Question 1

How does a project start?

Accepted Answer

With a free call, then discovery. For most builds that is the Workflow Audit: every member of staff documents their own repeating work and the result comes back priced in pounds. For a single site or system, a shorter scoping engagement does the same job in less time.

Question 2

What is a fixed-price phase?

Accepted Answer

A written scope for one stage of the work and one number for it, agreed before it starts. If we got the number wrong, that is our problem, not yours. Larger systems are split into phases, and every phase ships something you can use.

Question 3

Do we own the code?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The repository, the cloud account and the database are opened in your name in the first week. If you stop working with us, everything stays where it is and any competent developer can pick it up.

Question 4

Who hosts it?

Accepted Answer

You do, in your own cloud account, with the bill going to you so you see every line item. We set it up, and we can run it for you under an optional monthly support arrangement, but nothing sits behind an Evolve login.

Question 5

What happens if we want to stop after one phase?

Accepted Answer

You stop. Each phase ends with a documented handover, so what you have paid for is usable on its own. There is no retainer to unwind and no notice period.

Question 6

Do you work outside Bristol?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We are based in Bristol and work with businesses across the UK, in person across the South West and remotely everywhere else.

Question 7

How do you use AI when you build?

Accepted Answer

For the mechanical parts: scaffolding the project, writing database migrations and tests, generating seed data, drafting documentation and reviewing changes for regressions. That is where the weeks go on a traditional build, and where our price is lower.

Question 8

What does AI not do in your process?

Accepted Answer

It does not decide the requirements, choose what not to build, sign off a demo, or talk to your staff. A person reads every line that ships. The judgement is ours; the code is yours.

Question 9

What is bespoke software?

Accepted Answer

Software designed and written for one business to fit its own process, rather than a package adapted to it. We wrote a plain guide with examples and the drawbacks as well as the advantages.

Question 10

When is off-the-shelf the right answer?

Accepted Answer

When a package already does most of what you need and the rest is habit. Accounting, payroll, email and a brochure website with no integrations are almost never worth building. We say so on the first call.

Question 11

Can you replace our existing software?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and often that is the job. A packaged CRM or a desktop program that has become the bottleneck gets replaced with a system built around how the work actually runs. Where a package still does its job, we integrate with it instead of rebuilding it. The audit tells us which is which.

Question 12

Can you integrate with our accounts package or CRM?

Accepted Answer

Usually, yes. Most modern packages have an API we can connect to directly. Where one does not, we build a bridge, and we tell you in the first week if a system is going to be awkward.

Question 13

How long does a build take?

Accepted Answer

A first fixed-price phase usually goes live within eight weeks of sign-off. Larger systems ship in phases, starting with the part that hurts most, and you see working software every week from the second week of the build.

Question 14

Do you build websites as well as systems?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Often the website sits in front of the system, so we build both in one codebase and launch the public site first.

Question 15

Rebuild or refresh?

Accepted Answer

A refresh changes how the site looks and is enough when the structure is sound and the platform is supported. You need a rebuild when the site is slow, hard to edit, tied to a page builder, or no longer matches what the company does.

Question 16

Will we lose our Google rankings?

Accepted Answer

Not if the redirect map is done properly. Every old URL gets a mapped destination before launch, and we fetch every one of them on launch day to check. Rankings are lost in the redirect map, not in the redesign.

Question 17

Can you get us off WordPress or a page builder?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The content comes out, the design is rebuilt, and the plugin stack goes away. Where WordPress is the right platform for you, we say so and clean it up instead.

Question 18

Our system runs on one PC. Can you replace it?

Accepted Answer

Yes. That is the most common legacy problem we see: a desktop program licensed to one machine, one person who knows the menus, and a backup on a USB stick. We get the data out, rebuild the system for the whole team, and keep the old program read-only.

Question 19

Do we have to stop using the old system on day one?

Accepted Answer

No. Old and new run in parallel until agreed cut-over criteria are met and signed off. After that the old system stays available read-only for as long as you want it.

Question 20

Is AI safe for regulated industries?

Accepted Answer

Yes, when deployed correctly. Our Secure AI Platform is specifically designed for regulated industries including financial services, legal, and healthcare. It runs within your own private cloud infrastructure, ensuring data never leaves your control and providing the audit trails regulators expect.

Question 21

How does private AI differ from public AI tools?

Accepted Answer

Public AI tools like ChatGPT send your data to external servers for processing. Private AI runs entirely within your own infrastructure. Your data never leaves your cloud environment, giving you complete control over security, access, and compliance. This is essential for regulated industries.

Question 22

What is a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)?

Accepted Answer

A VPC is an isolated section of a cloud provider's network that is dedicated exclusively to your organisation. Our Secure AI Platform deploys within your AWS VPC, meaning all AI processing occurs inside your own private network perimeter, completely separated from the public internet.

