One of the biggest hurdles for accountants wanting to modernise their firms is the move to fixed-fee billing. It’s a big jump conceptually from running a business on hourly rates and many accountants put it in the too-hard basket.

Sage is working on an app called Sage Value which puts the methodology behind fixed fees into a software wizard. The wizard takes the cost of the product and other metrics to help an accountant determine how much they should charge their client.
Sage consulted with Ron Baker and similar consultants in the UK who advocate for fixed fee or value pricing.
Sage Value is at the screenshots stage after a six-week burst. No date for its release, but an interesting concept that could really help accountants looking for a framework to understand how to price their services.
I tracked down the product manager for Sage Value, Stuart at Sage Summit and asked him what it’s all about.
Disclosure: Sholto travelled to Sage Summit in New Orleans as a guest of Sage. Sholto has consulted to Sage and other software companies.