SLED Subcontracting
SERVICE 04 · CUSTOM SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

Custom software you can inherit, not just use

Web, mobile, and platform builds: specification first, AI-assisted, senior review on every merge, your repository from day 1.

Let's talk See what we build
  • Senior review on every merge
  • Design is part of the line
  • Your repository, day 1

WHAT WE BUILT

Four things we build, one senior bench

Web platforms, mobile apps, the AI features inside them, and the data and billing layer underneath. Design is part of the line, not a separate invoice.

01

Web platforms

Multi-tenant platforms, operational back-offices, and customer portals on NestJS and Next.js.

How we prove it A written specification with acceptance tests before implementation, and an architecture decision record for every non-obvious choice.

02

Mobile apps

iOS and Android on Flutter and React Native, offline-first where field work demands it.

How we prove it Tracking SDKs blocked until consent, so App Tracking Transparency passes App Store review the first time.

03

AI features inside them

Assistants, retrieval, and automation hooks built to the discipline on the agentic engineering page.

How we prove it Provider calls sit behind an internal interface, so a model swap is a configuration change, not a rewrite.

04

Data and billing layer

Supabase and PostgreSQL underneath, Stripe for billing, instrumentation built in from the first release.

How we prove it Coverage requirements set per module in the specification, with tests run on every merge.

Named stack
Next.js NestJS React TypeScript Node.js Flutter React Native Supabase PostgreSQL Stripe Claude OpenAI n8n Figma Docker AWS Vercel
of merges approved by a named senior engineer
100% reviewed
written before implementation, with acceptance tests
1 specification
your repository and your IP, assigned on payment
Day 1 ownership
typical 3-year total. We publish the breakdown before you sign.
1.5–2.2× build cost

Use cases

Software we build most often

If your team bends a process around a spreadsheet, an inbox, or a tool that almost fits, it is a candidate. These are the shapes we build most often.

  • Operations platforms

    Warehouse, fulfillment, and inventory systems that track every unit from receiving to shipment, with compliance and invoicing inside the workflow.

    3PL · Distribution · Manufacturing

  • Field service and crew apps

    Offline-first mobile for technicians, with photos, forms, and time entries that sync to the office when a connection returns.

    Contractors · Trades · Home services

  • Patient and clinician apps

    Remote monitoring, symptom tracking, and clinician dashboards with automated alerting, built HIPAA-aware from the first component.

    Healthcare · Clinical research · Digital health

  • Storefronts and ordering

    Catalog, checkout, subscriptions, and delivery flows on Stripe, for products that do not fit a template store.

    Pharmacy · Regulated retail · D2C

  • White-label platforms

    One multi-tenant backbone your partners launch under their own brand, with per-tenant configuration instead of per-tenant forks.

    Labs · Franchises · Marketplaces

  • Customer and partner portals

    Self-service portals that replace email threads with structured requests, status, documents, and billing in one place.

    B2B services · Property · Finance

  • AI features in existing products

    Assistants, retrieval over your documents, and automation hooks added to the product you already run, behind a swappable model interface.

    SaaS · Internal tools · Support teams

  • Legacy replacement

    Replacing a system nobody dares touch, after a paid audit that tells you what runs, what is tested, and what to keep.

    Mid-market · Public sector · Long-lived products

Client stories

Software already doing the job

Each one started as a process held together by spreadsheets, paperwork, or a store visit. Each one now runs on a system the client owns.

All case studies

How we ship

Built to be specified, reviewed, and owned

Every build leaves with the same four things in place before the first feature merges.

01 Review gate

Here is the review gate

We build AI-assisted and say so, because the controls are the interesting part.

Specifications are the contract
Features, constraints, and acceptance tests written before implementation.
AI tools draft against those specifications
Claude Code and Cursor, working from the specification, not from a chat prompt.
A senior engineer reviews every merge
Owns the architecture and is accountable for what ships. There is no path into main that a named human did not approve.
02 The specification

The specification is the contract

Most disputes on custom builds are specification disputes wearing a delivery costume.

