How SQM Architects Saved $18K+ by Ditching Three SaaS Subscriptions

The Client

SQM Architects is a Melbourne-based architecture firm specialising in residential and small commercial projects. Like many professional services firms, they had accumulated a stack of software tools over several years — each added to solve a specific problem, none designed to work together.

Their monthly software bill had crept up to $1,800/month without anyone noticing. That’s $21,600 per year for a firm with fewer than 10 staff.

The Problem

Three tools were doing overlapping jobs:

1. A CRM system ($650/mo) for tracking client enquiries and project status
2. A project management tool ($480/mo) for task tracking and team collaboration
3. A fee proposal tool ($380/mo) for generating client quotes and engagement letters

The pain wasn’t just cost. Data lived in three places, nothing synced automatically, and the admin overhead of keeping everything updated was consuming hours every week. The team had started creating workarounds — spreadsheets to bridge the gaps between tools.

“We were spending more time managing our tools than managing our projects.”

— Principal, SQM Architects

What We Built

We built a single, integrated system that replaced all three tools:

• Client CRM with pipeline stages matched to their actual workflow (enquiry, brief, fee proposal, engagement, design, documentation, construction)
• Project dashboard with task management, milestone tracking, and automated status updates
• Fee proposal generator powered by Claude that creates professional proposals from brief project descriptions, with customisable templates matching their brand

The AI component was the differentiator. The fee proposal tool doesn’t just fill in a template — it analyses the project brief, references similar past projects, and generates a detailed scope and fee estimate that the architect reviews and sends.

The Results

After six months of operation:

• Software cost reduced from $1,800/mo to $72/mo (hosting + API usage)
• First-year savings: $18,336+ (net of build cost)
• Proposal generation time: from 2-3 hours to 15 minutes
• Admin overhead: reduced by approximately 6 hours per week

Key Takeaways

This project demonstrated three principles we see consistently:

Small firms benefit most from consolidation. When every dollar and every hour counts, eliminating tool sprawl has an outsized impact. If you are wondering whether your own business is at the right stage for a custom build, our guide to the five signs your business is ready for a custom AI tool is a good starting point.

AI-powered features create genuine value. The fee proposal generator didn’t just replicate what they had — it made the process meaningfully faster and better.

Custom doesn’t mean complicated. The entire system runs on a single server, uses a straightforward tech stack, and was built in under 6 weeks. To understand what a build like this typically costs and what factors influence the investment, see our 2026 custom AI app pricing guide.

Interested in exploring what a custom-built system could look like for your business? Get in touch with our team for a free discovery call.