Alex Bartonova
Founder · lead engineer
Writes the audits. Will tell you when your existing system is fine and does not need us.
// Ampthill, Bedford · working UK-wide
We write the system that replaces it, then we keep it running. Custom software and managed IT for British businesses that have outgrown the workaround.
31
systems in production
March 2019
first line of billed code
4 hrs
support response, contracted
// 01 — what we have shipped
Six builds, all still running
Client names are withheld under NDA. Figures below are measured from production, not from a proposal.
01
Nightly reconciliation engine
Haulage operator, Northamptonshire. Replaced a 14-tab workbook. Runs at 02:15, clears 9,400 lines in under three minutes.
02
Warehouse stock API
One source of truth across three sites and a Shopify front end. Stock counts stopped disagreeing in week two.
03
Field-service scheduling
27 engineers, offline-first on the van. Built for signal blackspots because that is where the work is.
04
Legacy migration, 11 months
A 2004 VB6 estimator moved to .NET without a big-bang cutover. Both ran side by side for 62 days.
05
Multi-tenant billing platform
SaaS product for a training provider. 1,180 seats billed monthly. Direct Debit via Bacs, no card fees.
06
On-premise to Azure
Cabinet in a cupboard to a managed tenancy. Hosting bill fell 38%; the fire risk fell rather more.
Nightly reconciliation engine
Haulage operator, Northamptonshire. Replaced a 14-tab workbook. Runs at 02:15, clears 9,400 lines in under three minutes.
02
Warehouse stock API
One source of truth across three sites and a Shopify front end. Stock counts stopped disagreeing in week two.
03
Field-service scheduling
27 engineers, offline-first on the van. Built for signal blackspots because that is where the work is.
04
Legacy migration, 11 months
A 2004 VB6 estimator moved to .NET without a big-bang cutover. Both ran side by side for 62 days.
05
Multi-tenant billing platform
SaaS product for a training provider. 1,180 seats billed monthly. Direct Debit via Bacs, no card fees.
06
On-premise to Azure
Cabinet in a cupboard to a managed tenancy. Hosting bill fell 38%; the fire risk fell rather more.
We are not the right firm for every job. If you need a marketing website, a WordPress theme, or a fixed-price app in six weeks, we will say no and point you at someone better suited. We turned down 9 of our last 40 enquiries on that basis.
// 02 — how we work
We read your code before we quote on replacing it.
Alex Bartonova spent seven years as an in-house developer before starting this firm, and the first eighteen months nearly ended it. Two fixed-price contracts were quoted from a wishlist rather than the actual system, and both overran badly enough to wipe out the year. The lesson was specific: nobody can price a rebuild they have not read.
So every engagement now opens with a paid audit. We read the codebase, the database, the integrations and the parts nobody has touched since 2017. Then we quote. On the 22 fixed-price builds we have delivered since changing that process, 19 landed inside the quoted range.
The work is deliberately unglamorous. We document as we go, hand over the repository and the credentials, and write things down so that another firm could pick it up without ringing us. Warm handovers are a courtesy. Being replaceable is the point.
Dan
Integrations · data
Eleven years in warehouse and logistics systems. Has met every bad CSV export in Britain.
Rob
Infrastructure · support
Holds the support pager. Azure and M365 certified; keeps the 4-hour response honest.
// 03 — services and what they cost
Six things we do, priced openly
Every price below is fixed and shown upfront. Book directly, or use it as a starting point for something bigger — the audit is where most engagements begin.
A focused read of a single system, page or integration before you commit to anything bigger. You get a short written report: what's wrong, what's fine, and what we'd do next. Yours to keep either way.
A scoped piece of custom work — a feature, a script, an integration point — priced once we know what you need. $99.99 covers small, well-defined jobs; anything larger is quoted after a short chat.
A single hour on the clock: a bug chased down, a small change shipped, a question answered by actually opening the code. Book it directly — no audit required first.
The small stuff that's been sitting in your inbox: a broken form, a layout bug, a typo in the checkout flow. We fix it, test it, and tell you exactly what changed.
A structured pass over your website: speed, mobile behaviour, broken links, the basics a visitor notices in the first ten seconds. Delivered as a short list, ranked by what actually matters.
A plain-English look at how your site reads to search engines: titles, headings, meta descriptions, obvious technical issues. No campaign, no retainer — just what's wrong and what to fix first.
Prices are shown in USD as flat, per-item rates. Bigger or bespoke work is quoted after a short conversation — no charge for the first message.
// 04 — what it is built on
The stack, stated plainly
Everyone in this trade sells you their favourite framework. We pick from a short list we can still support in five years, and we will tell you when your existing stack is the better answer.
Languages & runtimes
C# / .NET, TypeScript, Node, Python. Chosen for hiring depth in the UK, not for novelty.
Data & infrastructure
PostgreSQL and SQL Server on Azure or AWS. Backups restored to a scratch environment monthly, and we send you the log.
Integrations
Sage, Xero, Shopify, Microsoft 365, Stripe, and the older on-premise systems that still run half of British industry.
Security & data protection
UK data residency by default, least-privilege access, and a documented retention policy per system. Cyber Essentials aligned.
Start with the audit.
A written report for $99.99, delivered within days, yours to keep either way. Book
a slot online, or ring and describe the problem in five minutes.
// 05 — get in touch
Tell us what is breaking
Email
Telephone
Registered office
Bartonova Systems Ltd
51 Ailesbury Road
Ampthill, Bedford
MK45 2XD
51 Ailesbury Road
Ampthill, Bedford
MK45 2XD
Hours
Monday to Friday, 08:00–17:30
Support contracts: 4-hour response
Weekends: migrations only
Support contracts: 4-hour response
Weekends: migrations only