Cost Estimate for a 200-Person Firm to Design, Build, and Maintain Custom Resource Planning Software Using Outsourced Services

October 27, 2025

John Meyer

Founder and CEO
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Outsourcing the design, development, and ongoing maintenance of a custom resource planning, management, and forecasting software for your 200-person architecture and engineering firm, excluding integrations with other systems (like your Deltek ERP), will have a reduced scope compared to the full integration project. Here is a detailed breakdown of the estimated costs, including design, development, and annual maintenance and upgrades:

Response by OpenAI, ChatGPT 4o 7/10/2024:

[#section-one]Key Cost Components (Excluding Integrations)[#section-one]

1. Initial Planning and Design

  • Requirements Gathering and Analysis
  • System Design and Prototyping
  • User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) Design[#section-two]

2. Development and Testing

  • Core Development (without integration)
  • Testing and Quality [#section-three]Assurance[#section-three]

3. Deployment and Training

  • Software Deployment
  • Employee [#section-four]Training[#section-four]

4. Annual Maintenance and Upgrades

  • Bug Fixes and Support
  • System Upgrades and Enhancements
  • Security Updates

Cost Estimates by Region (Excluding Integrations)

North America and Western Europe

  • Hourly Rates: $100 - $200 per hour

Initial Costs:

  • Initial Planning and Design: $25,000 - $50,000
  • Development and Testing: $200,000 - $400,000
  • Deployment and Training: $15,000 - $30,000

Annual Maintenance and Upgrades:

  • Maintenance and Support: $50,000 - $100,000

Total First Year Cost: $240,000 - $480,000

Total Annual Cost (after first year): $50,000 - $100,000

Eastern Europe and Latin America

  • Hourly Rates: $40 - $80 per hour

Initial Costs:

  • Initial Planning and Design: $15,000 - $30,000
  • Development and Testing: $100,000 - $200,000
  • Deployment and Training: $10,000 - $20,000

Annual Maintenance and Upgrades:

  • Maintenance and Support: $25,000 - $50,000

Total First Year Cost: $125,000 - $250,000

Total Annual Cost (after first year): $25,000 - $50,000

Asia (e.g., India, Southeast Asia)

  • Hourly Rates: $20 - $50 per hour

Initial Costs:

  • Initial Planning and Design: $10,000 - $20,000
  • Development and Testing: $75,000 - $150,000
  • Deployment and Training: $5,000 - $15,000

Annual Maintenance and Upgrades:

  • Maintenance and Support: $15,000 - $30,000

Total First Year Cost: $90,000 - $185,000

Total Annual Cost (after first year): $15,000 - $30,000


Summary of Costs (Excluding Integrations)

Region
Total First Year Cost
Total Annual Maintenance Cost
North America & Western Europe
$240,000 - $480,000
$50,000 - $100,000
Eastern Europe & Latin America
$125,000 - $250,000
$25,000 - $50,000
Asia
$90,000 - $185,000
$15,000 - $30,000