Engagement models & indicative bands
Three engagement shapes. Published bands. No negotiation.
Every engagement with the practice runs on one of three procurement shapes — fixed-scope, time-and-materials, or managed services — and lands inside a published indicative band. We do not negotiate on either. We do pick the right task for the budget you bring to the briefing.
Fixed-scope
A defined build with clear acceptance criteria, fixed price, and a named engagement lead. Used when the outcome is known and the scope can be written down.
Time & materials
A discovery-led engagement where scope is genuinely unknown at the outset. Used for platform investigations, architecture studies, and complex multi-entity rollouts where the work reveals itself.
Managed services
Production operations, upgrades, observability and patching under a response-time SLA. Used when the practice is engaged to run what it has built, on infrastructure the client owns.
Indicative bands
| Engagement shape | Indicative band | Engagement model | Typical scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legacy ERP replacementMulti-entity, regulated, 50–500 users | Indicative on briefing | Fixed-scope or T&M | Discovery-led, structured phases |
| B2B or regulated commerce platformDistributor, marketplace, or D2C at scale | Indicative on briefing | Fixed-scope | Multi-asset catalogue, KYC, settlement |
| One stack for commerce & operationsD2C at scale, multi-channel | Indicative on briefing | Fixed-scope or T&M | Storefront, OMS, finance, marketing |
| Managed servicesProduction operations, response-time SLA | Indicative on briefing | Managed services | Observability, upgrades, patching |
Wide bands because the number genuinely moves: how many entities, which modules, how much customisation, and the data-migration complexity — that last one is the most common reason a quote moves after scoping. Zero of it is licence fees.
Get your own indicative band
The three estimators below are un-gated. Pick the platform estimator if you already know the shape of the engagement; use the stack planner if you are scoping across ERP, commerce, CRM and marketing together. The output is the same starting point the practice uses internally.
Open source ERP — zero licence fees, pay only for implementation and hosting.
| What goes into your build | What you get | One-time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform foundationcharged once, in every build | Frappe site setup, users, roles & permissions, print formats, base training and go-live support — charged once, shared by everything below | ₹1.0L | |
| Departments — the core | |||
| Accounting & Bookserpnext · Accounts | Chart of accounts, invoicing, payments, bank reconciliation — adds your country's statutory pack below | ₹1.2L | |
| CRMerpnext · CRM / Frappe CRM | Leads, deals, pipeline and follow-ups | ₹80k | |
| Sellingerpnext · Selling | Quotations, sales orders, pricing rules, delivery notes | ₹70k | |
| Buyingerpnext · Buying | Purchase orders, supplier quotations, vendor bills | ₹60k | |
| Stockerpnext · Stock | Warehouses, batches/serials, barcode, reorder levels | ₹90k | |
| Manufacturingerpnext · Manufacturing | BOM, work orders, MRP, subcontracting, shop floor | ₹3.0L | |
| Qualityerpnext · Quality | Inspections, non-conformance, quality actions | ₹60k | |
| Maintenanceerpnext · Maintenance | Preventive schedules and visits for machines and assets | ₹50k | |
| Assetserpnext · Assets | Asset register, depreciation, capitalisation, disposal | ₹60k | |
| Subscriptionserpnext · Accounts | Recurring billing, retainers, renewal invoices | ₹60k | |
| HR & Payrollhrms (Frappe HR) | Payroll runs, statutory deductions, leave, attendance, self-service | ₹1.5L | |
| Projectserpnext · Projects | Tasks, timesheets, project costing and billing | ₹70k | |
| Helpdeskhelpdesk | Tickets, SLAs, complaints and warranty tracking | ₹60k | |
| POS & Retailerpnext · POS | Counter billing, offline mode, hardware integration | ₹1.0L | |
| eCommercewebshop / Medusa | Online store synced with stock, price lists and orders | ₹1.8L | |
| Interfaces, apps & analytics | |||
| Polygin — WhatsApp Businesspolygin | Catalogue, orders, confirmations and dispatch updates in chat (polyg.in) | ₹80k | |
| Email & Campaignserpnext · Email + Mautic | Quotes, invoices and offers out; replies file on the right record | ₹50k | |
| SMS & Alertscustom gateway | OTPs, payment reminders and delivery alerts, automated | ₹30k | |
| Live Chat & Botraven + AI | Routine questions answered day and night, escalation to a person | ₹70k | |
| Telecallingtelephony | Click-to-call with every call logged on the customer record | ₹50k | |
| Websitebuilder | Public face — catalogue, prices, enquiry forms | ₹70k | |
| Customer Portalerpnext · Portal | Customers see their own orders, invoices and complaints | ₹50k | |
| Customer Mobile Appcustom (React Native) | Your store or portal as a native iOS + Android app | ₹2.5L | |
| Marketplacesecommerce_integrations | Amazon, Flipkart, ONDC selling from the same stock figure | ₹1.0L | |
| Payment Gatewayspayments | UPI, cards, COD and EMI landing on the right invoice | ₹40k | |
| Loyalty & Offerserpnext · Selling | Points, coupons and referrals across every channel | ₹60k | |
| Field Sales Appcustom mobile | Reps take orders at the counter, priced and stock-checked | ₹1.2L | |
| Warehouse Scannererpnext · Stock + scanner | Scan to pick, pack and count on handhelds | ₹70k | |
| Approvals & Workflowsfrappe · Workflow | Discounts, POs and leave follow the rules you set | ₹40k | |
| Supplier Portalerpnext · Portal | Suppliers quote directly; you compare side by side | ₹80k | |
| Dealer Portalcustom portal | Dealers self-order at their own prices, any hour | ₹1.2L | |
| Logistics & Shippingcustom integration | Book pickups, print labels, track deliveries | ₹70k | |
| Branches & Franchiseserpnext · multi-company | Every location on one system with its own stock and books | ₹80k | |
| Connected Systemsn8n + REST | Partner systems exchange documents automatically | ₹90k | |
| Business Intelligenceinsights | Slice any number by branch, product, customer, salesperson | ₹90k | |
| Forecasting & Replenishmenterpnext · Stock + insights | What to buy and make next month, from what actually sold | ₹60k | |
| AI Assistantcustom (LLM) | Ask a plain question, get the answer from your own data | ₹90k | |
3 blocks selected — pick 4+ blocks and a multi-block efficiency discount kicks in.