What it does, and must never do
Features, constraints, and acceptance tests written before implementation.
Change cost, quoted first
When you change the specification, we tell you what it costs before we build it.
Our error, our cost
When we get something wrong inside the specification, that is on us.
03 Maintainability

A codebase, not a mystery

The next engineer, ours or yours, can read why things are the way they are without archaeology.

Decision records
Every non-obvious architecture choice is written into an ADR in your repository: what we chose, what we rejected, and why.
Model swap is configuration
Provider calls sit behind an internal interface. If a better model wins on your cases in 6 months, switching costs days, not a quarter.
Onboarding docs as we go
Written for a future engineer who is not us, alongside the code, not after the handover.
04 Run cost

The build is the smallest number

Published analysis puts 3-year cost at roughly 1.5 to 2.2 times the initial build. We publish the breakdown in your proposal.

Year 1: 1×
The build: platform, infrastructure setup, initial AI model integration.
Year 2: +15–25%
Maintenance, dependency upkeep, hosting and model run cost.
Year 3: 1.5–2.2×
Cumulative total, plus feature work after launch.

OWNERSHIP, EXIT, AND THE BUS FACTOR

Your repository, your IP From day 1, assigned on payment. Specifications and decision records live in the repository, not in our knowledge base.
Enough to continue without us If we part ways mid-build, you have the specification, the tests, the decision records, and the code. That is the point.

WHAT WE WILL NOT BUILD

  • Products where nobody on your side can make product decisions.
  • Rescue jobs where the honest answer is that the deadline is already gone. We will say the deadline is gone.
  • Stacks we do not know well. We will tell you whether we are the right fit rather than learning on your invoice.
  • Fixed scope against a specification that does not exist yet. We will scope first.
For U.S. SLED prime contractors

Custom code and accessibility remediation, delivered as your subcontractor.

If you have won a municipal or state modernization bid and need elastic engineering talent, or WCAG 2.1 AA remediation for a public portal, we execute it behind the prime. The boundary is fixed on purpose.

NAICS 541511 541512 541519
See SLED Subcontracting

NDA-first, subcontract-only. We work behind the prime, under your brand. We do not pursue prime contracts and we never face the agency.

You own the code. 100% of the IP and source repository from day 1, built on standard frameworks with no proprietary lock-in.

Accessibility remediation. Structural WCAG 2.1 AA work with past-performance evidence, mapped to your bid’s technical scope.

FAQ

The questions you were going to ask

Straight answers about how the software gets built and who owns it. If yours isn't here, ask it on the call. We answer the hard ones first.

Ask the hard one

Is AI writing my codebase?

AI drafts against written specifications. A named senior engineer reviews every merge and is accountable for what ships.

How do I know the code is maintainable?

Architecture decision records in your repository, tests on everything, and onboarding documentation written for an engineer who is not us.

Who owns the repository?

You, from day 1.

What stacks do you work in?

NestJS, Next.js, Flutter, React Native, Supabase, PostgreSQL, n8n, Stripe, and the Claude and OpenAI APIs. Outside that we say whether we are the right fit.

Do you take over existing codebases?

Yes, after a paid audit. Sometimes the recommendation is to keep your current team.

Will my app pass App Store privacy review?

Third-party tracking SDKs are blocked from initializing until the user interacts with the consent prompt, so App Tracking Transparency is handled correctly before submission, not fixed after a rejection.

Are we legally required to make our software accessible?

If you operate in SLED or receive federal funding, yes. ADA Title II requires WCAG 2.1 AA compliance by 2027 or 2028 depending on your population size, and we build to that standard from the first component.

Related work

Service Agentic engineering → Service AI consulting and readiness → Service Forward deployed engineering → Industry Education →

Start the conversation

Buildsoftware
you can inherit, not just use

Tell us the process your team bends around a spreadsheet. That is where the specification starts.

Scope your build
30 minutes the engineer who leads delivery no deck, no pitch