technology strategy

DevOps consulting is one of the least comparable lines in a UK technology budget: two proposals for what reads like the same work can sit £80,000 apart. This guide prices it properly — 2026 UK day rates by supplier tier measured against the live contract market, how the April 2026 off-payroll and umbrella company changes moved the rate card, the five project shapes that make up almost all commercial work and what each costs, a phase-by-phase day count, a full worked budget for one 120-person software business, the running costs that begin the day the consultants leave, a three-year total cost of ownership, and the break-even arithmetic that decides whether any of it pays.