No per-user licence, ever — this only prices extra training and rollout effort.
Only affects cost when Accounting is in scope.
Data migration
Customisation level
Hosting
Fixes, updates, statutory patch upgrades and support — charged yearly as a percentage of the one-time build.
Beyond ERPNext (separate services)
Estimated implementation
₹5.9L–₹8.3L
one-time · zero licence fee
Hosting / year
₹1.4L–₹1.8L
AMC / year
₹1.1L–₹1.5L
Go-live
9–12 weeks
Phase-wise breakup
How the engagement is delivered and invoiced.
Discovery & blueprint (free for India)
Process mapping, gap analysis, solution blueprint and a fixed-scope SOW
Free
~2 wk
Configuration & build
Blocks configured, workflows, roles, print formats
₹2.5L–₹3.5L
~4 wk
Data migration & integrations
Masters, balances, history and third-party connections
₹1.0L–₹1.4L
~2 wk
UAT & training
Test cycles with your team, fixes, and user training
₹1.4L–₹1.9L
~2 wk
Go-live & hypercare
Cutover, parallel run and close support after launch
₹1.1L–₹1.5L
~2 wk
Included for India
India — GST & e-Invoicing
- GSTR-1 / GSTR-3B return preparation
- e-Invoicing with IRN + QR via the IRP
- e-Way bill generation
- TDS / TCS tracking and certificates
india_compliance
What a discovery briefing produces
Every briefing is led by a principal consultant and produces three artefacts: an architecture pressure-test identifying the highest-cost gaps in the current operating model, an engagement model recommendation matched to the procurement posture, and a written brief the procurement team can take to a steering committee. The briefing is the same conversation either way — with or without the calculators in hand.
Still comparing options? See ERPNext vs Zoho, or the wider ERPNext comparison cluster.
Frequently asked questions
What does engagement with the practice look like?
Three models, picked to match the engagement shape rather than the budget. Fixed-scope for a defined build with clear acceptance criteria. Time-and-materials where scope is genuinely unknown and we need to discover alongside delivery. Managed services for production operations, upgrades, observability, and patching under a defined SLA. Every model is documented in a statement of work with named owners, governance gates, and acceptance criteria before the first invoice.
What are the indicative bands?
The bands below are the starting point, not the ending. A complex multi-entity ERP rollout typically runs in the upper band; a single-platform Medusa build sits lower; the right task for a given budget is one of the things a discovery briefing is for. The bands move with users, modules, customisation, and data migration complexity — the last of those is the most common reason a quote moves after scoping.
Can the practice work within a defined budget?
Yes — and we will tell you what to cut first. Bring a budget to the briefing, and we will identify the highest-value task that fits inside it: the engagement that moves the operating model the most, in the order it pays back. We do not stretch scope to match a number, and we do not pretend a smaller budget buys the same engagement as a larger one. The bands on this page are not negotiable; the scoping inside a budget is.
Is there a licence fee on top?
No. ERPNext, Medusa, and the rest of the open-source stack are not licensed by Mithtech or by anyone else in the engagement. The bands below cover implementation and, where the practice is engaged to operate, managed services — never a per-user or per-seat software licence. That is the single largest cost difference against proprietary suites like SAP, Shopify, or Zoho, which bill every month for as long as they are in use.
What is the difference between the three estimators below?
The ERPNext and Medusa estimators are platform-specific — pick your modules or extensions and get a precise band for that platform. The stack planner is broader: answer a few questions about the engagement (industry, scale, compliance, urgency) and it recommends a full stack across ERP, commerce, CRM and marketing, scoped and banded together. Use the platform estimators when you already know what you are building; use the planner when you are not yet sure.
Are these bands binding?
No — every number here is indicative, anchored to the practice’s published bands, not a quote. A fixed price is confirmed in a discovery briefing once we understand the exact engagement, integrations, and data-migration scope. The briefing is the same conversation either way — with or without the calculators in hand.
Request a discovery briefing.
A 30-minute working session with a principal consultant. The output is a written brief — yours to share with the board or take to a different practice.
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