Forward-deployed engineering
Modernize from the inside.
For companies running on aging software, spreadsheets, and manual work. BigDevelop embeds senior engineers with your team, on site or remote. They find where time and money leak and modernize the systems underneath with automation, integrations, custom software, and AI.
Owner-led business? Start with an AI employee, a website that brings in work, or one system that replaces the spreadsheets.
- On site or remote
- Working software every week
- You own the code and the data
Track record
BigDevelop by the numbers.
- delivery
- more than 50
- projects delivered across hospitality, property management, finance, logistics, retail, and customer operations
- in production
- more than 35
- apps, AI agents, and automations shipped and still running
- range
- 10
- engineering disciplines, from native apps and AI agents to payments, data, and infrastructure
- track record
- 2016
- writing production code since, and operating as a firm since 2017
Forward-deployed engineering
Drop an engineer into your company.
The people who know where the work breaks rarely build the software. BigDevelop closes that gap: our engineers embed with your team, on site or remote, find the leaks, and fix them from the inside.
- 1
Embed with your teams
On site or remote. Your engineer sits with the people doing the work, in operations, finance, and the front line, and learns how the company actually runs.
You get: Every record, process, and system mapped
- 2
Map the leaks, ranked by return
Manual steps, double entry, fees, and workarounds, each listed with what it costs and what it takes to fix. You decide the order.
You get: A ranked list of fixes
- 3
Ship every week
A prototype in days, then working software every week on a preview link. Data is migrated and checked, and old and new run side by side.
You get: Live systems your team uses
- 4
Hand it over
Training for every team, documentation and runbooks, and everything in your name. Keep the embed going, or hand it to your in-house team.
You get: Runbooks, training, and a full handover
Sound familiar?
Most companies run on workarounds.
Whether you have 5 people or 5,000, the same leaks show up: work that lives in inboxes, spreadsheets, and people's heads. These are the problems we fix.
Records scattered everywhere
Contracts, forms, and customer files sit in filing cabinets, shared drives, and inboxes. Finding one takes an afternoon.
Processes that live in people's heads
Approvals, onboarding, and handoffs depend on whoever remembers the steps. When they're out, the work stops.
Systems that don't talk
A legacy system nobody wants to touch, plus a CRM, accounting, and a dozen spreadsheets, each with its own version of the truth.
Customers left waiting
Calls go to voicemail, leads wait days for a reply, and quotes take a week. Customers notice, and so do competitors.
Who we work with
From a single location to a multi‑site enterprise.
The work is the same at every size: find where time and money leak, then build the system that stops it. Only the scope changes.
Growing businesses
Stop running the company on phone calls and spreadsheets.
For owner-led companies that have outgrown sticky notes and off-the-shelf tools, and want systems that keep up with them.
Focused projects usually go live in 2 to 8 weeks, at a fixed price.
- AI agents that answer calls, book jobs, and chase invoices
- One system for customers, jobs, scheduling, and billing
- A website and marketing that bring in the right clients
- Apps for your customers and your team
Mid-market and enterprise
Modernize every department without stopping the business.
For multi-site and multi-department organizations with paper records, manual approvals, and legacy systems holding them back.
Programs start with a fixed-fee discovery of about 3 to 4 weeks.
- Company-wide transformation, delivered in fixed-price phases
- Records digitized and legacy data migrated safely
- ERP, CRM, accounting, and HR connected into one source of truth
- Custom platforms, staff apps, dashboards, and AI agents at scale
What we do
Everything a company runs on, under one roof.
Hire us for one system or the whole transformation. Either way you get one accountable engagement lead, a fixed price before work starts, and software you own.
Digital transformation
One connected system for the whole company.
We map how your company actually runs, then digitize it end to end: records, workflows, approvals, reporting, and the apps your people use every day, one department at a time.
Learn moreMobile and web apps
Apps for customers, staff, and field teams.
iPhone, Android, and web apps for booking, ordering, field work, and internal operations, from first sketch to the App Store.
Learn moreAI agents for business
Work that runs itself, around the clock.
Agents that answer calls, read documents, follow up on leads, and chase invoices, with a person in the loop for anything unusual.
Learn moreCustom software and platforms
Built around how you work, owned by you.
Operations platforms, portals, marketplaces, and internal tools that replace spreadsheets and software you've outgrown.
Learn moreSystems integration and legacy modernization
Every system finally in sync.
