The verdict in three sentences
For an agency placing 350 temporary workers a week, the bottleneck is administration rather than recruiting: assignment agreements, onboarding, timesheets and payroll. Market software at 400-900 USD a month covers the basics, but a custom timesheet portal at 30,000-50,000 USD removes re-keying between clients, workers and payroll. Going from 15 to 2 minutes per contract and cutting payroll errors by four pays back the project within a year.
Market software or custom portal
Staffing software covers worker records, clients and assignments. Its recurring weak spot is timesheets: many agencies in the Greater Toronto Area still receive hours as photos of paper sheets, emails or texts from client supervisors.
| Criterion | Market software | Custom portal + existing system |
|---|---|---|
| Entry cost | 2,000-6,000 USD setup | 30,000-50,000 USD |
| Subscription | 400-900 USD / month | 250-500 USD / month (hosting, maintenance) |
| 3-year cost | 16,400-38,400 USD | 39,000-68,000 USD |
| Hours entry by client | generic portal, rarely used | mobile app approved by the supervisor |
| Shift premiums, overtime, night hours | partial | rules per client and per agreement |
| Payroll export (ADP, Ceridian Dayforce) | file needing rework | direct, validated interface |
| Changes | vendor roadmap | on demand |
Custom looks more expensive over 3 years. It becomes profitable as soon as you count time saved and payroll errors avoided, as the case below shows.
What the portal automates
| Task | Today | With the portal |
|---|---|---|
| Assignment agreement + onboarding record | 15 min of entry | 2 min, pre-filled from the client order |
| Worker signature | paper or email, chasing | mobile e-signature before the first shift |
| Weekly timesheet | photo of sheet, re-keying | entered by worker, approved by client |
| Overtime and premium calculation | manual spreadsheet | automatic rules per client agreement |
| Transfer to payroll | export reworked by hand | validated interface, anomalies flagged |
| Payroll error rate | 4% | target below 1% |
| Client invoicing | 2 days after week end | Monday morning |
The portal includes the assignment information Ontario's Employment Standards Act requires temporary help agencies to provide (client name, pay rate, hours, duration) and Ontario overtime after 44 hours a week. Client approval of hours also creates evidence in case of a billing dispute.
Detailed portal budget
| Building block | Estimated effort | Budget |
|---|---|---|
| Worker app (hours, documents, signature) | 18-28 days | 9,000-14,000 USD |
| Client area (orders, hours approval) | 14-22 days | 7,000-11,000 USD |
| Contract and onboarding generator | 10-16 days | 5,000-8,000 USD |
| Pay rules engine (premiums, nights, Sundays) | 10-18 days | 5,000-9,000 USD |
| Payroll interface and checks | 6-12 days | 3,000-6,000 USD |
| PIPEDA-compliant security, Canadian hosting, testing | 2-4 days | 1,000-2,000 USD |
| Total | 60-100 days | 30,000-50,000 USD |
Mini case study
Michelle, owner of a Toronto staffing agency focused on logistics and light industrial work, places 350 workers and signs about 500 agreements and amendments a week. Contract savings: 13 minutes × 500 = 108 hours a week, nearly 3 administrator roles. Assuming 50% of that is truly freed, she recovers 54 hours valued at 25 USD loaded: 1,350 USD a week. On payroll, a 4% error rate on 350 pay stubs means 14 corrections a week at about 60 USD each (time, off-cycle payment, client relationship): reaching 1% saves 630 USD a week. Total: about 1,980 USD a week, roughly 95,000 USD a year for a 42,000 USD portal. Payback: 5 to 6 months.
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
FAQ
Do we need to drop our current staffing software?
No. The portal connects to your system for worker and client records, and to your payroll provider. You only replace the part that creates re-keying.
Will clients really approve hours online?
Yes if approval takes under a minute. With a Friday notification and one-click approval, agencies see 80 to 90% of timesheets approved within 24 hours.
Is e-signature valid for assignment agreements?
Yes, electronic signatures are recognised under Ontario's Electronic Commerce Act. Expect 0.50 to 1.50 USD per signature depending on the provider.
How long until the portal is live?
Between 3 and 4 months: 3 weeks of scoping, 10 weeks of development, a 3-week pilot with two clients before full rollout.
Is worker data protected?
Canadian hosting, encryption, role-based access and audit logs, in line with PIPEDA. ID documents and work permits are stored with configurable retention periods.
Let's scope your project. Send us your weekly contract volume, current software and main clients: we price a timesheet portal connected to your payroll between 30,000 and 50,000 USD, delivered in 3 to 4 months. 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.
