The verdict in three sentences
For a London training provider with 1,500 learners a year funded by employers, levy funds and public programmes, an off-the-shelf tool at EUR 150 to 500 a month is enough as long as your courses stay standard. Once you juggle several funders per cohort, bespoke in-company programmes and a recurring quality audit, custom software at EUR 25,000 to 45,000 pays for itself in 2 to 3 years. The real criterion is not the licence price but the time spent producing audit evidence and the annual funding return by hand.
What the software must cover before the quality audit
Auditors do not look at your tool, they look at your evidence. The software must therefore produce the expected documents for each quality criterion without re-keying.
| Feature | Quality criteria covered | Estimated yearly gain (1,500 learners) |
|---|---|---|
| Automatically generated contracts and quotes | Information and contracting | 120 hours of admin time |
| Electronic attendance per half day (QR or link) | Attendance and completion evidence | 2,000 fewer paper sheets |
| Initial assessment, end-of-course and follow-up surveys | Learner outcomes and satisfaction | Response rate from 35% to 70% |
| Complaints and improvement actions log | Continuous improvement | Audit-ready register |
| Trainer skills and regulatory watch tracking | Staff competence | 1 up-to-date file per trainer |
| Annual funding and activity return generated | Legal reporting | 3 to 5 days saved each year |
| Funding portal connection for individual accounts | Enrolment and completion status | Payment delay cut by 15 days |
The most underrated point is the funding portal connection: without synchronisation, each learner status (accepted, started, completed) is keyed in twice, with a risk of late payment by the funder.
Off-the-shelf or custom build: the 2026 comparison
| Criterion | Entry-level SaaS | Full SaaS suite | Custom build by Kolonell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | EUR 0 to 1,500 setup | EUR 2,000 to 5,000 setup | EUR 25,000 to 45,000 |
| Monthly cost | EUR 150 to 250 | EUR 300 to 500 | EUR 250 to 600 (hosting and maintenance) |
| 5-year cost | EUR 9,000 to 16,500 | EUR 20,000 to 35,000 | EUR 40,000 to 81,000 |
| Multiple funders on one cohort | Limited | Yes | Yes, with your funders' own rules |
| Bespoke in-company programmes | Fixed templates | Partial | Fully configurable |
| Funding portal connection | Rarely | Yes, as an option | Yes |
| Ownership of data and code | No | No | Yes |
| Time to go live | 1 to 2 weeks | 3 to 6 weeks | 10 to 14 weeks |
Custom is not always the right answer. It makes sense when your organisation combines at least three of these situations: more than 1,000 learners a year, more than 30% in-company training, several sites, a client portal for employers, or accredited qualifications.
Detailed budget for a custom project
| Work package | Content | Budget (2026 estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| Scoping and workshops | Process, quality criteria and funder mapping | EUR 3,000 to 5,000 |
| Catalogue, cohorts, enrolments | Course sheets, scheduling, rooms, trainers | EUR 6,000 to 10,000 |
| Documents and e-signature | Contracts, joining instructions, certificates | EUR 4,000 to 7,000 |
| Attendance and evaluations | Mobile app, surveys, statistics | EUR 4,000 to 8,000 |
| Quality dashboard and funding return | Criteria dashboard, annual export | EUR 3,000 to 6,000 |
| Integrations | Funding portal, accounting, CRM | EUR 3,000 to 6,000 |
| Testing and team training | QA, data migration, support | EUR 2,000 to 3,000 |
Mini case study
Claire runs a training provider in London with 1,500 learners a year and two administrators. Each week the team spends about 8 hours on contracts, attendance reminders and funder exports, and the annual return takes 4 days. At EUR 32 per loaded hour, that is 8 × 46 weeks × EUR 32 = EUR 11,776 a year, plus 4 days × 7 h × EUR 32 = EUR 896, roughly EUR 12,700. Custom software at EUR 35,000 cuts this time by 75%, a EUR 9,500 yearly saving, plus about EUR 4,000 of cash recovered through faster funder invoicing. Payback comes in just over 2 years, before even counting a calmer audit.
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FAQ
Does the software guarantee we pass the quality audit?
No, the outcome depends on your practices and the auditor's decision. The software reduces the risk of minor non-conformities caused by missing evidence, which account for a large share of findings at initial audits.
How long does it take to migrate our history?
Allow 1 to 2 weeks to import 3 years of cohorts, learners and funding from Excel files or a legacy tool. Migration is part of the testing package, for EUR 1,000 to 2,000 depending on data quality.
Is electronic attendance accepted by funders?
Yes, provided it is time-stamped, named and signed per half day, with traceable signer identity. Our module produces a PDF register per cohort exportable in one click for each funder.
Can we start with a single module?
Yes, many providers start with attendance and evaluations (EUR 8,000 to 12,000) and add contracts and reporting the following year. The architecture is designed for these extensions without a rewrite.
Who hosts learner data?
Data is hosted in the UK or the EU in line with GDPR, for EUR 50 to 150 a month depending on volume. You own the code and data, with a full export available at any time.
Let's scope your project. Send us your learner volume, your funders and your next audit date: we will price a realistic scope between EUR 25,000 and 45,000 with a go-live plan ahead of the audit. 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.
