Cost tracker · Denman Engineering platform · for discussion with Amon · Rev 02
Craig R Champion · for Denman Engineering

Platform cost tracker

Lean start vs full build — and a straight comparison to renting something like Simpro. Totals update live. AUD ex-GST, indicative — edit any price in the meeting.

Indicative project total
$0
ex-GST · one-off build
Recommendation: not set yet

00 · Own it vs rent it

What Amon will compare you against — Simpro-style subscriptions

Reality check: Simpro doesn’t publish fixed prices — AU market guides put it from ~$199/mo, often $300–$600/mo for a small team, plus setup fees in the thousands. It’s built for larger field-service contractors; reviewers often call it overkill under ~10 staff. Source

This build (owned)

$0
build + hosting over period
  • One-off build — their branded system
  • No per-user licence that grows with staff
  • Built around fab / workshop flow, not generic field service
  • Changes costed as needed — not forced upgrades

Simpro-style (rented)

$0
setup + subscription over period
  • Pay every month for as long as they use it
  • Users / modules usually push the bill up
  • Setup + training fees on top
  • Leave later = start again elsewhere
Verdict loading…

01 · Website path

How the platform sits on denmaneng.com.au

Tip: Keep their current site. Put the system on a subdomain. Cheapest path — $0 on website work until they ask for a rebuild.

02 · Build package

Start lean — add Hub later when it’s earned

Lean start (recommended): Starter — employee phone app + customer portal only. No accounting sync yet. Prove the job flow on real work, then add the rest.

03 · Modules & add-ons

Included items are locked; optional items can be toggled

Click a price to edit it. Changes recalculate the total.

04 · Custom requests

Anything else they ask for — name it and price it

05 · Cost breakdown

Live summary of the current selection

06 · Ownership structure

What Amon owns vs what Craig retains — also written into the software licence screen

Plain English: Denman Engineering gets a perpetual licence to run their branded system and own all their data. Craig R Champion retains the platform IP (codebase & architecture) so it can be improved and reused. AI runs on Amon’s Anthropic account — they pay usage direct.

Denman / Amon own

  • Perpetual licence to use their instance
  • Denman Engineering branding on the system
  • All business data, jobs, photos, customers
  • Their Anthropic (Claude) API account & usage
  • Their accounting software connection
  • Right to export data anytime

Craig retains (IP)

  • Platform codebase & architecture
  • Reusable modules & patterns
  • Right to improve the foundation
  • Right to licence similar systems to others
  • Not a sale of source-code ownership
  • Shown in-app under Licence / About

Ongoing care (you)

  • Hosting, backups, uptime watch
  • API connectors kept working
  • Security patches & small fixes
  • Yearly or monthly care fee
  • AI tokens = not in care fee
  • Bigger changes = quoted separately

AI setup — their account

Amon is set up with his own Anthropic API account. The software stores their key (encrypted). Quote-assist / agents bill their usage — not yours.

  • One-off setup help included in Hub / AI module
  • Spend limits set in their Anthropic console
  • If they leave care, AI still works on their key

Care fee — your service

Covers looking after hosting and APIs. Toggle it in modules below (Hosting & care). Does not include Claude token spend.

  • Recommended: year 1 care on with Starter
  • Renew yearly — or monthly if they prefer
  • Optional — they can self-host later (quoted)
Embedded in the software · Licence / About screen

Licensed to: Denman Engineering Pty. Ltd. · perpetual exclusive use of this instance under their branding.
Platform IP: Retained by Craig R Champion — codebase and architecture are not transferred.
Data: Owned by Denman Engineering · exportable on request.
AI services: Operated via the licensee’s own AI provider account · usage billed to licensee.
Care & hosting: Provided under separate care agreement when engaged.

07 · Agreement points

For the contract / handshake before build

What they buy
A perpetual licence to run their Denman-branded instance — not ownership of the underlying platform IP.
What you keep
All platform IP. You can reuse and improve the foundation for other fabrication businesses.
AI
Configured on Amon’s Anthropic account. Tokens are their cost. You help set it up; you don’t fund usage.
Care fee
Optional but recommended. Hosting, backups, API health. Changes and new features quoted as requested.

Figures are discussion starters only (AUD, ex-GST). Claude/Anthropic usage, SMS, and accounting app subscriptions sit with Denman unless listed as custom lines. The licence wording above is what appears inside the software under Licence / About.