Cost · Rate · Timeline EXecution · v0.1 · For consulting, product and delivery teams

From first idea to
costed estimate.

CORTEX estimates any project — consulting engagement, product sprint, startup build, or delivery team initiative. Work item library, platform splits, CapEx and OpEx modelled separately. In under 30 minutes.

Start estimating → Why this matters

Free, always Runs in your browser No login required No data leaves your device Open source

~25 min

Any project type

Config questions

CapEx

Project delivery cost

+ OpEx

Monthly running cost

The problem

Most IT consulting estimates are broken before they're written

27%

Average IT project cost overrun

Across large IT engagements, actual delivery cost exceeds the original bid by more than a quarter — not because of bad delivery, but because the estimate never reflected real risk.

McKinsey — Delivering large-scale IT projects on time, on budget

8–12pt

Margin erosion on fixed-price deals

The gap between bid margin and realised margin averages 8–12 percentage points on fixed-price engagements above £2M. The primary driver: scope that was never properly broken down at estimation.

Consulting profitability benchmarks, Deltek PSA Research

Proposals that model OpEx accurately

Almost no IT consulting proposals include the client's post-go-live running costs. The client finds out what cloud, licences, and hosting actually cost — after the contract is signed.

Practitioner observation across enterprise IT projects

Before and after

What changes when you estimate in CORTEX

The estimation problems are well-known. The tools to fix them haven't been free, simple, and browser-based — until now.

Without CORTEX

With CORTEX

Impact

Effort estimated in Excel with no standard template — every presales engineer does it differently

7-question wizard generates a structured work stream breakdown in under 5 minutes

Consistent

"Mobile app" gets one estimate — iOS and Android bundled, no platform split

Separate effort streams per platform: iOS native, Android native, React Native, Web, Desktop

Accurate

Backend is one line — integration complexity, legacy adapters, and database design all hidden

Core services, integration layer, legacy adapter, and database are separate streams — each scaled by complexity

Visible

Contingency is a percentage someone added without reference to the deal's actual risk profile

Risk band from CADEX flows in automatically. Green = 10%, Amber = 20%, Red = 35%, Black = 50%

Risk-linked

Cloud hosting and running costs never appear in the proposal — client is surprised post go-live

OpEx streams model monthly infrastructure and licensing costs alongside the CapEx project price

Complete

Delivery timeline is a Gantt in a PowerPoint that doesn't connect to the effort estimate

Timeline auto-generated from effort: phase bar, sprint markers, stream-level Gantt chart

Connected

How it works

Five steps from deal to estimate

Answer 7 questions. Refine the matrix. Set risk. Cost it. Get a Gantt. All in under 30 minutes, saved in your browser.

Configure your streams

Answer 7 questions: target platforms, deployment model (cloud / on-prem / hybrid), backend complexity, data requirements, infrastructure scope, security requirements, and change management. CORTEX generates the right streams automatically.

Platform targets Deployment model Backend complexity Data needs Infra scope

~5 min

Refine the effort matrix

The wizard pre-populates effort days per role per stream. Edit any cell inline. Add streams you need, remove what doesn't apply. Streams are grouped by category — Discovery, Frontend, Backend, Data, DevOps, QA, PM — so the structure is easy to navigate.

FE · Web FE · iOS FE · Android BE · Core BE · Integrations BE · Legacy Database

~10 min

Set the risk band and contingency

If you've qualified this deal in CADEX, click "Estimate in CORTEX" and the risk band transfers automatically. Or set it manually. CORTEX applies the right contingency percentage — and shows you exactly how many extra days and cost that represents.

Green +10% Amber +20% Red +35% Black +50%

~3 min

Build the cost and set OpEx

Edit the rate card per role. Set your target margin and overhead. CORTEX shows the full cost build-up: base effort, contingency, overhead, margin, sell price. OpEx streams (cloud hosting, monitoring tools, on-prem licensing) are shown separately as monthly cost with annual and project-duration totals.

CapEx sell price OpEx monthly Margin % Rate card by role

~5 min

Review the timeline and export

Set sprint length and working days per week. CORTEX generates a Gantt chart: each stream gets a bar sized by effort, positioned by phase (Discovery, Build, Test, Go-Live). Sprint boundaries are marked. Export the full estimate as JSON, or reload it in any browser.

Gantt by stream Phase breakdown Sprint count JSON export

~5 min

Stream configurator

Seven questions. The right streams. Every time.

No two projects are the same. A web app with legacy ERP integration needs different streams than a React Native mobile app with ML recommendations. CORTEX asks the right questions and builds the structure for you.

After the wizard generates your streams, every cell in the effort matrix is editable. You keep full control — the wizard just gets you to the right starting point in 5 minutes instead of starting from a blank spreadsheet.