We connect ERP, CRM, accounting, and payments, migrate data out of aging systems, and retire the copy-and-paste in between.
Learn moreGrowth: web, marketing, and brand
Win the clients you actually want.
Websites, SEO, ads, and a brand that positions you as the obvious choice, with clear reporting on what each dollar brings back.
Learn more
AI agents
AI that does the work, in every department.
AI agents take on the repetitive work and run inside the systems you already use. Anything they aren't sure about goes to a person, and every action is logged.
Customer service
Answers calls, texts, emails, and chat 24/7 in your voice, and books the appointment.
Document processing
Reads invoices, forms, and contracts, pulls out the data, and files it in the right system.
Finance and billing
Sends invoices, matches payments, and follows up on anything overdue.
Operations reporting
Daily summaries and alerts across every location, team, and system.
Example: an AI receptionist answers an after-hours call for a plumbing company, helps the caller, books an appointment, texts a confirmation, and sends the owner a summary.
One of the agents we build: an AI receptionist answering calls after hours.
Industries
Proven across industries. Built around yours.
We've shipped systems for hospitality and venues, property management, finance, logistics, retail, and customer service. The playbook travels: learn how the work really moves, then digitize it.
- Healthcare & Medical
- Logistics & Transportation
- Legal & Accounting
- Construction & Trades
- Education & Training
- Auto & Service Industry
- Home Services & Field Service
- Fitness & Wellness
- Manufacturing & Distribution
- Finance & Insurance
- Real Estate & Property
- Hospitality & Venues
- Retail & E-commerce
- Professional Services
- Nonprofits & Public Sector
Owner-led business? See AI employee guides by industry
Don't see yours? Tell us how your company runs and we'll show you what we'd digitize first.
Why BigDevelop
The engineers who scope it build it.
Big firms send a partner to sell the work and a junior team to do it. At BigDevelop, the senior engineers who scope your program are the ones who build it, with specialists in data, design, and infrastructure brought in as the work needs them.
- projects delivered
- 50+
- apps, AI agents and automations shipped
- 35+
- writing production code since
- 2016
Andrew Stockus
Founder & CEO. Ran multi-store P&Ls before writing production code, and set the operator-first method every BigDevelop engagement follows.
Meet our founder| Compared on | Typical large consultancy | Off-the-shelf software | BigDevelop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who does the work | A partner sells it, a delivery team builds it | Your staff configure it | Senior BigDevelop engineers embedded with your team from first workshop to rollout |
| How it's priced | Usually time and materials | Per seat, every month | A monthly embed, or a fixed price one phase at a time |
| How it fits | Custom, after a long engagement | You change how you work to fit it | Built around how you already work |
| Who owns it | Depends on the contract | The vendor | You: code, data, and accounts |
| IT and security review | Varies by firm | The vendor's standard terms | Under NDA, through your vendor security review, SSO with Microsoft or Google |
| First result in production | Often months away | Fast, but generic | Focused projects in 2 to 8 weeks |
Who does the work
- BigDevelop
- Senior BigDevelop engineers embedded with your team from first workshop to rollout
- Typical large consultancy
- A partner sells it, a delivery team builds it
- Off-the-shelf software
- Your staff configure it
How it's priced
- BigDevelop
- A monthly embed, or a fixed price one phase at a time
- Typical large consultancy
- Usually time and materials
- Off-the-shelf software
- Per seat, every month
How it fits
- BigDevelop
- Built around how you already work
- Typical large consultancy
- Custom, after a long engagement
- Off-the-shelf software
- You change how you work to fit it
Who owns it
- BigDevelop
- You: code, data, and accounts
- Typical large consultancy
- Depends on the contract
- Off-the-shelf software
- The vendor
IT and security review
- BigDevelop
- Under NDA, through your vendor security review, SSO with Microsoft or Google
- Typical large consultancy
- Varies by firm
- Off-the-shelf software
- The vendor's standard terms
First result in production
- BigDevelop
- Focused projects in 2 to 8 weeks
- Typical large consultancy
- Often months away
- Off-the-shelf software
- Fast, but generic
Typical patterns, not claims about any specific firm or product.
How it works
From first audit to company‑wide rollout.
This is how company-wide programs run. Focused projects, like an AI employee, a website, or one new system, go straight from a free strategy call to a fixed quote, and usually go live in 2 to 8 weeks.
