Power Apps consultancy and development
A field coring app for a construction testing firm
Site engineers were recording coring results on paper and rekeying them back at the office. We replaced it with a Power Apps solution that captures the data once, on site, and feeds it straight into reporting.
Replace manual processes with applications that actually work
Spreadsheets are being used as systems. Processes rely on email chains. Teams duplicate work or rekey the same data into three places. What should be simple has become slow, inconsistent and difficult to manage, and everybody can see it.
We are a Microsoft Solutions Partner, and we design and build Power Apps solutions that replace that with something structured enough to rely on and simple enough that people use it without being chased. The consultants who scope the work are the developers who build it.
The issue is rarely the technology
Power Apps is often introduced quickly to solve a problem. Without the right thinking behind it, the result looks very different from the one you were promised.
Built without structure
Done Properly
The difference between those two columns is almost never the technology. It is whether the solution was shaped before it was built.
Before you spend anything
We would rather lose the project than build something that gets abandoned in a year. Power Apps is the wrong answer when any of these is true.
An off-the-shelf product already does it
If the process is standard expenses, standard CRM or standard HR, buying beats building almost every time. We will say so.
The real problem is the data
If the same information lives in four systems with four definitions, an app on top only makes the disagreement faster. Fix the data model first.
It needs to be public-facing at scale
That is Power Pages territory, with different licensing and different design. We would scope it as that instead.
Nobody will own it
If the process is standard expenses, standard CRM or standard HR, buying beats building almost every time. We will say so.
The process is about to change
Automating something that is being restructured next quarter means building it twice. Better to wait a quarter.
One person runs it, once a month
Not everything that could be an app should be. Sometimes the spreadsheet is genuinely fine and we will tell you that too.
What a Power Apps project actually costs
There are two costs, and almost all of the unpleasant surprises come from the second one.
The build. A single-process app, with SharePoint or Dataverse behind it and no external integrations, is typically a 5 to 10 day engagement. Something spanning several departments, or integrating with a finance or line-of-business system, runs to 15 to 30 days, and most of that increase is design rather than build. You get a number before you commit, and the drawdown model exists so the scoping can happen without committing to a full project first.
The licensing, which is where people get caught
Apps built on standard connectors (SharePoint, Outlook, Teams, OneDrive) are covered by the Microsoft 365 licences you already hold. The moment an app needs a premium connector, Dataverse, SQL, a custom connector or an HTTP call, it needs a Power Apps premium licence for every person who uses it.
That is a per-user, per-month cost, and it lands after the project has finished. It is the single most common nasty surprise in this category, and it is usually avoidable.
We tell you which side of that line your app falls on during design, not after build. Sometimes the right answer is to redesign so it stays on standard connectors. Sometimes premium is genuinely worth it. Either way, you should know before you spend anything. Our guide to Power Apps licensing goes through it properly.
Consultancy and delivery, in that order
We combine both, so the solution is shaped properly before anything gets built.
How the process works today, where time is lost, and what a better outcome actually looks like.
How the app should work, how data should flow, and how it fits your Microsoft 365 and Power Platform environment.
A Power Apps solution that is practical, intuitive and aligned with how your teams actually work.
Test, refine and support rollout, so it works in the real world rather than only in theory.
As the business evolves, we adapt and extend the solution so it keeps delivering value.
Designed around your process, not forced into a template
Internal business applications
Line-of-business apps built for one job and the people who do it every day.
Digital forms and data capture
Structured capture that validates as it goes, so the data is usable the moment it is entered.
Approval and request systems
Requests, sign-off and audit trail in one place, rather than in an email chain.
Field and inspection apps
Built for people working away from a desk, including offline where the signal is not reliable.
Operational tracking systems
Live visibility of jobs, assets or cases, without someone maintaining a master spreadsheet.
Spreadsheet replacements
For the file that grew into a business system and now nobody dares change it.
Power Apps, or something else entirely?
Almost nobody arrives choosing between two Power Apps consultancies. They arrive deciding whether to build, buy, or carry on as they are.
| Option | Good when | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Carry on as you are | The process is small, stable, and one person runs it | The cost is invisible. It shows up as time, errors and key-person risk rather than as a line in the budget |
| Buy a product | Your process is close to the standard one the product was built for | Per-user cost forever, and you adapt to the product rather than the other way round |
| Build with Power Apps | The process is specific to how you work, and you already pay for Microsoft 365 | It needs a named owner, and premium connectors carry a per-user licence |
| Build custom software | The requirement is genuinely unusual, or it is a product you intend to sell | Highest cost, longest timeline, and the maintenance is yours forever |
We only do the third row. That is worth knowing when you read our recommendation, and it is exactly why we will tell you plainly when one of the other three is the better answer.
Organisations typically come to us when
Power Apps does not sit in isolation
Every solution we build aligns with your wider Microsoft environment, including SharePoint, Teams, Dataverse and automation. Where it matters, we connect delivery to the rest of what we do.
Ongoing Power Platform support
How we engage
We work in a way that reflects how clearly the solution is defined and how much flexibility you need.
Drawdown consultancy
You buy a block of time and use it as needed. Ideal when priorities change, when several small pieces of work are required, or when you want access to expertise without committing to a fixed scope.
Time and materials
For longer-running work where the scope is still evolving. Billed for time used, typically monthly. Suits projects that need shaping as they progress.
Fixed cost delivery
Where requirements and outcomes are clear upfront. Scope, cost and delivery expectations agreed in advance, giving certainty on both sides.
In practice many engagements move between these. Most start with drawdown consultancy to shape the solution, then move into structured delivery on time and materials or fixed cost.
Your teams spend less time managing work, and more time doing it
If you know a process needs to change but want clarity on how Power Apps should be used, a short conversation will define the right next step. No pitch, no obligation.
Frequently asked questions
What is Power Apps consultancy?
Power Apps consultancy combines process design, solution architecture and application development, so the app solves the right problem and fits within your wider Microsoft platform rather than sitting alongside it.
What is the difference between consultancy and development?
Consultancy defines the right solution. Development builds it. We do both, which is what keeps the outcome practical and scalable rather than technically correct but awkward to use.
When should we use Power Apps?
When the process is specific to how you work, it is costing real time, and somebody will own the result. If it is a standard process that an off-the-shelf product already handles, buying beats building and we will say so. The section above on when not to build an app sets out the other cases where we would talk you out of it.
How long does a Power Apps project take?
A single-process app with SharePoint or Dataverse behind it is usually two to four weeks from kick-off to people using it. Something spanning several departments, or integrating with a finance system, runs to a few months, and most of that is design rather than build. If anyone gives you a timeline before they understand the process, they are guessing.
Do you support solutions after they are built?
Yes, and we agree who owns what before the build rather than after. Ongoing support is available as drawdown time or through Vantage 365 Support, but it is a choice rather than a dependency.
Who owns the app once it is built?
You do. It sits in your tenant, on your licences, and we document it so somebody else could pick it up. This page argues that unclear ownership is why these projects fail, so it would be odd if we were the ones being vague about it.
What if we want to bring it in-house later?
That is a reasonable outcome and we build for it: documented solutions, standard patterns, and no bespoke cleverness that only we understand. If your team grows the skills to take it over, we would rather hand it across than hold onto it.