustment.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your headcount, number of sites and approval rules: we will price your HR app with an 8-week schedule. 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.
