Agreed days each month
The days are agreed up front and booked in. It is a set arrangement, so you know when Chris is working on your business.
Fractional CTO · Technology and AI lead
A fractional CTO who sets the direction and builds it.
Chris works for your business on agreed days each month as your technical director. He sets the technology and AI direction, helps with supplier and system decisions, and he and the team build and ship the software and AI.
From £3,000/month excluding VATFractional CTO · See what is included
The starting point
What is getting
in the way?
Start with the thing that costs you time, enquiries or confidence. We shape the work around it.
Technology decisions land on the owner
Software, suppliers, security and AI tools all need a decision, and nobody in the business has built any of it. They get made late, or by whoever shouts loudest.
Quotes arrive and you cannot judge them
An agency, a software supplier or an IT firm sends a proposal. Someone independent needs to read it, ask the awkward questions and say when the answer is no.
AI is on the agenda and nobody owns it
Staff are already trying tools. Nobody has decided what is safe to use, what is worth building or who checks the output.
A full-time technical director is more than you need
You need senior direction and real delivery, not a permanent department. A set number of days a month gives you both.
The work in context · Illustrative scenes
Decide it. Then build it.
Agree the direction with the person who will also build it, so the plan and the software do not drift apart.
Give the owner a technical lead.
A manufacturer can have supplier quotes, system choices and AI ideas reviewed by someone who has built these systems, without a full-time hire.
What we do
Services & deliverables.
From a one-off project to ongoing support. We agree which services you need, what we will deliver and the cost before work starts.
A named person
Chris is your technical lead. You deal with him directly, and he brings in the Happy Webs team when there is something to build.
Technology direction
A plain-English plan for the systems you run: what to keep, what to replace and what to leave alone, reviewed as the business changes.
AI direction
Where AI is worth using in your business, where it is not, what staff can use and who checks the output.
Supplier and system decisions
We read the quotes, question the proposals and help you choose software, suppliers and tools. We say so when the cheaper option will do.
Software and AI built and shipped
Chris and the team build the tools over agreed periods, so a decision turns into working software rather than a report.
How it happens
From a conversation
to working properly.
- 01
Talk
A call about the business, the systems you run and where decisions are stuck. We say honestly whether a fractional CTO is the right fit.
- 02
Agree the days
We agree how many days each month, what Chris leads on first and the price, in writing, before any work starts.
- 03
Set the direction
We look at what you have, read the open quotes and agree a plain-English plan for technology and AI.
- 04
Build and ship
Chris and the team build the agreed software and AI over agreed periods, and you review the work as it lands.
Cost and commitment
Invest in the work.
See what it delivers.
A fractional CTO starts from £3,000 a month plus VAT for an agreed number of days. If the business needs more days in a month, it costs more. We agree the days and the price in writing before we start. A fractional CTO is Chris as your technical lead for agreed days each month, setting direction and delivering. Ongoing development is a build team working through a backlog.
Your quote sets out the scope, timescale and support. We share progress early and check the work before launch.
All prices exclude VAT. Final scope and price agreed in writing.
Fractional CTO
From £3,000/monthexcluding VAT
- Agreed days each month with Chris as your technical lead
- Technology and AI direction, and supplier and system decisions
- Software and AI built and shipped over agreed periods
- More days in a month cost more, agreed before they are booked
Ongoing development
From £3,500/monthexcluding VAT
- A build team working through an agreed backlog
- Priorities agreed with you each month
- A better fit when you already know what to build
We work with firms in the UK and the US. The work is delivered remotely, with visits when they are useful.
Tell us what the business needs from a technical lead.
Send a few lines on the systems you run, what is coming and where decisions are stuck. We will say whether a fractional CTO fits, and how many days a month would make sense.
Before you decide
Good questions.
Straight answers.
What is a fractional CTO?
A fractional CTO is a technical director who works for your business a set number of days each month instead of full time. You may also hear it called a part time, interim or outsourced CTO. Chris sets the technology and AI direction, helps with supplier and system decisions, and builds the software and AI with the team.
Is this just advice?
No. Direction is part of it, but the point is delivery. Chris and the team build and ship the software and AI over agreed periods, so decisions turn into working tools instead of a report that sits in a drawer.
Is it a 24/7 helpdesk?
No. It is a set number of agreed days each month. If you want help between those days with something we have built, our support plans are separate.
How much does a fractional CTO cost?
From £3,000 a month plus VAT, for an agreed number of days. If the business needs more days, it costs more. We agree the days and the price in writing before we start.
How is it different from ongoing development?
A fractional CTO is Chris as your technical lead for agreed days each month, setting direction and delivering. Ongoing development, from £3,500 a month, is a build team working through a backlog. If you already know what to build, ongoing development may fit better. If you need someone to decide what to build and in what order, a fractional CTO does that.
Who is it for?
Owner-led businesses without a technical director, such as fabricators, manufacturers, door installers and service firms, where software, AI and supplier decisions land on the owner. It also suits any SME that wants senior technical direction without a full-time hire. Chris does this personally for a number of businesses.
Keep exploring
Find the right fit.
Related services and real examples to help you choose the next step.
What could work
better for you?
A new website. More customers. Less admin.
Tell us where you want to get to. We will reply within one working day.