This page explains how 3Point1 prices electronic product development, what affects the final figure, and what you can expect at every stage.
How 3Point1 prices our services
3Point1 offers electronic product design, firmware development and electronic testing under one accountable team. We help take your idea from ‘concept’ to ‘manufacture-ready’, with clear documentation.
Every project is priced based on the hours required to deliver it. We build a detailed master budget at the start and manage it actively throughout the engagement. The budget is reviewed weekly on a team call, so you always know where you stand. There are no hidden fees, and we are held accountable for changes every step of the way.
If you need a fixed price, we assess the risk in your project and apply it to the budget. The level of risk depends on how complete and clearly communicated your requirements are. The more defined your brief, the tighter the estimate.
Every client receives the following to help manage their project budget:
- Structured discovery process
- Realistic first estimate
- Actively-managed master budget
- Weekly progress reviews
- Clear documentation at every stage.
Compliance and manufacturability are planned from day one, so they won’t become an unexpected cost later on. We want tight control of the scope to keep costs under control. We want flexibility in scope to account for future unknowns. Using our methodology, you can determine which direction best suits your project.
Most product development firms hand you an estimate and disappear until the invoice arrives. We give you a living budget you can see, question and control every week. That’s the difference.
How 3Point1 ensures costs remain clear
Stage 1: Discovery and first estimate
We begin with a series of calls to understand your project requirements. We ask detailed questions to ensure the brief and scope of work are as clear as possible.
Even at this early stage there are key differences that can affect the cost of a project. For instance, you may already have your ideas about how the product should work, or you may need us to research and fill in any gaps.
This discovery process leads to a first estimate, which we make as realistic as possible.
Stage 2: Deep requirements and master budget
If you agree with our first estimate, we begin work and we go deeper. Every requirement is examined in detail. For example (in simple terms) If you say the product must be waterproof, we ask: splash-proof or deep-sea rated? These have very different implications for cost and complexity.
We identify cross-discipline requirements, map out implementation dates and costs, and present a full master budget. The budget includes target dates for features and a monthly cost breakdown. This becomes a working document for the entire project.
Stage 3: Ongoing review and control
As work progresses, we constantly refer back to the master budget during regular meetings. Each week, we’ll review the budget with you as a team. You’ll see exactly where the project stands, what has changed, and what to expect next.
This level of dynamic review and control is uncommon in product development, but it is central to how we work.
What affects pricing?
We offer product design, firmware development, pcb design and embedded software testing all under one team. We are the only company we know of who can claim to provide everything from concept to manufacture-readiness in one place.
That offers a natural cost-saving for our clients, as we can communicate very easily with different members of our own team, rather than handing off or receiving work from other suppliers.
Of course not every product requires every department to be involved. As part of our discovery process we can ensure the right team are involved at each step, meaning you only pay for the services you need. We intentionally do not lean on any one discipline above the others.
