Nimbus Analytica

Know what to build, what to buy, and what it will cost.

Get the decision, the design and a working skeleton in 10 business days.

Groundwork by Nimbus Analytica is a flat-price package for teams planning a software or AI project. Sometimes the right answer is "don't build." We will tell you.

Book a Groundwork call Get the free Build-or-Buy Brief→

The problem

You have a project in mind. Three vendors send three quotes that don't agree. Someone says to "do something with AI." You don't know what it should cost, who will maintain it, or whether to build at all.

What you get in 10 business days

01A decision memo: build, buy or hybrid, with sourced research on 3 to 5 alternatives
02Requirements you can sign off
03An architecture, with a diagram and trade-offs
04A cost and ownership model, with a 3-year total
05A working skeleton or clickable prototype, in your own account
06A scope pack any vendor can bid against
07A fixed-price quote to build it, if you want one

See what's included

The ten days

01 · FrameDays 1 to 2

We confirm the problem, the users, the limits and your budget range. We agree what a good outcome looks like.

02 · DecideDays 3 to 5

We look at 3 to 5 alternatives, cost each one and write the decision memo.

03 · BuildDays 6 to 8

We write the requirements and the architecture, build the cost model and set up the working skeleton in your account.

04 · PackageDays 9 to 10

We write the scope pack and the build quote, and prepare the readout.

Sample package

A 60-person distribution company pays for three tools to manage quotes and wonders if a custom system would be cheaper.

This sample uses an invented company. It is not client work. [PLACEHOLDER: build the sample before launch]

Read the sample package→

Sample, fictional company Ashgrove Wholesale (fictional) · Decision memo

01 / 04

For: Ashgrove Wholesale, 60 people
Question: Keep three quoting tools, buy one, or build a custom system?
Date: Day 8 of 10

Recommendation

Hybrid. Keep the CRM, use its quoting add-on, and build one small price-rules service. Do not build a full quoting system.

Why

Two of the three current tools overlap. The CRM add-on covers quote creation and approvals. Sample: sources linked in a real package.
Customer-specific price rules are the one thing no off-the-shelf option reviewed covers. Sample: sources linked in a real package.
A full custom system costs more over three years than the tools it would replace. Sample: sources linked in a real package.

Alternatives compared

Option	Source
Keep the current three tools	Sample. Sources are linked in a real package.
Buy: A standalone quoting tool	Sample. Sources are linked in a real package.
Buy: The CRM's own quoting add-on	Sample. Sources are linked in a real package.
Build: a custom quote system	Sample. Sources are linked in a real package.
Hybrid: Add-on plus price-rules service	Sample. Sources are linked in a real package.

Sample, fictional company Ashgrove Wholesale (fictional) · Cost model

03 / 04

Build path	Build cost, range (CAD)	Assumptions
A specialist	$18,000 to $30,000	About $120 an hour, 150 to 250 hours
An agency	$35,000 to $60,000	About $170 an hour blended, 200 to 350 hours
Your own team	$22,000 to $33,000	One developer at 60% for 4 to 6 months, $110,000 a year loaded cost

Today: three toolsAbout $22,000 a year in subscriptions.

Running costs[PLACEHOLDER: low] to [PLACEHOLDER: high] per year

MaintenanceYearly upkeep: 15 to 25 percent of the build cost (Keyhole Software, Axented).

3-year total[PLACEHOLDER: low] to [PLACEHOLDER: high], per path

Risk register

R1The CRM vendor changes the add-on's price or limits.Keep quote data exportable and note the contract renewal date.

R2Pricing rules are known by one salesperson.Write the rules down in the first two weeks and have sales leadership sign them off.

Costs in the package are ranges with stated assumptions. They are not quotes.

How it works

01Talk.A short call to check the project is a fit.
02Ten days.We research, design and build the skeleton.
03Readout.A 60 to 90 minute walkthrough, then 30 days of questions by message.

Price

$2,999 CAD + HST.

Launch price for the first 10 clients.

If you sign a build with us, the package fee is credited. If you don't, you keep everything and can take it to any vendor.

Groundwork by Nimbus Analytica 10 business days

$2,999CAD + HST

✓A decision memo.
✓Requirements.
✓An architecture.
✓A cost and ownership model.
✓A working skeleton or clickable prototype.
✓A vendor-ready scope pack.
✓A build option.
✓A readout and 30 days of questions.

Book a Groundwork call

Why you can trust the answer

01We also build.We tell you that up front. It is why "don't build" is a result we have to be willing to give.

02You own it.Every deliverable is yours.

03One person is accountable.The person on your call does the work.

Where Groundwork fits

Free Build-or-Buy Brief, then Groundwork, then a fixed-price build, then a monthly care plan. Start at any step.

01Free Build-or-Buy Brief
02Groundwork
03A fixed-price build
04A monthly care plan

Tools we build

TokenWatch.Live

Tracks what AI coding tools cost, by client and project.

Request a demo→

VoxRank.In build

Tracks how a brand shows up in AI answers.

Join the waitlist→

The Inference

A free weekly newsletter on AI and marketing, the cost of building versus buying software, and field notes from our builds. Independent, with no sponsors.

Tell us the project. We'll tell you if it is worth building.

Book a Groundwork call