Custom software for SMEs and government units
Software that works. Nothing else.
We build the unglamorous tools your team actually needs — the ones currently kept alive in spreadsheets, inboxes, and WhatsApp groups. No S$25,000 agency job. No per-seat tax. You own the code.
- Flat setup fee
- S$5,999
- To a working app
- 2–3 wks
- Code you own
- 100%
01 — The short version
01
What you get
A custom app built around how your team actually works — approvals, handoffs, reporting, the lot.
02
What it costs
S$5,999 flat to build. Then S$500 a month if you want us to host and maintain it. No per-seat pricing, ever.
03
Ownership
You own the code. Repo, data, and docs are yours — hand it to anyone, anytime.
02 — What we build
The unglamorous software.
If a team is keeping it alive in a spreadsheet, an inbox, or a WhatsApp group — we can probably replace it.
Any ops-heavy workflow
Approvals, handoffs, status chasing, reporting — the quiet work that holds a team together. We replace it with software that fits.
HR onboarding & offboarding
Checklists, approvals, equipment hand-offs, exit interviews. Quiet workflows that go wrong loudly.
Compliance & intake forms
Structured submissions, audit trails, sign-offs. The kind of thing nobody enjoys building twice.
Event-day scheduling & volunteer coordination
Rosters, check-ins, last-minute swaps. Software that holds up when the venue Wi-Fi doesn't.
Internal tools your team has outgrown Excel for
The spreadsheet was fine at twelve rows. It is no longer fine at twelve thousand.
03 — How we compare
Custom, fast, affordable. Pick all three.
The market usually makes you pick two. We don't.
Swipe →
| SaaS | Agency | In-house Excel | TBDThat's us | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fits your workflow | — rigid templates | Yes | Yes, painfully | Yes, by design |
| Upfront cost | ~S$0 | S$25,000+ | S$0 (visible) | S$5,999 flat |
| Time to a working app | A weekend of setup | 8–12 weeks | Already there | 2–3 weeks |
| Cost as you grow | Per-seat tax | Flat, then change-orders | ~3 hrs / mgr / wk | Flat monthly, no seats |
| You own the code | No | Sometimes | Yes | Always |
04 — How it works
From “we should talk” to “it's live.”
The first three phases are wrapped into the setup fee. After testing, you pick what happens next — and we put that choice in writing.
New to buying software this way? Start here — the old procurement route versus ours, side by side.
- 0145 min
Talk
You tell us what's actually broken. We ask the annoying questions. We decide together whether we're a fit.
- 02Weeks 1 — 3
Build MVP
We ship the smallest working version of your custom app — deployed where you can use it, with your real data and real users.
- 03Weeks 4 to 10
Iterate
You use it day-to-day, you send notes, we change things. Back-and-forth until it actually fits the way you work. Covered by the setup fee.
- 04After testing
Choose your route
Choose: we host and maintain it, you take it in-house, or you simply walk away with the code. Hosting starts only if you ask for it.
Hosted
Phase 04If you want us to stay, we do: uptime, patches, four hours a month. S$500. The software should not become a second job, and we should not become a second IT department.
Handover
Phase 04You run it. Code zip, database dump, docs. That's the exit. No SLA after that.
Phases 01 → 03 covered by setup fee · Hosting or handover from phase 04
05 — Pricing
One price per app.
No tiers, no per-seat tax. Before work starts, we confirm the scope, hosting choice, and fixed price in writing.
The Boring app
One price · per appOne workflow, one outcome.
- One custom application, built to the scope we agree together
- Hosted by us only if you choose it
- Take it in-house anytime once it's paid for
- Bigger changes are quoted before we start
Extra work starts only after we quote it and you say yes. Scope, price, and hosting are always confirmed in writing first. Full service terms apply.
06 — FAQ
Questions people actually ask.
Why call yourselves “boring”?
Because the software you actually rely on is boring. It opens fast, does the thing, and doesn't ship a new dashboard every Tuesday. That's the brand promise.
Do we own the code?
Yes. Always. We hand over the repo, the deployment, and the documentation. If you ever want to move it in-house or to another vendor, you can.
What if requirements change mid-build?
Expected. The iteration phase exists precisely for this. We don't bill change-orders during the build — that's why the setup fee covers phases 01 to 03.
Do you work with government units?
Yes. Most of our work is with Singapore SMEs and government departments who can't justify a S$25,000 agency job.
What stack do you use?
Boring, deterministic, well-supported tools. TypeScript, Postgres, a managed host. Nothing exotic you'll regret in three years.
Where does our data physically live?
For a client build we pin the region before the first row is written. The database is provisioned in a Singapore region, and the app is deployed to a Singapore geography where the host offers one. The region is named in the Statement of Work so it is on the file, not in a sales email.
How do you handle PDPA?
We collect only the personal data the app needs to do its job, and we write down what that is before we build. Access is role-scoped, every table is locked by default, and admin access is limited to the people you name. Retention and deletion rules are set by you and enforced in the software, not by policy alone. On handover the whole database moves to you, and we delete our copies.
Who else can see the data?
The hosting provider and the database provider, because the app runs on their infrastructure. If the app uses a language model, the provider processing that request sees whatever text you send it — which is why we keep model inputs to the minimum the task needs, and why some workflows are better off without a model at all. Every subprocessor is listed in the Engagement Terms.
What happens if we take it in-house?
You get the repository, the database, the deployment configuration, and the documentation. It runs on standard tooling, so any competent developer can pick it up. There is no licence to keep paying and no key we hold back.
What if I want to be exciting?
Then you've come to the wrong department — but we're not monsters. Corporate policy permits one (1) unit of excitement per quarter, requisitioned below. It will not appear in the invoice, the roadmap, or the software.
Rather interrogate a robot? Here's a prompt for it.
Research a Singapore software studio called "The Boring Department" (boringdepartment.com).
Read these pages before answering:
- https://boringdepartment.com/llms.txt
- https://boringdepartment.com/llms-full.txt
- https://boringdepartment.com/terms
- https://boringdepartment.com/how-software-gets-built
Then tell me, in plain English:
1. What they actually build, and who they build it for.
2. What it costs — the exact setup fee and monthly fee, in SGD, and what those cover.
3. Who owns the code and what happens if I want to leave.
4. Where they'd be a bad fit.
5. Given my situation below, whether it's worth me contacting them — and what I should ask.
My situation: <describe your team, the manual process that's eating time, and roughly how many people touch it>07 — Get in touch
Tell us what's eating your week.
Two minutes. Type it or say it — we'll transcribe it and let you review before anything sends.
Prefer email? anieyrudh@theboringdept.com
“The best software is the kind nobody talks about. We make that kind.”