We maintain and modernise the software your business depends on.
CodeFirst is a UK software development company. We take over business systems that someone else built, keep them running and bring them up to date in stages. For new work, we build to an agreed scope at a fixed price.
Our software is used by teams at
Is your system built on any of these?
Vendor support on 3 October 2026. When support ends the security fixes stop, even though the software carries on working.
What we do
Three kinds of work, usually for the same clients over many years.
Keep it running
Maintenance and support for systems already in service, including ones we did not build.
Bring it up to date
Modernisation in stages, so the business keeps working while the oldest parts are replaced.
Build something new
New software built to an agreed scope, with the price fixed before work starts.
Where are you now?
Most people arrive with a situation, not a service in mind. Each page sets out the options and what we would do first.
All solutions- Your developer has leftThe person who built or maintained the system has gone, or is about to.
- Your supplier has stopped supporting itThe company that built or supports the system has closed, been sold or gone quiet.
- You want to change software supplierThe supplier is still there, but you want to move the system elsewhere.
- Nobody knows how it worksAn inherited system with no documentation and nobody left who understands it.
- It runs on unsupported softwareThe database, framework, server or browser it depends on is out of vendor support.
- You have outgrown an Access databaseAn Access database that corrupts, runs slowly over the network or depends on one person.
- The business runs on spreadsheetsQuoting, scheduling, job tracking or stock run on Excel files one person understands.
- The system has become slowScreens take many seconds, reports time out and overnight jobs overrun.
- Your systems do not talk to each otherThe same data is typed into several systems by hand, with errors and delays.
- Software built with AI that now needs fixingAn application built with AI tools works, but changing it is now risky
Technologies we take on
Mostly Microsoft platforms from the last twenty-five years, and the systems built on them.
Databases
SQL Server upgradesHow a takeover works
Taking on a system built by someone else is most of what we do. The order matters: we do not change anything until we can build, release and restore it.
Taking over an existing systemWe review what you have
You describe the system and what worries you. We look at the code, hosting and data and tell you what we found, in plain language.
We take control of access and backups
Source code, servers, domains, accounts and third-party services are moved under your ownership, and we prove a backup can be restored.
We prove we can release
We build the system from source and ship one small, safe change. Until that works, nobody can honestly promise to fix anything.
We stabilise it
The faults that hurt most are fixed first, along with anything out of support that exposes you to risk.
We maintain and modernise it
A monthly arrangement covers support. Larger improvements are scoped and priced separately, in the order that suits the business.
Fixed-price projects
Work we do often enough to price in advance. Scope, price and acceptance checks are agreed before we start.
| Package | Typical price | Typical duration |
|---|---|---|
| Code auditAn independent written assessment of a system's condition, risks and options. | £1,950 fixed | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Access database to web applicationAn Access database rebuilt as a multi-user web application on SQL Server. | £8,000 to £15,000 | 4 to 8 weeks |
| Spreadsheet to web applicationA critical Excel workbook rebuilt as a web application for several users at once. | £6,000 to £12,000 | 3 to 6 weeks |
| Customer portalA secure portal where customers see and act on their own data in your system. | £12,000 to £25,000 | 6 to 10 weeks |
| System integrationTwo systems connected so data is entered once, with failures reported. | £5,000 to £12,000 | 2 to 5 weeks |
| .NET upgrade assessmentA written, staged and sized plan for moving an application to current .NET. | £2,500 fixed | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Emergency software supportAn engineer on a failed system for a fixed fee, client or not. | £480 fixed | The first four hours |
| Developer absence coverWe learn your system and cover faults while your developer is away. | £1,450 fixed | A handover session, then up to two weeks of cover |
Prices exclude VAT.
Clients and case studies
Rated 5.0 out of 5 on Clutch.
- LogtekSupply chain services. Takeover, cloud migration, ongoing maintenance and new features
- Friedrich Miescher Institute (FMI)Scientific research. A remote development team building bespoke software
- Top VetVeterinary services. 20,000 veterinary practices listed
“Improved performance, resilience and reduced costs. What a way to start what is now a long-standing relationship.”
“We have found CodeFirst extremely professional. Their SQL Server technical experts are of the highest standard and I would definitely recommend them.”
- Founded
- 2012
- Longest client relationships
- More than ten years
- Offices
- Birmingham, London
- Led by
- Graham Church, founder
Insights
- Fixed price and software cost When fixed-price software development works: what to agree
Fixed-price software development works when the deliverable is clear and both sides agree how change will be handled. Here is what to settle before you sign.
- Legacy software and maintenance When to replace legacy software, and when to keep it
A legacy system that still does its job is an asset. Here is how to tell when to keep maintaining it, when to modernise it in stages and when to replace it.
- Legacy software and maintenance What is software maintenance? The four types explained
Software maintenance is the work that keeps software working, secure and useful after it goes live. The four types explained, with examples and checks to make.
Offices in Birmingham and London
Meet us at one of ours, or we will come to you.
Tell us about your system
Say what it does, what it is built on and what is worrying you. We will reply with what we would look at first and whether we are the right people to help.