File: Guide · ERP build or buy
Rate: $180 / hour · ex GST · build work
Based: Brisbane and Emerald, Queensland · working across Australia

Small business ERPvs custom development.

An ERP is usually the system that holds the accounts and a good deal of the operation. Custom development is software written for one business. Many Australian firms reach the point where one custom system fits better than the product they have.

Request a 15-minute callor write to hello@rendrweb.com

FILE 01 · CHOICE

Should we build an ERP or customise an existing one?

Customise a product while it still fits. Build when the business keeps working around it. Rendr builds complete custom ERP systems, including jobs, quoting, stock, warehousing, approvals and reporting, then hosts and supports them.

Compared	Buy off the shelf	Build custom
Fit with your process	Keep the product when it still fits how the business runs.	The custom work follows the operation of one business.
Data typed twice	Staff re-key data between the product and everything around it.	One custom system holds the operation, so nothing is typed twice.
Reports rebuilt by hand	Reports rebuilt by hand stay outside the product.	Reporting is part of the system.
Changes when the process changes	A product set up for many businesses does not follow one operation.	The custom work follows the operation.
Who supports it	The product vendor supports it, on the vendor’s roadmap.	Rendr builds the system, then hosts and supports it.

When to customise

Detail: The product still fits, and the gaps are small enough to configure.

When to build

Detail: The team runs on workarounds, and jobs, stock and reports sit in different places. We build one system for that work: see custom business software.

FILE 02 · NEED

Do I need an ERP system?

You need one when jobs, stock, purchasing and the money no longer agree without someone reconciling them by hand. A new ERP is a serious step, so we build it in phases and plan the cutover around the business.

The signs

Detail: The same data lives in several apps, reports are rebuilt by hand, and the system no longer fits how the business runs.

The operation

Detail: Jobs, quotes, stock and approvals can all live in one system. See services for the work Rendr builds, hosts and supports.

FILE 03 · CUSTOM

What is a custom ERP?

A custom ERP is software written for one business to run its operations, rather than a product set up for many. It can cover jobs, quoting, stock, warehousing, approvals and reporting. Rendr builds that kind of complete system for established Australian businesses.

Built for one business

Detail: The custom system follows the operation. Keeping or replacing your accounting product is agreed in discovery.

Related guides

Detail: A workbook doing this job is covered in replace spreadsheets with software. The general build or buy choice is in custom software vs off the shelf.

FILE 04 · AUSTRALIA

What is the best ERP for small business in Australia?

There is no single best ERP for every small business in Australia, and Rendr does not publish a product ranking. The useful question is whether a product can fit how you run, or whether you need one built for you. If it cannot, Rendr can scope that custom system in a free discovery session.

No product list

Detail: This page does not name or rank ERP products. That comparison belongs with you and your accountant.

If no product fits

Detail: Discovery is free: a 15-minute call with Jason, then a 30–60 minute technical session with Jason and Ben. We send the proposal after that session, and you approve the estimate before the build starts. The form is on contact.

FILE 05 · WHO

Who builds custom ERP software in Australia?

Rendr Web is a Queensland software team based in Emerald and Brisbane, working across Australia. Jason Sandeman leads product and delivery from Emerald, and Ben Hooper is the principal engineer in Brisbane. A second engineer reviews every release.

The rate

Detail: Build work is $180 an hour, ex GST, time and materials.

Where it runs

Detail: Normally in Rendr’s own system. If you want it in your own infrastructure, we set it up there. Either way is agreed in writing before the build starts.

FILE 06 · QUESTIONS

What else do people ask about ERP vs custom development?

These are the follow-ups once the choice is between a product and a system built for you. The answers use the published build rate and the free discovery process. Rendr does not publish a price for an off-the-shelf ERP.

What is the difference between an ERP and custom development?

Answer: An ERP is usually one product that runs accounts and operations for many businesses. Custom development is software written for one operation. A custom ERP is that software built to run the whole business.

What does custom ERP software cost?

Answer: Rendr does not publish a fixed price for a custom ERP; it is estimated after discovery. Build work is $180 an hour, ex GST.

Can a custom ERP work with the accounting system we already use?

Answer: Yes, if you want to keep it. The custom system can replace it or connect to it, and we confirm that in discovery.

Where would the custom software be hosted?

Answer: Normally in Rendr’s own system. If you want it in your own infrastructure, we set it up there. Either way is agreed in writing before the build starts.

How does an ERP-related project start?

Answer: Discovery is free: a 15-minute call with Jason, then a 30–60 minute technical session with Jason and Ben. We send the proposal after that session, and you approve the estimate before the build starts.

Start with the problem.

Tell us what is getting in the way. We reply with a straight answer on fit, approach and likely cost.

Start: Send an enquiry
Call: 0402 773 546
Write: hello@rendrweb.com

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