Development (General)

Overview

Practical, maintainable development for web and internal tooling. Work is project-managed by Blue Canoe; delivery may be by us and/or our sister org d-zine.org.za. For WordPress development, d-zine is typically first call, while Blue Canoe leads integrations and infrastructure-adjacent work. We collaborate closely on architecture, code review, and release.

How we work

We scope a small, testable slice; build on a short-lived branch; open a PR with clear acceptance criteria; then merge with tidy handover. Version control, review, and issue tracking are standard. We optimise for readability and predictable change.

Development hours are limited and scheduled. We prioritise security/maintenance and launch-critical work; new features are booked to the next available window.

Billing is POA. Time-based work uses hourly billing; fixed-price is available when scope is stable.

What’s included

Small, testable increments with branch/PR flow
Clean, documented changes with sensible defaults
Integration work: REST/webhooks, auth, payments
Performance and reliability focused changes
Handover that future maintainers can follow

Good for

Add or refactor features on an existing site/app
Integrate third-party services (payments, auth, CRM)
Automate admin workflows and reporting
Stabilise and document a fragile code path
Prototype a thin slice before a larger build

development
integration
api
web
automation
php
javascript
testing
ci-cd

Details

Lead time:: Within 24 hours
Billing:: Hourly (billed in 0.25h increments)
From:: £95.00 p/hr

Consult (General)

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Straight answers before the deep end.

Practical, project-focused consulting for network and infrastructure—from clean starts to improving what’s already in place. We design resilient VLAN topologies, standardise builds across Windows and Linux, plan Proxmox clusters, and document onboarding/offboarding so future changes are repeatable. How we work Engagements are scoped up front and run in focused blocks. You get a single point of contact, plain-English decision notes, and handover that operators can follow. We keep client load small so work stays responsive and predictable. Deliverables Concise decision brief (options, trade-offs, constraints) Target architecture and configuration standards Implementation runbook with test and rollback steps Operational docs: onboarding/offboarding, patching, backups Handover session with next-step actions Kick-off (typical) Discovery: objectives, constraints, current topology Baseline review: inventory, configs, risks Plan: milestones, owners, acceptance criteria Execution support as needed (pilot → rollout) Billing is POA. Time-based work is logged in one-hour blocks unless otherwise agreed. For urgent break/fix incidents, see Emergency Support.

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Help when you need it, no strings attached.

Ad-hoc support is for one-off fixes, small projects, or occasional help. You ask for time when you need it, without an ongoing plan. It suits teams with very light operational needs who want a clear, predictable cost for each piece of work.Without a standing arrangement, each request starts from cold: we confirm access, learn enough of your stack to act safely, and schedule work alongside existing commitments. That’s fair and transparent—but it can add a little delay compared with retained clients.If you only need help a few times a year, ad-hoc is efficient. If needs increase, costs and response time can exceed a retainer. Many emergencies we see relate to drift—missed updates, stale plugins, untested changes, unclear ownership—so if your change-rate grows, a small monthly plan can reduce risk and time to fix.Ad-hoc gives you senior engineering on tap for light tasks: DNS tweaks, mailbox adjustments, config checks, or small site fixes. Work is documented and changes are reversible. If your pattern becomes more regular, you can switch to a retainer for queue priority, smaller billing blocks, and a lower effective rate.Rates & Terms: £30 per 20-minute block. No included time. Scheduled around retained clients. Best for light, occasional tasks.If requests become regular or urgent, a small retainer lowers the rate and improves response time.

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An adult in the room when it matters.

Level-3 support is for complex issues that require senior engineering depth: analysis, forensics, or specialist integrations. These are tasks where standard support isn’t enough, and experience with architecture, scaling, or recovery makes the difference. We’ll scope each job with you and agree a fixed fee before starting.Typical areas include:Rescuing failed Exchange/IMAP migrationsKernel or storage tuning for high-volume mailComplex DNS/mailflow debuggingRecovery after unsupported changes or failed patchesCustom integrations (auth, logging, monitoring)Billing is POA, with work typically logged in 15-minute increments. For urgent break/fix incidents, see Emergency Support (no-fix-no-fee).

Beyond the Catalogue