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Sami Bentaleb Independent software engineerContact

Pricing n., what each Package costs and what it buys

Three Packages. Every price is fixed before work starts.

Tell me what you’re building

Scoping comes first and gives you a fixed quote for each Build. Below is one I wrote for Ledgerdock.

Plate I. A sample Scoping document, written for Ledgerdock, a 3PL billing system. Pages 3 and 5 of 7.

Scopingfrom $2,5001–2 weeks. This document is what you receive: the scope, the data map, a fixed quote per Build.

Ledgerdock · Scoping§3

Data map

Every charge on a 3PL invoice traces back to an event in the warehouse.

Storage, pick, pack and freight events arrive from the WMS daily. Each is priced against the client’s rate card in force on that date.

3

Ledgerdock · Scoping§5

Builds and quote

Split into two Builds, each with its own fixed price.

Sample quote: two Builds
BuildDeliversWeeksPrice
1Rate cards, event import, draft invoices6$15,000
2Carrier-bill matching and disputes5$12,500
Two Builds, eleven weeks11$27,500

Milestones: three per Build, each with a demo. Scoping fee credited to Build 1 if signed within 30 days.

5

Buildfrom $10,0004–12 weeks each. A larger system, like this one, runs as several Builds in a row.

Retainerfrom $2,000/moAfter a Build or Scoping. Pause or cancel any month.

The quote in it is a sample at my rates.

Scoping n., the first Package, always

from $2,500 · 1–2 weeks

I learn how your field works, where your data lives and what has to be true on day one. You get it back in writing, with a fixed quote for each Build.

You get
A written scope, a map of your data and architecture, the risks and what’s left out, and a fixed quote for each Build.
You pay
A fixed price, agreed on the first call, before any work starts.
Credit
The whole fee comes off the first Build if you sign it within 30 days.

Contents of the sample

  1. §1The problemwhat a 3PL loses to billing by hand1
  2. §2Users and rolesfinance, warehouse leads, clients2
  3. §3Data mapshown in Plate I3
  4. §4Architectureimports, pricing engine, invoice output4
  5. §5Builds and quoteshown in Plate I5
  6. §6Risks and what’s left outnamed before anything is signed6
  7. §7Next stepsdates for Build 17
Plate II. Every Scoping document has these seven sections. The pages in vermilion are the two opened above.

Build1 n., a working product at a fixed price

from $10,000 · 4–12 weeks

I build what the Scoping document describes, in milestones, and show you working software every week. A larger system runs as several Builds in a row, each with its own fixed price.

You get
A working product, deployed, with a demo every week.
You pay
Per milestone. The milestones are fixed in the Scoping document.
At the end
Code in your repository, every right I hold in it assigned to you on final payment, and written docs.

Typical Builds n. pl., by shape of work

$0$10k$20k$30k$40kfixed price of one Build, in USDInternaldata tool$10k–20k · 4–8 wksClient-facingplatform$20k–35k · 8–12 wksInternal data tool$10k–20k · 4–8 wksClient-facing platform$20k–35k · 8–12 wks$0$10k$20k$30k$40kfixed price of one Build, in USD

Plate III. Typical ranges, not quotes. An internal data tool for one team usually lands between $10,000 and $20,000; a client-facing platform with roles, integrations and many users between $20,000 and $35,000. A larger system is split during Scoping into several Builds in a row, each fixed-priced on its own.

Build2 n., how one works

012345678weeksa demo of working software, every weeka demo every week012345678weeks, drawn to scale
  1. 1

    Scoping. A week or two, and a fixed quote.

  2. 2

    Build. Milestones, a demo every week, and you pay per milestone.

  3. 3

    Handover. Code in your repository, every right I hold in it assigned to you on final payment, and written docs.

Plate IV. A six-week Build, for example, drawn to scale: one week of Scoping, six weeks of Build with a demo at the end of each, then Handover. The number of milestones is fixed in the Scoping document.

Retainer n., ongoing work, by the month

from $2,000/month

More work on a product I’ve built or scoped: new features, fixes, the next set of reports. It starts after a Build or a Scoping, so I already know the product.

You pay
Monthly. Pause or cancel any month.

Not offered adj., work I turn down

  • Native mobile apps
  • WordPress or Shopify themes
  • E-commerce stores
  • Small standalone sites
  • Design-only work

I build web products around data. For anything above, I’m the wrong person to hire.

Questions n. pl., asked before the first call

Why is Scoping paid?
It’s a week or two of work that produces the scope, the data map and a fixed quote for each Build. If you sign the first Build within 30 days, the fee comes off it.
What if my project is bigger than twelve weeks?
Scoping splits it into several Builds in a row, each with its own fixed price.
Where are you, and when can I reach you?
I work from Annaba, Algeria. UTC+1, all year. My working day overlaps the full European day and US Eastern mornings. I reply within one business day.
Who do I sign with, and how do I pay?
Contracts and invoices go through SamDev, LLC, a Delaware company. Prices are in USD. A Build is paid per milestone and a Retainer monthly.
What do I own at the end?
Code in your repository, every right I hold in it assigned to you on final payment, and written docs.
Do you use AI tools?
I use AI tools where they speed things up. I review, test and answer for everything I deliver.
Can a Retainer start without a Build?
No. It follows a Build or a Scoping, so I already know the product.

Contact n., the last entry

Tell me what you’re building

Prefer to talk first? Book a 30-minute call

Or write to sami@samibentaleb.com