Workflow automation · Micro business (under 10 staff) · Professional services
Back-office workflow automation for a sole-practitioner surveyor
Automation of enquiry handling and quoting at a sole-practitioner surveyor, using workflow tools with AI steps where judgement on text is needed and a person checking the exceptions. Built with low-cost tools the owner can maintain.
Illustrative cost
£2,500 to £8,000 ex VAT
- Typical
- £4,000
- Duration
- About 5 weeks
- Effort
- 5 to 10.5 days
Illustrative estimate, not a quote. Real prices vary.
Worked out from UK freelance contractor day rates in job adverts, with no consultancy or agency margin added. Consultancies and agencies usually charge more.
Source: IT Jobs Watch. Rates read on ; costs computed on .
What is included
- Process mapping and a measured baseline
- Workflow automations using low-code tools
- AI steps for classifying or drafting text
- Testing and rollout to the team
Deliverables
- Working automations
- Process documentation
- Before-and-after time measures
Assumptions
- Systems involved have APIs or connectors
- Low-code tools the client already licenses or will buy
- One process, end to end
Not included
- Replacing core systems
- Tool licences
Project plan
Phases run one after another, about 5 weeks in all.
| Phase | Weeks | Main tasks |
|---|---|---|
| Process mapping | 1 | Map the process; Measure the baseline |
| Build | 2 | Build flows; Exception handling |
| AI steps | 1 | Classification or drafting prompts; Checks |
| Test and rollout | 1 | Testing; Team training |
Who does the work
Person-days per role in each phase, low and high effort.
| Phase | Role | Days (low to high) |
|---|---|---|
| Process mapping | Business analyst | 1 to 2 days |
| Build | AI engineer | 2.5 to 5 days |
| AI steps | Generative AI (LLM) engineer | 0.5 to 1.5 days |
| Test and rollout | Test engineer | 0.5 to 1 day |
| Test and rollout | Project manager | 0.5 to 1 day |
How the cost adds up
| Role | Low (days × 25th percentile) | Typical (days × median) | High (days × 90th percentile) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business analyst | 1 × £425 = £425 | 1.5 × £500 = £750 | 2 × £662 = £1,324 |
| AI engineer | 2.5 × £488 = £1,220 | 3.75 × £589 = £2,209 | 5 × £863 = £4,315 |
| Generative AI (LLM) engineer | 0.5 × £417 = £209 | 1 × £543 = £543 | 1.5 × £825 = £1,238 |
| Test engineer | 0.5 × £350 = £175 | 0.75 × £438 = £329 | 1 × £588 = £588 |
| Project manager | 0.5 × £451 = £226 | 0.75 × £540 = £405 | 1 × £714 = £714 |
| Total, rounded | £2,500 | £4,000 | £8,000 |
How these estimates are worked out
Effort: for each phase we estimate how many days each role works, as a low and a high case. These are our estimates for a typical project of this kind, not measured data.
Rates: each role's daily rate comes from UK contract job adverts over the last six months, as published by IT Jobs Watch. These are freelance contractor rates as advertised, not what was paid, and not what a consultancy or agency charges.
Low end: the low-effort days at each role's 25th-percentile rate. We use the 25th percentile, not the 10th, because the lowest effort at the cheapest rates gives a floor few buyers would ever meet.
Typical: the mid-point between low and high effort, at each role's median rate.
High end: the high-effort days at each role's 90th-percentile rate.
Totals are rounded to the nearest £500 below £10,000 and the nearest £1,000 above, and exclude VAT. Phases run one after another.
Not included:
- Software licences, model and hosting fees
- Travel and expenses
- Your own staff's time
- A consultancy's or agency's margin, overheads and risk
Real prices vary with the supplier, the state of your data and systems, how much of the work your own team does, where the work happens and how much risk the supplier carries. Consultancies and agencies usually charge more than these contractor rates, and a fixed price usually costs more than time and materials because the supplier takes the risk.
Sources
Source: IT Jobs Watch: UK contract job adverts quoting a daily rate, 6 months to 15 November 2026. Each role's page was read on . Published under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
| Role | IT Jobs Watch page | Rates quoted | 25th percentile | Median | 90th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business analyst | Business Analyst | 1,394 | £425 | £500 | £662 |
| AI engineer | Artificial Intelligence Engineer | 384 | £488 | £589 | £863 |
| Generative AI (LLM) engineerIT Jobs Watch has no "LLM Engineer" or "Prompt Engineer" title with daily rates; mapped to the closest title, Gen AI Engineer. | Gen AI Engineer | 30 | £417 | £543 | £825 |
| Test engineer | Test Engineer | 245 | £350 | £438 | £588 |
| Project manager | Project Manager | 1,226 | £451 | £540 | £714 |