Question 23

How does AWS Bedrock keep data secure?

Accepted Answer

AWS Bedrock provides access to leading AI models within the AWS cloud. When deployed in a VPC with PrivateLink, your data stays within your AWS account at all times. AWS does not use your data to train its models, and all communication occurs over private network connections.

Question 24

Can AI be GDPR compliant?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Private AI deployment actually simplifies GDPR compliance because data stays within your controlled environment. Key requirements include having a lawful basis for processing, implementing data minimisation, maintaining records of processing activities, and conducting Data Protection Impact Assessments for high-risk AI applications.

Question 25

Does the FCA allow AI in financial services?

Accepted Answer

The FCA does not prohibit AI use and actively encourages responsible adoption. They expect firms to maintain appropriate governance, ensure explainability of AI-driven decisions, implement proper oversight, and demonstrate that AI use delivers good customer outcomes under Consumer Duty.

Question 26

What audit trails does AI need?

Accepted Answer

For regulated industries, AI systems should log all inputs, outputs, model versions, user interactions, and decision rationales. Our platform records who accessed what data, when, and what AI outputs were generated, meeting the expectations of the FCA, SRA, and other regulators.

Question 27

How do we prevent data leaks with AI?

Accepted Answer

Private AI deployment is the most effective protection. By running AI within your own VPC, data never leaves your network. Additional safeguards include end-to-end encryption, role-based access controls, SSO authentication, input and output filtering, and full audit logging.

Question 28

What encryption does a secure AI platform use?

Accepted Answer

Our platform uses AES-256 encryption at rest and TLS 1.3 for data in transit. All communication between components occurs over private network connections within your VPC. Encryption keys are managed through AWS KMS, giving you full control over key rotation and access policies.

Question 29

Can AI process NHS patient data securely?

Accepted Answer

Yes, with a private AI deployment. Our Secure AI Platform runs within NHS-approved AWS infrastructure, meeting DSPT requirements and Caldicott Principles. Patient data never leaves the controlled environment. All access is logged, encrypted, and subject to role-based controls.

Question 30

How much does bespoke software cost?

Accepted Answer

It depends on scope, so we quote a fixed price per phase after discovery rather than guessing on a call. What moves the price is the number of user types and screens, the systems it has to connect to, how much data has to move across, and how much evidence a regulator will want.

Question 31

Why no day rates?

Accepted Answer

Because a day rate rewards slowness. A fixed price per phase means we carry the risk of getting the estimate wrong, and you know the number before you commit. It also means we have every reason to use AI for the mechanical work rather than bill you for it.

Question 32

Are there hidden costs?

Accepted Answer

No, but there are running costs, and we list them in the proposal: hosting, the database, email sending, payments processing and any AI usage, all billed to your own accounts so you see the line items. If scope changes mid-phase we say so and quote the change before doing it.

Question 33

What does it cost to run afterwards?

Accepted Answer

The cloud services in your own name, billed to you directly, and optional monthly support from us if you want it. We size the hosting during discovery and tell you what to expect; most systems for a business of this size run on modest infrastructure.

Question 34

How long does the Workflow Audit take?

Accepted Answer

About three weeks from launch to the report on your desk. Each member of staff spends 15 to 30 minutes documenting their own repeating work; the rest of the time is ours.

Question 35

How do we measure whether it worked?

Accepted Answer

Against the hours and cost the audit recorded before we started, counted the same way afterwards. If we built a booking system, the measure is the time booking took before and after. A number you cannot interrogate is not worth having.

Question 36

Where is Evolve based?

Accepted Answer

Bristol. We work with businesses across the UK, in person across the South West and remotely everywhere else.

Question 37

Who do you work with?

Accepted Answer

Businesses of roughly 20 to 250 staff, typically £5M to £50M in revenue. Sectors we know best are financial and professional services, healthcare and medical training, trade and workshop businesses, and hospitality, travel and marine. The method does not depend on knowing your sector.

Question 38

How are you different from an agency?

Accepted Answer

Fixed prices instead of day rates, discovery before design, and AI doing the mechanical work so the price is lower. We will also tell you when not to build. An agency is paid to build; we are paid to be right about what to build.

Question 39

Do you offer ongoing support?

Accepted Answer

Yes, optionally and monthly. We fix what breaks, add what you ask for, and never hold the keys. Every project ends with a documented handover whether you take support or not.

Question 40

How do we get started?

Accepted Answer

Book a free initial alignment call. Its job is to work out whether we are the right fit, and if we are not we will say so. From there most projects start with the Workflow Audit or a shorter scoping engagement.

Questions people ask before they hire us

Working with us

Bespoke software and systems

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Security and data

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