41 Labs · for Richard

Pricing a custom rental system: four questions

Richard, thank you for Wednesday. This is the first client your pilot advice fits. They are not a new lead: they are already a paying 41 Labs client. Below is who they are, what they want, and what I plan to quote. The four questions are at the end.

1The client

2 brands4 branches in Singapore

180 carsplanning for 500

Google Sheetsruns the whole business today

Existing clientpays us for the WhatsApp sales AI

They already work with us. In August they paid S$10,600 up front for the WhatsApp AI, plus S$1,500 a month. They paid in full with no argument, and that AI is live in their business today.

2What they want

One system for the whole business. Their team built this sample with AI to show us. It is layout only, with made-up data.

Sample overview: cost totals and a Due soon list of insurance, lease and inspection dates, with 12 tabs below — Home screen: costs, and what is due soon. 12 tabs underneath.

Booking grid: cars across the top, days down the side, each cell coded on rent, reserved, workshop or free — Booking grid: every car, every day. This replaces their main Sheet.

One car's file: ownership, supplier, inspection, lease, insurance and logcard details — One file per car: lease, insurance, inspection, logcard.

The sample covers only the fleet part. On our calls they also asked for the rest:

Fleet recordsCars, repairs, insurance, accidents, documents. In the sample.

BookingsFrom their website and five booking sites, with prices.

Contracts and paymentsE-signature, deposits, handover and return.

ReportsCar use and margin, WhatsApp reminders.

Their own AIA full AI over the whole system. Their team can change and update it themselves and ask it any question they want. It runs on the same AI credits as their WhatsApp AI.

They are comparing quotes from vendors who quoted a full ERP.

See the full list we will send them (30 items, no prices, client names removed)

3What I plan to quote

Step 1: 8-week pilotS$15,000Fleet records and the booking grid on their real cars. S$6,000 to start, S$9,000 at week 8 only if the success criteria are met.

Step 2: the full systemS$60,000Includes the pilot fee. Bookings, contracts, payments, reports and their own AI. 40% at the start of each stage. Our list price is S$80,000, reduced for a case study.

Monthly, from go-liveS$1,200Hosting, support and the AI. AI use is tagged to their existing credits. Flat, no charge per car. Or S$12,000 a year (10 months for 12).

The pilot passes if: all cars and 6 months of bookings match their Sheets, staff use it instead of the Sheet from week 5, no car is booked twice, and every insurance, tax and lease date is right.

4What they could buy instead

Option	Cost
Ready-made rental software	About S$930 a month at 180 cars, S$2,600 at 500
A software agency building a custom ERP	Usually S$130,000 and up
Us, first 5 years in total	About S$120,000

Why us over the ERP vendors: we already run AI inside their business, and it works. The ERP vendors have no experience building AI, and none of them know this client. We would add the system to a relationship that is already working.

5The four questions

Is S$15,000 the right first step?Or should it be smaller, closer to the few thousand dollars you mentioned? They paid S$10,600 for the WhatsApp AI without pushing back.
Is S$60,000 right for the full system?For a Singapore company this size. Too high, too low, or will it lose to the full ERP quotes they have?
How do we avoid being compared line by line?They are lining us up against ERP vendors. Should we lead with the pilot only and leave the full price for later?
Can this project be funded by a grant?The client wants to apply for a government grant (for example EDG or PSG). Can we be the vendor on a grant for this, and does that change how we should price or stage it?

A short reply on WhatsApp is perfect, even one line per question.

Thank you, Richard.
Alexander, 41 Labs