The verdict in three sentences
For a network of 5 staffing branches in Dublin placing 350 temporary workers a week, a custom mission management system costs 60,000 to 130,000 EUR with an Irish agency in 2026 (market estimate) and takes 14 to 18 weeks to deliver. Specialist vendors charge 50 to 120 EUR per user per month, which stays cost-effective up to around twenty users as long as your processes fit their standard. A custom build makes sense once online timesheets, PAYE real-time reporting and agency worker compliance take up more than one full-time employee and your clients in pharma, tech and logistics impose their own formats.
Custom build or off-the-shelf vendor: the 2026 numbers
A 5-branch network typically has 20 to 30 users: recruiters, payroll assistants, branch managers and finance. Here are 2026 orders of magnitude for 25 users.
| Option | Upfront cost | Recurring cost (25 users) | 5-year cost (estimate) | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Staffing vendor, entry plan | 3,000 to 8,000 EUR setup | 25 x 50 EUR = 1,250 EUR per month | about 80,000 EUR | Little adaptation to client formats |
| Staffing vendor, full suite | 10,000 to 25,000 EUR | 25 x 120 EUR = 3,000 EUR per month | about 190,000 to 205,000 EUR | Payroll and portal modules billed extra |
| Custom build, Dublin agency | 60,000 to 130,000 EUR | hosting and support 1,000 to 2,500 EUR per month | 120,000 to 280,000 EUR | 14 to 18 week lead time |
| Kolonell application (complex) | 7,000,000 to 15,000,000 FCFA (10,670 to 22,870 EUR) | maintenance 120,000 FCFA per month (180 EUR) | about 21,500 to 33,700 EUR | Remote team, workshops by video |
| Adapted generic ERP | 35,000 to 70,000 EUR | 1,500 EUR per month | 125,000 to 160,000 EUR | Staffing logic poorly covered |
Vendor and Irish agency prices are market estimates observed in 2026, excluding outsourced payroll. The Kolonell budget follows its complex application grid and is confirmed after scoping.
The modules that drive the budget
Cost depends less on the number of screens than on the legal obligations attached to each assignment. Under the Protection of Employees (Temporary Agency Work) Act 2012, agency workers are entitled to equal basic pay and working conditions from day one, and every payment must be reported to Revenue on or before the pay date under PAYE Modernisation.
| Module | Scope | Share of budget | Indicative timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Talent pool and matching | Worker profiles, certifications (Safe Pass, manual handling), availability, skill search | 15 to 20 % | 3 weeks |
| Contracts and e-signature | Assignment terms, client agreements, amendments, e-signature | 15 to 20 % | 3 weeks |
| Online timesheets | Entry by worker or client, approval, night and Sunday premiums | 20 to 25 % | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Payroll and Revenue reporting | Export of variable pay, checks before PAYE real-time submission | 15 % | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Client invoicing | Charge rates per client, weekly invoices, reminders | 10 to 15 % | 2 weeks |
| Client portal and reporting | Shift orders, hours tracking, per-branch dashboard | 10 % | 2 weeks |
The most underestimated item is timesheets: every client in Dublin Port, Citywest or the pharma corridor has its own shift patterns, allowances and premiums. A configurable rules engine avoids recoding for each new client.
What to lock down before signing
Three points make staffing projects drift. The first is the payroll interface: if you keep an existing payroll package, require an export tested on three months of real data before acceptance. The second is equal treatment: the system must store the comparator pay rate for each client role and block an assignment priced below it rather than just flag it. The third is ownership of code and data, which must be written explicitly into the contract.
Mini case study
Illustrative scenario: Ciaran, managing director of a 5-branch staffing network in Dublin, places 350 temporary workers a week. Today his team re-keys paper timesheets: about 6 minutes per timesheet, or 350 x 6 = 35 hours a week, close to 1,600 hours a year. At a loaded cost of 35 EUR an hour, that is 56,000 EUR a year.
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With a full vendor suite at 25 x 120 EUR, he would pay 36,000 EUR a year and cut re-keying roughly in half. With a custom system at 95,000 EUR and 1,200 EUR a month of support, client-approved online timesheets would remove 80 % of re-keying, saving about 44,800 EUR a year, or 30,400 EUR net of the 14,400 EUR support cost. Payback lands around 37 months, before counting invoicing errors avoided.
FAQ
How long does it take to deploy custom staffing software?
Allow 14 to 18 weeks for a full scope, including 2 to 3 weeks of scoping. A first release with contracts and timesheets can go live from week 10.
Can the system handle Revenue real-time reporting?
It typically prepares and checks payroll data, then hands it to a payroll package that submits to Revenue. That check saves 2 to 4 hours of corrections per weekly pay run for 350 workers.
Do we have to rebuild payroll in the new tool?
Not necessarily. Most networks keep their payroll software and only automate the export of variable pay, which cuts the budget by 20 to 30 %.
What does annual maintenance cost?
Budget 15 to 20 % of the initial cost per year for support and regulatory changes. For a 95,000 EUR project, that is 14,250 to 19,000 EUR a year.
Can workers enter their hours on mobile?
Yes, a mobile web app is enough in most cases. Adoption often exceeds 70 % after two months when client approval is built in.
Let's scope your project. Let's define the scope of your mission management system (contracts, timesheets, payroll export) and a budget within Kolonell's complex application range of 7,000,000 to 15,000,000 FCFA, for go-live in 14 to 18 weeks. 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.