Target platforms

Web app

iOS (native)

Android (native)

React Native / Flutter

Desktop app

API / Backend only

Deployment model

Cloud-native (AWS/Azure/GCP)

On-premises

Hybrid

Backend complexity

Simple / greenfield

Medium (1–3 integrations)

Complex (4+ / legacy)

Data requirements

Minimal

Database + reporting

Data platform / BI

AI / ML workloads

Infrastructure scope

Minimal (use existing)

Standard cloud setup

Enterprise-grade

Security requirements

Security implementation

Penetration testing

Compliance baseline

Change management

Training in scope

Change impact assessment

Communications plan

✦

Then CORTEX builds your stream matrix

Pre-populated effort days per role per stream, ready to edit

Cost modelling

CapEx and OpEx — both visible, both clear

Most IT consulting estimates only model the build cost. The client discovers what cloud, licences, and maintenance actually cost — after the contract is signed. CORTEX models both from day one.

Why this matters in proposals When the client asks "what will this cost us?" they mean both: what do we pay you to build it, and what do we pay each month to run it? If only the first number is in the proposal, the second becomes a dispute after go-live. CORTEX puts both numbers in front of the right people before the contract is signed.

CapEx — One-time project delivery

What you charge for the project

Effort-based cost built from daily rates × days per role. Contingency applied by risk band. Overhead and margin added transparently. Every line visible.

Base effort (days × rates)£280,000

+ Contingency (Amber, 20%)+ £56,000

Total direct cost£336,000

+ Overhead (10%)+ £33,600

+ Margin (25%)+ £89,900

Sell price£459,500

OpEx — Ongoing monthly running cost

What the client pays after go-live

Cloud infrastructure, monitoring tools, on-prem hosting, and licences — modelled as monthly cost with annual and project-duration projections.

Cloud Infrastructure (AWS)£3,000 /mo

Monitoring & Observability£500 /mo

CDN & Security Layer£400 /mo

Total monthly OpEx£3,900 /mo

Annual running cost£46,800 /yr

Platform-specific streams

One platform selection. The right streams loaded.

Select your platforms in the configurator and CORTEX generates separate effort streams for each. No more bundling iOS and Android into "mobile".

🌐

Web App

Browser-based, responsive

Frontend — Web (SD + MD + UX)

Backend — Core Services & APIs

DevOps & CI/CD Pipeline

🍎

iOS Native

Swift / SwiftUI — separate codebase

Frontend — iOS (SD + MD)

UX Design (shared or separate)

QA — iOS-specific testing

🤖

Android Native

Kotlin / Jetpack Compose

Frontend — Android (SD + MD)

UI testing — Android-specific

Play Store pipeline

⚡

React Native / Flutter

Single codebase, both platforms

Frontend — RN/Flutter (SD + MD)

Platform-specific integration

Device testing both platforms

⚙️

Backend / API Only

No front-end in scope

Core Services & APIs

Integration Layer

Database Design & Setup

🏗️

Complex Backend

4+ integrations, legacy systems

BE — Core + Integration Layer

Legacy Adapter / ESB Layer

Performance & Load Testing

Who it's for

Three people who need this today

Presales Lead

The person who builds the number

"Every estimate I do starts from a blank spreadsheet. By the time I've listed the streams, it's been an hour and I haven't sized anything yet."

CORTEX generates the right stream structure in under 5 minutes. The wizard handles what you'd otherwise do manually — every time.

Delivery Director

The person who inherits the number

"Sales signs a fixed-price contract with a single figure. I get to kickoff and find out iOS and Android were both 'in scope' for the same budget as a web app."

Platform-specific stream splits mean iOS and Android each have their own effort line — visible before the contract goes out.

Solution Architect

The person who knows it's wrong

"The estimate has a 10% contingency. This is a Red deal with three unknown legacy systems. I said 35%. No one listened. We're repricing in Sprint 4."

Risk band from CADEX flows directly into contingency. Red deal = 35% automatically. Every deviation is explicit and documented.

Designed to work with CADEX

Qualify first. Then estimate.

CADEX qualifies your deal — risk band, engagement strategy, 42-point quality gate. CORTEX turns the qualified deal into a costed estimate. Two tools, one workflow.

Run your deal through CADEX — 60+ risk questions, engagement strategy, quality gate. Get a risk band (Green / Amber / Red / Black).

Click "Estimate in CORTEX" from any CADEX deal. Risk band and work type transfer automatically.

CORTEX opens with contingency pre-set from the risk band and streams pre-configured for the work type. Start refining immediately.

🎯

CADEX — Risk band: Amber (62%)

↓

🔗

Transfer — Click "Estimate in CORTEX"

↓

📊

CORTEX — Contingency set to 20% (Amber)

🗂️

CORTEX — Streams pre-loaded for work type

Open CADEX →

By the numbers

What CORTEX replaces

Configuration questions

Platform, deployment, backend, data, infra, security, change management. That's all CORTEX needs to generate a full stream breakdown.

Roles in the rate card

SA · SD · MD · JD · QA · BA · UX · DevOps · PM · DM · Data Engineer · Change Manager · Security Engineer. All editable per estimate.

Risk-linked contingency bands

Green +10%, Amber +20%, Red +35%, Black +50%. Linked to CADEX risk scores. No more gut-feel percentages that don't match the deal.

Cost types modelled

CapEx (one-time project delivery) and OpEx (monthly running costs after go-live). Both visible in the same estimate, ready for the proposal.

From first idea tocosted estimate.

Build your firsthonest estimate

From first idea to
costed estimate.

Build your first
honest estimate