- 1
Weeks 1 to 3
Discovery and audit
We sit with the people doing the work and map your records, processes, and systems to find where time and money leak.
- 2
Week 4
Roadmap and fixed price
A phased plan ranked by return: what we'll build, what it replaces, how long each phase takes, and exactly what it costs.
- 3
Phase by phase
Build, migrate, switch over
Working software every week. We move your data, run old and new side by side, and switch over one team at a time.
- 4
Launch and beyond
Train, support, improve
We train your people, monitor everything, and keep improving. Or hand it all to your in-house team with full documentation.
Ways to work with us
Start with one system, or the whole company.
Every engagement has a written scope and a price agreed before work starts. Pick the shape that fits where you are.
- 01monthly
Forward-deployed engineering
A senior BigDevelop engineer embeds with your team, on site or remote, finds where time and money leak, and ships the fixes every week, working through your roadmap month by month.
Best for: Companies modernizing the systems they already run
- 02fixed fee
Discovery and roadmap
A full audit of your records, processes, and systems over about 3 to 4 weeks, with a phased roadmap and business case you keep whether or not we build it.
Best for: Leadership teams deciding where to start
- 03fixed price
Project build
One defined system, such as a platform, app, integration, or AI agent, at a fixed price with a launch date agreed up front. Focused projects usually go live in 2 to 8 weeks.
Best for: A clear problem with a clear scope
- 04phased
Transformation program
Company-wide digitization delivered in phases, each with its own scope, price, and measurable result.
Best for: Multi-department and multi-site organizations
Questions
Questions clients ask us.
What is forward-deployed engineering?
An engineer embedded with your team, on site or remote, instead of building from a distance. BigDevelop engineers sit with the people doing the work, find where time and money leak, and modernize the systems underneath, shipping working software every week. It runs as a monthly engagement, and you own everything that gets built.
Do you work with small businesses or large companies?
Both. We build focused systems for owner-led businesses and run phased transformation programs for multi-site and enterprise organizations. The method is the same; the scope scales to fit.
Who actually does the work?
Senior engineers. The engineer who scopes your engagement leads the build, from the first call to rollout, with specialists in data, integrations, design, and infrastructure brought in as the program needs them. You are never handed to a sales team or a junior crew. Your code, data, and accounts stay in your name, and every system ships with documentation and runbooks, so nothing depends on one person.
Can you work with the systems we already have?
Yes. We connect ERP, CRM, accounting, HR, and payment systems through their APIs, databases, or exports. When a legacy system has to go, we migrate the data, check it, and run old and new side by side until you're ready to switch.
How do you handle security and compliance?
Access is role-based, data is encrypted, sensitive records and approvals are logged, and every change is tested before release. We work under NDA, go through your vendor security review, and design around the rules your industry follows.
How much does it cost?
It depends on scope. Forward-deployed engineering, with an engineer embedded in your team, is a monthly engagement. Focused projects like an AI agent, an app, or an integration are quoted as one fixed price. Company-wide programs are split into phases, each with its own fixed price, so you commit one phase at a time. Either way, you know the cost before work starts. AI employees have published starting prices on our AI employees page.
How long does it take?
Focused projects usually go live in 2 to 8 weeks. Company-wide programs start with a discovery of about 3 to 4 weeks, then ship in phases, each one putting something your team uses into production.
We're not technical. Is that a problem?
Not at all. You tell us how the business runs; we handle the technical side and explain every decision in plain English. If you have an IT team, we work right alongside them. If you'd rather learn to use AI yourself first, we also offer 1-on-1 coaching at $250 an hour.
Who owns what you build?
You do. Code, data, and cloud accounts are in your name from day one, and you're never locked in to working with us.
What happens after launch?
We train your people, monitor everything, and keep improving it with a monthly support plan. Or we hand it to your in-house team with full documentation and runbooks.
You talk to engineers, not a sales team.
Let's map what your company could run like.
Tell us how your company runs today and where it's slowing down. We'll reply within 24 hours to set up a free 30-minute strategy call. No pressure, no obligation.
Free strategy call
30 minutes with a senior engineer. We learn how the company runs and where time and money leak.
Written scope, fixed price
Focused projects get a fixed quote. Company-wide programs start with a fixed-fee discovery of about 3 to 4 weeks and a roadmap you keep either way.
Build and launch
Focused projects usually go live in 2 to 8 weeks. Programs ship phase by phase, each at a fixed price.