We do not do things the old way
Most consulting firms run on time and materials. The longer your project takes, the more they earn. We think that model is broken. Every Equerra project is fixed price. Our support is unlimited. Here is how we deliver.
Two approaches. One choice.
Weeks of analysis
Traditional firms spend 4 to 8 weeks on requirements gathering before any real work starts. You are paying for meetings, documents, and workshops while nothing gets built.
Time and materials
You carry all the risk. If the project runs over, you pay more. The firm has no incentive to be efficient because their revenue increases with every extra hour.
Junior consultants
The senior partner wins the deal. Then a team of graduates and contractors deliver the project. The people who understand your business are not the people building your system.
Support as an afterthought
Go live day arrives. The project team moves on. You get handed to a support desk with SLAs and ticket queues. Need a change? That is a new project with a new quote.
Requirements documents
200 page documents that take weeks to write and nobody reads. By the time the system is built, the business has changed and the requirements are out of date.
Slow communication
Emails go to a project manager who relays to a consultant who updates a ticket. You never speak directly to the person doing the work.
Building in week one
We learn your business by building in it, not by writing about it. You see a working system within days, not months. This is faster and it surfaces problems early when they are cheap to fix.
Fixed price
We scope the project, agree on a price, and that number does not change. If it takes us longer than expected, that is on us. Our margin depends on being efficient, so we are.
Senior principals
The person you meet is the person who builds your system. You have direct access to us throughout. No handoffs. No juniors. No subcontractors.
Unlimited support
Our support contract covers your day to day needs. Bug fixes, questions, configuration tweaks. If you need a system change or formal training session that goes beyond normal support, we scope it and quote it separately. But for everything else, just pick up the phone.
Working prototypes
Instead of documents, we build. You test a real system with your real data. Feedback is immediate. Changes happen on the fly.
Direct access
You have direct access to the person building your system. Phone, email, Teams. No layers. No project managers filtering your questions.
Four phases. No surprises.
Prove It
Week 1We jump straight into the product with your team. No weeks of analysis. No requirements documents gathering dust. We build a proof of concept using your real data and your real processes. Your users are hands on from day one. By the first week, you can see the system working and tell us what needs to change.
Build and Challenge
4 to 12 weeks depending on scopeWe do not just build what you ask for. We challenge. We push back on unnecessary customisation. We show you how the standard product works first because nine times out of ten it does what you need. We only customise when there is a genuine business reason. Documentation happens as we go, not as a separate exercise that delays the project.
Launch
1 to 2 weeksWe go live together. We are on site with your team. We handle the pressure points so your people can focus on their work. The first week after go live is intense and we are there for every minute of it. Nothing is a surprise because your team has been using the system throughout the build.
Support
Ongoing, includedWe do not leave. Our support contract covers the day to day. Bug fixes, questions, user setup, configuration tweaks. If your business needs something new built or a formal training session, we scope it and give you a fixed price. But for normal support, we are always available.
What fixed price actually means
Fixed price does not mean we rush. It means we scope properly.
We spend time upfront understanding the real scope. We do not pad estimates. We do not add contingency buffers. We price the work based on what it actually takes. If we get it wrong, we absorb the cost. That is our risk, not yours.
The result: you know exactly what you are paying before the project starts. No surprise invoices. If the scope does change significantly, we agree a fixed price for the additional work before we start it.
Common questions
What does fixed price actually mean?
It means the price we quote is the price you pay. No hourly billing. No surprise invoices. If the project takes us longer than expected, we absorb the cost. If the scope changes significantly, we discuss it openly and agree a fixed price for the additional work.
What is included in unlimited support?
Bug fixes, day to day questions, and configuration changes are all covered. If you need a change to the system or a formal training session that goes beyond normal support, we scope it out and agree a fixed price. But for the everyday stuff, we are always there.
How do you scope a project accurately enough for fixed price?
We jump straight into the product and build a proof of concept with your team. This shows us the real complexity faster than any document or workshop. We scope based on what we see in the system, not what someone writes in a requirements document.
What if my requirements change during the project?
Small changes are part of every project and we handle them within the fixed price. If the scope changes significantly (for example, adding a new business unit or product), we discuss it openly, agree on the impact, and provide a fixed price for the additional scope.
Do you really not use junior consultants?
Correct. Every engagement is led and delivered by a principal consultant. The person you meet in the sales process is the person who builds your system. You have direct access to them throughout.
How long does a typical project take?
That depends on scope. A straightforward Business Central implementation can go live in 8 to 12 weeks. A multi product deployment with integrations typically takes 3 to 6 months. We phase delivery so you see value before the full project completes.