Are you accountants?
No. Deuteronomy Consulting Ltd is not a firm of accountants. We don't prepare statutory accounts, carry out audits, act as your agent with HM Revenue & Customs, or advise on tax. We build and run the systems underneath all of that — and we say so at the first meeting rather than the fourth.
What exactly can't you do?
We can't prepare or file your VAT returns, prepare statutory accounts, or tell you how a transaction should be treated for tax. If we notice something in your records that looks inconsistent, we'll tell you what we've seen and recommend you put it to a qualified adviser — but we won't tell you the answer, and we won't estimate what getting it wrong might cost.
I already have an accountant. Is this a problem?
The opposite. Most of our clients have one, and accountants generally like us, because the records arriving on their desk are clean, reconciled and on time. We're not competing for that work — we'll actively hand things to them, and if you don't have an accountant we'll introduce you to one.
What actually happens in the first ninety days?
We take over the bookkeeping — clean, reconciled, on schedule. While we're in there, we keep a running log of anything that looks wrong. At week ten you get a written review: where money leaves without a control in front of it, where the same figure gets typed twice, what could be automated and what it would take. Then a meeting, and a fixed-price plan if there's one worth doing.
Why bookkeeping first? I want the systems work.
Because three months inside your transactions tells us more than any amount of interviewing. Every consultant who's quoted you for a systems review has done it from the outside, based on what you told them was broken. We do it from the inside, based on what actually happens. You also get clean books out of it either way.
What does it cost?
The 90-day review is from £950 a month. A rebuild is typically £3,500 to £7,000 depending on which modules you need, fixed price and scoped from the review. Ongoing support runs from £150 a month. Standalone tool builds start at £1,200. All fixed, all agreed in writing before anything starts.
How long does a rebuild take?
Two to four weeks of concentrated work for most engagements, depending on how many modules you take and how quickly we can get access and answers. We scope it from the review, so you know the number and the timeline before you commit to either.
What happens to my data if we stop working together?
Nothing. Everything we build runs in your environment, on your systems, holding your data. We license you the tooling and we can switch that off — but your records stay exactly where they always were. We'll never hold your data as leverage, and it's written into our engagement letter.
Do you only work with construction firms?
The finance operations work — subcontractor billing, job costing, retentions, applications for payment — is where we're strongest, and that's mostly construction, civils and utilities. Standalone tooling we build for any sector. A reporting problem looks much the same wherever it shows up.
We're quite small. Are we too small?
Probably not. We do fixed-scope starter engagements from £750 that tackle one thing rather than everything — the single worst part of your month, fixed. It's a sensible way to find out whether we're any good before committing to more.
How do we start?
One conversation, thirty minutes, no charge. Tell us what isn't working. If we can help, we'll say how and what it would cost. If we can't, we'll say that instead — and usually point you at whoever can.